Comparison of internal vs. external vs. holistic attentional focus in golf putting performance among children: the role of skill level

Attentional focus instructions reliably enhance motor performance in adults, yet little is known about whether these effects extend to children. This pilot study examined how internal, external, and holistic focus strategies influence golf putting performance in 10–12-year-old novice and beginner child golfers. Twenty-four boys ( M age = 11.29 years) completed a within-subjects putting task across four conditions (control, internal, external, and holistic), with skill level as a between-subjects factor. Participants first completed a control block of 15 pretest putts and then three 15-putt experimental blocks under internal-, external-, and holistic-focus instructions. Before each attentional condition, participants rated anxiety, received standardized instructions, and completed five practice putts. All three attentional focus cues significantly improved putting accuracy compared with the control condition, ps ≤ 0.003, whereas no differences emerged among the cue types, ps > 0.44. Beginner children performed better overall than novices, p = 0.007, but skill level did not moderate the effects of attentional focus, p = 0.084. Anxiety levels did not differ across conditions, p = 0.497, confirming that performance changes were not confounded by emotional responses. These findings suggest that attentional focus benefits children’s precision performance, but cue-type distinctions commonly observed in adults do not appear in late childhood. The results highlight the need for developmentally appropriate cue strategies in youth sport.