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A study on why England soccer team keeps losing in penalty shootouts | Ever wondered why England's soccer team keeps losing on penalties? Well, University of Exeter researchers may help you figure it out. In a new study, the boffins have shown
the effect of anxiety on a footballer's eye movements while taking a penalty.
The study, which is published in the December 2009 edition of the Journal of Sport
and Exercise Psychology, shows that when penalty takers are anxious they are more
likely to look at and focus on the centrally positioned goalkeeper. Due to the
tight coordination between gaze control and motor control, shots also tend to
centralise, making them easier to save. The researchers attribute this change
in eye movements and focus to anxiety. Author Greg Wood of the University of Exeter
's School of Sport and Health Sciences said: "During a highly stressful situation,
we are more likely to be distracted by any threatening stimuli and focus on them,
rather than the task in hand. Therefore, in a stressful penalty shootout, a footballer's
attention is likely to be directed towards the goalkeeper as opposed to the optimal
scoring zones (just inside the post). This disrupts the aiming of the shot and
increases the likelihood of subsequently hitting the shot towards the goalkeeper,
making it easier to save." To reach the conclusion, researchers focused on 14
members of the University of Exeter football (soccer) team. They asked the players
to perform two series of penalty shots. First, they were simply asked to do their
best to score. The researchers made the second series more stressful and more
akin to a penalty shoot-out. The players were told that the results would be recorded
and shared with the other players and there would be a 50-pound prize for the
best penalty taker. The players wore special glasses which enabled the researchers
to record precise eye movements and analyse the focus of each footballer's gaze
and the amount of time spent looking at different locations in the goal. The results
showed that when anxious, the footballers looked at the goalkeeper significantly
earlier and for longer. This change in eye behaviour made players more likely
to shoot towards the centre of the goal, making it easier for the keeper to save.
The researchers believe that by being made aware of the impact of anxiety on eye
movements, and the affect this has on the accuracy of a player's shot, coaches
could address this through training. Greg Wood continues: "Research shows that
the optimum strategy for penalty takers to use is to pick a spot and shoot to
it, ignoring the goalkeeper in the process. "Training this strategy is likely
to build on the tight coordination between eye movements and subsequent actions,
making for more accurate shooting. The idea that you cannot recreate the anxiety
a penalty taker feels during a shootout is no excuse for not practicing. Do you
think other elite performers don't practice basic aiming shots in darts, snooker
or golf for the same reasons? These skills need to be ingrained so they are robust
under pressure". |
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