How to Improve Motor Learning: The Effects of Attentional Focus Strategies on Adolescent Performance

The effectiveness of instructional strategies in youth athletic training is a central topic in sports psychology. This is because the strategies used can influence cognitive parameters as well as performance outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different attentional focus strategies (internal focus vs external focus) on neuromuscular performance outcomes and their short- and medium-term retention in adolescent athletes. Two specific strategies were used: one based on external focus, directing the young athletes’ cognition towards the visible effects of movement, and one based on internal focus, centring their attention on the biomechanical mechanisms underlying the manifest movement. The exercise protocols adopted are based on the Sincrony movement methodology, ensuring a coordinated execution adapted to the principles of motor control. A sample of 196 adolescents (15.25 ± 0.75 years old) was divided into two groups, both working for eight weeks with identical physical exercises but different focus instructions. All participants, after a familiarisation period, were tested before and after the intervention, as well as in a four-week follow-up after the end of the intervention. They were assessed using force platform jump tests and a maximal strength test for the upper limbs with electronic dynamometers. The results showed significant improvements in jump height, jump power, and maximal strength (p < 0.001) in both groups. However, the internal focus group exhibited greater stability over time, particularly in maximal strength, whereas the external focus group achieved more immediate improvements in explosive performance, with a similar performance decline between the groups in jump tests at follow-up.