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Enhancing Soccer Players’ Timing Ability, Performance Accuracy, and Lower-Limb Kinematics through Synchronized Metronome Training
Published in "Frontiers In Psychology"
Keywords
Adult, Motor Skills, Sports Performance
The study “Influences of Synchronized Metronome Training on Soccer Players’ Timing Ability, Performance Accuracy, and Lower-Limb Kinematics” investigates the impact of Interactive Metronome (IM) training on soccer players’ sensorimotor timing abilities and their subsequent performance enhancement.
In this study, 24 female sub-elite and elite soccer players, aged 16.2 to 25.8, were randomly assigned to an experimental group (received regular pre-season soccer practices plus IM training 3x/week) and a control group (only participated in regular pre-season soccer practices). The IM training consisted of 12 sessions over four weeks, each lasting 45-50 minutes. The athletes’ sensorimotor timing abilities and their performance on a complex, high cognitive-load stepping task were assessed before and after the IM training.
The results showed significant improvements in millisecond timing in the IM training group, along with better speed and accuracy on the complex stepping task compared to the control group. Intriguingly, those who showed the most improvement in timing scores on the Interactive Metronome also showed the greatest gains in speed and accuracy on the complex stepping task. This suggests that IM training not only improves motor coordination, precision, and speed but also positively influences executive-controlled attention and working memory.
The findings underscore that sensorimotor timing ability may be the key factor in sports performance, even more than physical strength and mental ability. Particularly in team sports like soccer, where precisely timed actions on the millisecond level are crucial, the enhancement of cognitive-motor planning ability and sensorimotor timing skills are pivotal. The results advocate that synchronized sensorimotor timing abilities should be acknowledged as a critical factor for soccer players’ performance and likely beneficial in other sports requiring high cognitive-motor tasks and dynamic contexts.
Abridged Summary & Results of Study
Influences of Synchronized Metronome Training on Soccer Players’ Timing Ability, Performance Accuracy, and Lower-Limb Kinematics
YEAR: 2018
PUBLICATION: FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
AUTHOR: Louise Rönnqvist, Rachel McDonald & Marius Sommer
RESULTS:
The experimental Interactive Metronome (IM) group demonstrated signifificant improvement in millisecond timing, compared to the control group, as a result of IM training. Additionally, the group that received IM training demonstrated greater speed and accuracy on a high cognitive-load, complex stepping task. IM training appeared to positively impact executive-controlled attention and working memory in the experimental group leading to improved performance in motor coordination, precision and speed when compared to the control group.
Of interest, those athletes who demonstrated the MOST improvement in timing scores on Interactive Metronome also demonstrated the GREATEST gains in speed and accuracy on the complex stepping task. Correlations were found between the participants’ performance on the stepping task and kinematic parameters, likely associated with inter- individual variations in higher-order cognitive processing ability. Recent studies have confifirmed that executive functions are imperative for high performance in soccer and hockey. The more elite the player, the higher they tend to perform on tests of executive functioning.
To conclude, even if physical strength and mental ability are of high importance in all sport performance, sensorimotor timing ability may be the key factor. The present study emphasizes the importance of improving the cognitive- motor planning ability and sensorimotor timing skills, especially in team sport such as soccer where the players have to rely on accurately timed actions on milliseconds level. It is clear from the results that synchronized sensorimotor timing abilities should be acknowledged as a critical factor for soccer player’s performance. Additionally, that SMT [Interactive Metronome training] also may be benefificial for both general motor planning and in other sports performance and situations of complex, high cognitive-motor demanded tasks, and dynamic contexts.
DETAILS:
- n=24 female elite & sub-elite soccer players ages 16.2 to 25.8 were randomly assigned to:
- experimental group: 12 participants completed 12 IM training sessions (45-50 min each) over 4 weeks in addition to regular pre-season soccer practices
- control group: 12 participants completed the same regular pre-season soccer practices
- pre & post sensorimotor timing skills were measured via Interactive Metronome
- pre & post performance on a complex, high cognitive-load stepping task was recorded in 2D and 3D for each participant via an optoelectronic motion capture system for kinematic analysis.
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