Joel Martin

Clinical Scenario : Dancing is a demanding esthetic activity with dancers having an 85% annual injury incident rate when performing complex dance motor skills. Teachers and clinicians use a combination of external and internal attentional cues when teaching dancers motor skills and when working on rehabilitation programs with injured dancers, respectively. External attentional focus (ie, focusing on movement outcome) reportedly results in superior performance than internal attentional focus (ie, focus on body movements). Interestingly, dancers reportedly often adopt an internal focus when dancing. Still, limited literature exists examining the effects of attentional focus on dancers’ performance. Clinical Question : How does attentional focus (external or internal) impact performance in dancers? Summary of Key Findings : Four original quasi-experimental studies met inclusion criteria. In the current examination, we found mixed results about the impact of attentional focus in dancers. Specifically, using an external attentional focus resulted in better performance in 2 studies, but these findings were limited to lesser experienced dancers. Experienced dancers did not have any physical performance differences when using external or internal focus. Internal focus also did not negatively affect dancers’ performance in 2 studies. Some authors noted positive motivational effects (eg, increased perceived competence) when dancers used external focus. Clinical Bottom Line : Low-quality evidence exists supporting the notion that in less experienced dance students, external focus improves performance. In experienced dancers, the type of attentional focus did not impact performance. External focus provides positive mental effects. Thus, clinicians working with dancers can integrate individualized feedback according to dancer level, with a preference toward external focus due to positive mental effects, to design optimal training and rehabilitation programs. Strength of Recommendation : Grade B evidence exists supporting the notion that an external attentional focus improves performance in less experienced dance students and also has positive mental effects. Internal attentional focus does not impede experienced dancers’ performance.

Background: There are contradictory findings in the literature on whether an acute bout of aerobic exercise leads to a post-exercise improvement in cognitive function (CF). Moreover, participants used in the published literature are not representative of the racial make-up of sport or tactical populations. Methods: A randomized crossover design was incorporated, with participants randomly consuming water or a carbohydrate sports drink within the first 3 min of a graded maximal exercise test (GMET) conducted in a laboratory. Twelve self-identified African American participants, (seven males, five females, age = 21.42 ± 2.38 years, height = 174.94 ± 12.55 cm, mass = 82.45 ± 33.09 kg) completed both testing days. Participants completed the CF tests immediately pre- and post-GMET. CF was assessed with the Stroop color and word task (SCWT) and concentration task grid (CTG). Participants completed the GMET when they reported a score of 20 on the Borg ratings of perceived exertion scale. Results: Time to complete the SCWT incongruent task (p < 0.001) and CTG performance (p < 0.001) significantly improved post-GMET in both conditions. VO2max was positively correlated with pre- and post-GMET SCWT performance. Conclusions: The findings of our study suggest that an acute bout of maximal exercise significantly improves CF. Additionally, cardiorespiratory fitness is positively associated with CF in our sample of student athletes from a historically Black college and university.