Brocken Johanna E A, van der Kamp John, Lenior Matthieu, Savelsbergh Geert J P
Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Research Centre for Exercise, School and Sport, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Zwolle, Netherlands.
Front Psychol. 2021 Apr 29;12:653004. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.653004. eCollection 2021.
Cross-education is the phenomenon in which repeated practice of a unilateral motor task does not only result in performance improvement of the trained limb, but also in the untrained contralateral limb. The aim of this study was to test whether cross-education or positive transfer of learning is also achieved for tasks in which both limbs contribute in different ways by using modified equipment that switches the limbs' role. To this end, a reverse field hockey stick was used that requires a mirroring of arm and hand use and dominance (i.e., right hand on top of the hockey stick instead of the left hand). Two groups of young skilled female field hockey players participated in a crossover-design, in which participants received four training sessions with a reverse hockey stick followed by four training sessions with a regular hockey stick, or vice versa. In a pre-test, intermediate test (following the first intervention period), a post-test (after the second intervention period) and a retention test, participants' performance on a field hockey skill test with a regular hockey stick was measured. The results revealed that training with the reversed hockey stick led to significantly increased improvements compared to training with a regular hockey stick. We conclude that modified equipment can be used to exploit positive transfer of learning by switching the limbs' roles. The findings are discussed by referring to the symmetry preservation principle in dynamic systems theory and have clear practical relevance for field hockey trainers and players seeking to further improve field hockey skills.
交叉训练效应是指对单侧运动任务进行重复训练，不仅会使训练侧肢体的表现得到改善，还会使未训练的对侧肢体表现得到改善。本研究的目的是通过使用改变肢体作用的改良设备，测试对于双侧肢体以不同方式发挥作用的任务，是否也能实现交叉训练效应或学习的正向迁移。为此，使用了一种反向曲棍球棒，它要求手臂和手部的使用及优势手进行镜像操作（即右手放在曲棍球棒顶部而非左手）。两组年轻熟练的女子曲棍球运动员参与了一项交叉设计实验，参与者先接受四次使用反向曲棍球棒的训练课程，随后接受四次使用常规曲棍球棒的训练课程，或者反之。在预测试、中间测试（在第一个干预期之后）、后测试（在第二个干预期之后）以及留存测试中，测量了参与者使用常规曲棍球棒进行曲棍球技能测试的表现。结果显示，与使用常规曲棍球棒训练相比，使用反向曲棍球棒训练带来了显著更大的进步。我们得出结论，改良设备可用于通过改变肢体作用来利用学习的正向迁移。通过参考动态系统理论中的对称性保持原则对研究结果进行了讨论，这对于寻求进一步提高曲棍球技能的曲棍球教练和运动员具有明确的实际意义。
