The Role of Attentional Focus in Ergometer Rowing Performance

The effects of internal attentional cues versus external attentional cues have produced inconclusive findings regarding which attentional cue is more beneficial (Newmann, et al. 2020). Recent research has found a holistic approach that improves performance and learning in discrete tasks like vertical jumps; however, it has not been investigated with continuous tasks like rowing. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of internal, external, and holistic attentional cues on ergometer rowing performance. METHODS: Thirty-seven participants performed a six-minute ergometer rowing task across three different sessions, with at least 48 hours between each session, in a counterbalanced order. The dependent variables analyzed were total distance (m), average stroke rate (S/M), and average heart rate (BPM). Data were analyzed using three separate one-way repeated measures ANOVAs with Bonferroni post hoc tests. RESULTS: The results showed a significant difference in distance rowed (m) among the three different attentional cues (f(2,72) = 12.664, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.255). Post hoc tests revealed significant differences in holistic and internal cues (p < 0.001), and significant differences between holistic and external cues (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in stroke rate between internal, external, and holistic attentional cues (f(2,74) = 0.439, p = 0.646, ηp2 = 0.012). When comparing average heart rate (HR) with each session, the results revealed a significant difference (f(2,74) = 6.020, p = 0.004, ηp2 = 0.14). HR was significantly greater under holistic focus compared to internal focus (p = 0.036), and holistic focus was also significantly greater than external focus (p = 0.018). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that under a holistic attentional focus, performance is enhanced since individuals row significantly more distance (m) and obtain a significantly greater HR.