Effect of Quiet Eye and Quiet Mind Training on Motor Learning Among Novice Dart Players
in Motor ControlIn sport such as darts, athletes are particularly challenged by demands for concentration, skills underpinned by implicit learning, and fine motor skill control. Several techniques have been proposed to improve the implicit learning of such skills, including quiet eye training (QET) and quiet mind training (QMT). Here, the authors tested whether and to what extent QET or QMT, compared with a control condition, might improve skills among novice dart players. In total, 30 novice dart players were randomly assigned either to the QET, QMT, or a control condition. Dart playing skills were assessed four times: at the baseline, 7 days later, under stress conditions, and at the study’s end. Over time, errors reduced, but more so in the QET and QMT conditions than in the control condition. The pattern of the results indicates that, among novice dart players and compared with a control condition, both QET and QMT provide significant improvements in implicit learning.
Norouzi and Hosseini are with the Department of Human Motor Behavior, Faculty of Sport Science, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. Vaezmosavi is with the Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Social Science, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran. Gerber and Brand are with the Division of Sport and Psychosocial Health, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Pühse is with the Division of Sport and Health Pedagogy, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Brand is also with Psychiatric Clinics, Centre for Affective, Stress and Sleep, Disorders, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; the Department of Psychiatry, Sleep Disorders Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran; and the Department of Psychiatry, Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
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