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THE EFFECTS OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FOCUS OF ATTENTION CONDITIONS ON THE PUNCHING IMPACT FORCE AND ELECTROMYOGRAPHY ACTIVITY IN BOXERS ____________________________________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, Fullerton ____________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Kinesiology ____________________________________ By Robert Mendoza Jr. Thesis Committee Approval: Joao A. Barros, Department of Kinesiology, Chair Lenny D. Wiersma, Department of Kinesiology Pablo B. Costa, Department of Kinesiology Fall 2017 ABSTRACT When an athlete adopts an internal focus of attention, their performance may be hindered. Conversely, when an athlete adopts an external focus of attention, performance has been shown to be enhanced. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of internal and external focus of attention conditions on punching impact force and electromyography (EMG) of boxers. Thirteen male boxers (M weight = 168.15), who were free of musculoskeletal injury and sensory or motor dysfunction, volunteered to participate for this study. At the end of the data collection, participants completed a questionnaire to check adherence to focus instructions. No significant difference in punching impact force or EMG activity was found between internal and external focus conditions (p = .166). The questionnaire data indicated participants possibly did not pay attention to key elements of the instructions, specifically the instructions to focus on the punching pad or the arm, and focused on more procedural aspects of the instruction, such as the timing of the punches. Although it has been suggested in previous research that the skill level of the performers may influence the effectiveness of external focus instructions in enhancing performance, it is unlikely that this factor played a role in the current study. Based on the questionnaire data, it is more likely that the delivery of the instructions did not sufficiently highlight the key elements of the instructions. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................. vii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................................... 4 An Overview of the Importance of Combat Sports .............................................. 4 Research on Performance Enhancement in Combat Sports.................................. 5 Attentional Focus Cues on Performance .............................................................. 7 Constrained Action Hypothesis ............................................................................ 9 Research Question ................................................................................................ 11 Purpose.................................................................................................................. 11 Hypothesis ............................................................................................................ 12 3. METHODS ........................................................................................................... 13 Participants............................................................................................................ 13 Task ....................................................................................................................... 13 Instruments............................................................................................................ 14 EMG Signal Processing ........................................................................................ 15 Procedures ............................................................................................................. 15 Data Analyses ....................................................................................................... 17 4. RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 19 Impact Forces ........................................................................................................ 19 Relative Impact Forces ......................................................................................... 19 Effects of Learning on Relative Impact Force ...................................................... 20 EMG RMS ............................................................................................................ 21 Mean EMG Pectoralis Major ................................................................................ 21 iii Mean EMG Triceps Brachii .................................................................................. 22 Questionnaire Response ........................................................................................ 23 5. DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................... 25 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 30 A. INFORMED CONSENT ............................................................................... 30 B. PUNCHING SCRIPT .................................................................................... 34 C. POST EXPERIMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE ............................................. 37 D. OPERATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE .......................................................... 38 E. SPSS OUTPUT 1 RELATIVE IMPACT FORCE ........................................ 39 F. SPSS OUTPUT 2 IMPACT FORCE FOR FIRST AND SECOND SET OF PUNCHES ....................................................................................... 40 G. SPSS OUTPUT 3 RELATIVE EMG RMS FOR PECTORALIS MAJOR .. 41 H. SPSS OUTPUT 4 RELATIVE EMS FOR TRICEPS BRACHII .................. 42 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 43 iv LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Participants’ Answers to Post-Experimental Questionnaire ................................ 24 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. StrikeMate ............................................................................................................ 15 2. Mean relative impact force during internal and external focus of attention conditions ............................................................................................................. 20 3. Mean relative impact force in the first set of punches and last set of punches. ... 21 4. Mean EMG RMS normalized by MVC for the pectoralis major and triceps brachii during internal and external focus conditions .......................................... 22 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To the friends who have entered in and out of my life, but more specifically to the ones who have remained and struggled alongside with me, I cannot thank you enough for your help. Thank you Mojgahn, Albert, Paz, Kevin, Llata, Jose, and Robert Salatto. Near or far, I have always known I could count on you all, 100% of the time, every time. Thank you to the person, or people, who rejected me from attending CSULB. You did me the biggest favor, EVER. Conversely, thank you to the person, or people, who admitted me on a conditional basis to CSUF. Thank you, Dr. Coburn, for giving me the opportunity to attend graduate school at CSUF. Thank you to my committee chair Dr. Barros, and committee member Dr. Costa. Dr. Gradilla, gracias por la confianza que me diste cuando era un joven empezando en la universidad, y por el apoyo que me has dado durante todos mis años en CSUF. Dr. Llewellyn and Dr. Gleaves, thank you for sharing your passion for sport and philosophy, for challenging me in your classes, for making me believe I could succeed, and selecting me to go on a trip of a lifetime. I know that I’ll never walk alone. To my sport psychology parents, Dr. Statler and Dr. Wiersma. Because of your passion, energy, intelligence, hard work and kind hearts, I have decided to dedicate my life to Sport Psychology. What you both have done for me would take lifetimes to repay, and there are not enough words to express how grateful I am for the two of you. One day I hope to be just like the both of you, the best. vii To all my dozens and dozens of cousins, to my aunts and uncles, my Nino y Nina, ama, grandma, close and distant relatives, your support was everything I ever needed, and you gave it to me unequivocally. Finally, to my mother and father, I love you both very much. You have given me everything I ever needed and wanted. Your tireless hard work, sacrifices, and unconditional love allowed me the opportunity to accomplish this grand feat. Without the both of you, I would not be where I am today. This thesis is a culmination of your love and support of me. “I,” did not do this. WE, did this. Los quiero mucho. viii 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION According to Boddy (2008), combat sports can be traced back to the fourth millennium B.C. to Ancient Mesopotamia. In ancient Greece, athletes competed in a fighting sport similar

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