Faelli Emanuela, Strassera Laura, Pelosin Elisa, Perasso Luisa, Ferrando Vittoria, Bisio Ambra, Ruggeri Piero
Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
Centro Polifunzionale di Scienze Motorie, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
Front Psychol. 2019 Apr 24;10:889. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00889. eCollection 2019.
Combining action observation (AO) and physical practice contributes to motor skill learning, and a number of studies pointed out the beneficial role of AO training in improving the motor performance and the athletes' movement kinematics. The aim of this study was to investigate if AO combined with immediate conventional training was able to improve motor performance and kinematic parameters of a complex motor skill such as the lineout throw, a gesture that represents a key aspect of rugby, that is unique to this sport. Twenty elite rugby players were divided into two groups. The AO group watched a 5-min video-clip of an expert model performing the lineout throw toward a target at 7 m distance and, immediately after the AO, this group executed the conventional training, consisting of six repetitions x five blocks of throws. The CONTROL group performed only the conventional lineout training. Intervention period lasted 4 weeks, 3 sessions/week. The AO group showed significant improvements in throwing accuracy (i.e., number of throws hitting the target), whilst no significant changes were observed in the CONTROL group. As concerns kinematic parameters, hooker's arm mean velocity significantly increased in both groups, but the increase was higher in AO group compared to CONTROL group. Ball velocity significantly increased only in the AO group, whereas ball angle release and ball spinning significantly decreased in both groups, with no differences between groups. Finally, no significant changes in knee and elbow angles were observed. Our results showed that the combination of AO and conventional training was more effective than a conventional training alone in improving the performance of elite rugby players, in executing a complex motor skill, such as the lineout. This combined training led to significant improvements in throwing accuracy and in hooker's and ball's kinematic parameters. Since AO can be easily implemented in combination with conventional training, the results of this study can encourage coaches in designing specific lineout training programs, which include AO cognitive training.
将动作观察（AO）与实际练习相结合有助于运动技能学习，并且多项研究指出了AO训练在改善运动表现和运动员运动运动学方面的有益作用。本研究的目的是调查AO与即时传统训练相结合是否能够改善复杂运动技能（如争边球投掷，这是橄榄球运动的一个关键方面，也是这项运动所特有的手势）的运动表现和运动学参数。20名精英橄榄球运动员被分为两组。AO组观看了一段5分钟的视频片段，内容是一名专家模型向7米外的目标进行争边球投掷，在AO之后，该组立即进行传统训练，包括六次重复×五组投掷。对照组仅进行传统的争边球训练。干预期持续4周，每周3次训练。AO组在投掷准确性（即命中目标的投掷次数）方面有显著提高，而对照组未观察到显著变化。关于运动学参数，两组中锋手臂平均速度均显著增加，但AO组的增加幅度高于对照组。仅AO组球速显著增加，而两组球的释放角度和球的旋转均显著降低，两组之间无差异。最后，未观察到膝盖和肘部角度有显著变化。我们的结果表明，AO与传统训练相结合在提高精英橄榄球运动员执行复杂运动技能（如争边球）的表现方面比单独的传统训练更有效。这种联合训练导致投掷准确性以及中锋和球的运动学参数有显著提高。由于AO可以很容易地与传统训练相结合实施，本研究结果可以鼓励教练设计包括AO认知训练的特定争边球训练计划。
