Carey David P, Smith Daniel T, Martin Douglas, Smith Geoff, Skriver Jan, Rutland Adam, Shepherd John W
School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
Cortex. 2009 May;45(5):650-61. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2008.05.011. Epub 2008 Nov 8.
A strong preference for using the right foot for skilled activities parallels a similar side bias for hand use. However, many neuropsychologists, sports scientists and sports commentators argue that right-foot bias in soccer is reduced or even eliminated by practice. This sort of plasticity is an important component of the principle genetic theories of handedness, yet very little is known about the relative asymmetries in the many unipedal skills required in soccer at amateur or professional levels. The first study examined self-report of hand and foot bias in a sample (n=400) of amateur soccer players, in addition to information about their practice with the non-preferred foot. A second study quantified foot use on the pitch in a large sample (n=426) of professional soccer players. The majority of the amateurs reported a right-foot bias that is very similar to that seen in the general population ( approximately 80%). However they only endorse strong biases for "closed" (self-paced) soccer actions like penalty and other free kicks, which give players unlimited time and space for preparation and execution. Although there was a very slight tendency for less right-foot bias in the professionals ( approximately 75%), as assessed by actual foot use rather than questionnaire, few players show anything like what could be described as two-footed play. This bias, unlike in the reports of amateurs, were for all of the behaviours investigated, not just so-called "skilled" behaviours. Finally, when outcomes of preferred and non-preferred foot behaviours were contrasted, the professionals were remarkably adept on those rare occasions when they use their non-preferred foot, suggesting that skill cannot explain asymmetry of choice. These results are discussed in terms of 1) limitations of self-report on questionnaires for predicting actual on the field behaviour, 2) the surprising absence of plasticity in foot use, given the importance of learning, experience and culture in models of handedness and footedness, and 3) a left hemisphere lateralised intentional system as important for the selection of movements as for their execution.
在进行熟练活动时强烈倾向于使用右脚，这与用手时类似的单侧偏好是并行的。然而，许多神经心理学家、体育科学家和体育评论员认为，足球运动中右脚偏好会因训练而减弱甚至消除。这种可塑性是用手习惯主要遗传理论的一个重要组成部分，但对于业余或职业水平足球所需的许多单脚技能中的相对不对称性，人们却知之甚少。第一项研究调查了一组（n = 400）业余足球运动员的手和脚偏好的自我报告，以及他们使用非偏好脚训练的相关信息。第二项研究对一大组（n = 426）职业足球运动员在球场上的脚使用情况进行了量化。大多数业余球员报告有右脚偏好，这与普通人群中观察到的情况非常相似（约80%）。然而，他们只认可在“封闭”（自我节奏）的足球动作，如点球和其他任意球中存在强烈偏好，这些动作能让球员有无限的时间和空间来准备和执行。通过实际的脚使用情况而非问卷调查评估发现，尽管职业球员中右脚偏好略有减少（约75%），但很少有球员表现出可以被称为双脚灵活运用的情况。与业余球员的报告不同，这种偏好适用于所有调查的行为，而不仅仅是所谓的“熟练”行为。最后，当对比偏好脚和非偏好脚行为的结果时，职业球员在使用非偏好脚的那些罕见情况下表现得非常熟练，这表明技能并不能解释选择的不对称性。这些结果将从以下几个方面进行讨论：1）问卷调查中自我报告对于预测实际场上行为的局限性；2）鉴于学习、经验和文化在用手习惯和用脚习惯模型中的重要性，脚使用情况中令人惊讶的可塑性缺失；3）左半球侧化的意向系统对于动作选择和执行同样重要。
