Perceptual expertise in badminton players | Perzeptive expertise von badmintonspielern

Hagemann N, Strauss B

Abstract

Generally speaking, people are very good at perceiving human movements, and they can also distinguish between highly similar ones. One sign of perceptual expertise in sport is a very differentiated perception of an opponent's movements. This study examined the spatiotemporal course of visual information intake by presenting movement sequences manipulated with a combined spatial and temporal exclusion technique. 20 first- and second-division badminton players, 23 regional league badminton players, and 20 novices had to predict the direction of 168 overhead badminton strokes on a laptop. Results showed that experts were already able to derive information about the potential landing point of a shuttle from the movement pattern of the stroke preparation (160-80 ms before racket-shuttle contact). Up to 160 ms before racket-shuttle contact, the action of proximal body segments (trunk) was used as a source of information for anticipating the forthcoming stroke. From 160 ms before racket-shuttle contact up to contact the movement of distal body segments (arm, racket) was drawn on for information. © Hogrefe Verlag Göttingen 2006.