Whole-body sensorimotor skill learning in football players: No evidence for motor transfer effects

PLoS One. 2022 Jul 11;17(7):e0271412. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271412. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Besides simple movement sequences, precise whole-body motor sequences are fundamental for top athletic performance. It has long been questioned whether athletes have an advantage when learning new whole-body motor sequences. In a previous study, we did not find any superior learning or transfer effects of strength and endurance athletes in a complex whole-body serial reaction time task (CWB-SRTT). In the present study, we aimed to extend this research by increasing the overlap of task requirements between CWB-SRTT and a specific sports discipline. For this purpose, we assessed differences between football players and non-athletes during motor sequence learning using CWB-SRTT. 15 non-athletes (CG) and 16 football players (FG) performed the CWB-SRTT over 2 days separated by one week. Median reaction times and movement times were analyzed as well as differences in sequence-specific CWB-SRTT learning rates and retention. Our findings did not reveal any differences in sequence-specific or non-sequence-specific improvement, nor retention rates between CG and FG. We speculate that this might relate to a predominately cognitive-induced learning effect during CWB-SRTT which negates the assumed motor advantage of the football players.

MeSH terms

  • Athletic Performance*
  • Football*
  • Humans
  • Learning
  • Reaction Time
  • Soccer*

Grants and funding

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.