The Psychology of Closed Self-Paced Motor Tasks in Sports

Athletes are often required to perform motor tasks in dynamic and challenging sporting environments, such as free-throw shots in basketball, putting in golf, serving in tennis, and bowling. The Psychology of Closed Self-Paced Motor Tasks in Sports explores plans, procedures, protocols, strategies, and techniques that aim at facilitating the performance and learning of closed self-paced motor tasks, such as pre-performance routines, focusing attention, motor imagery, enhanced expectancies, autonomy support, gaze strategies, self-talk, and periodization. These routines are evidence-based and have practical implications for professionals who teach closed self-paced motor tasks.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 202 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Athletes frequently face the challenge of executing a diverse range of motor tasks in dynamic and demanding sporting environments, where they must react without sufficient time to adequately prepare themselves for the task at hand. However, in numerous sports activities, athletes also engage in closed self-paced motor tasks, which occur in a relatively stable and predictable setting, allowing for ample preparation before their execution. Among these tasks are free-throw shots in basketball, putting in golf, serving in tennis, and bowling.

In these tasks, performers have the ability to plan their actions in advance. They can activate a plan, a strategy, a protocol, or a procedure, which we refer to as a ritual behavior. Effective rituals are typically achieved with a high degree of consistency. That is, either deliberately or subconsciously, they become an integral part of the act itself.

The Psychology of Closed Self-Paced Motor Tasks in Sports delves into the various plans, procedures, protocols, strategies, and techniques that are designed to enhance the performance and learning of closed self-paced motor tasks. Within the instructional-psychological routines discussed in this book, pre-performance routines, focusing attention, motor imagery, enhanced expectancies, autonomy support, gaze strategies, self-talk, and periodization are explored.

The routines presented in this book are grounded in evidence. By conducting updated reviews of laboratory and field inquiries on the discussed instructional-psychological routines, practical implications are provided for those professionals who teach closed self-paced motor tasks, including coaches, instructors, and sport psychology consultants.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367708979