Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study

Canan Yuksel-Haji

doi:10.51754/ejmhs.1993410

Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Background: External-focus instructions may support more automatic motor control, but their effects appear to vary according to the task, performer and comparison condition. Evidence from balance studies has frequently been based on comparisons with internal-focus instructions, leaving uncertainty about whether an external-focus cue provides an advantage over performing a task without a prescribed attentional strategy. Objective: To examine the immediate effect of a single external-focus instruction on rocker-board balance performance in healthy adults and whether any response remained evident during a subsequent trial after withdrawal of the instruction. Methods: Twenty healthy adults were randomised to an external-focus instruction group or a no-prescribed-focus control group. Participants completed three 30-second rocker-board trials: baseline, an instructed trial and a post-instruction trial. During the instructed trial, the instruction group was asked to minimise rocker-board movement, whereas the control group received no attentional-focus cue. Centre-of-pressure displacement, right-ankle angular motion and rocker-board tilt were analysed using linear mixed-effects models. Prespecified between-group difference-in-change contrasts assessed the immediate and subsequent responses. Results: No significant group-by-trial interactions were identified for centre-of-pressure displacement, ankle movement variability or excursion, or rocker-board movement magnitude. The only significant prespecified contrast concerned the Trial 2-to-post-instruction change in mean rocker-board tilt; however, this outcome represented average board orientation rather than movement magnitude and was not accompanied by corresponding changes in the other biomechanical outcomes. Confidence intervals around several estimates were wide. Conclusion: A single external-focus instruction did not produce a clearly distinguishable immediate or short-term response from completing the rocker-board task without a prescribed attentional-focus cue. The findings suggest that an explicit external cue may provide limited additional information when the task goal is already apparent, although small effects cannot be excluded. Larger studies incorporating manipulation checks and repeated-practice, retention and transfer assessments are required.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

This study received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the University of Nottingham Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee (Reference No. 280-1803). All participants provided written informed consent prior to participation. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Thanks

The author thanks the Master’s supervisor for guidance throughout the research and all participants for their valuable contributions.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Sports Medicine, Implementation Science and Evaluation

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Canan Yuksel-Haji ^*
0000-0002-2645-3855
Türkiye

Publication Date

August 31, 2026

Submission Date

July 13, 2026

Acceptance Date

August 10, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 11 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.51754/ejmhs.1993410

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA86CP67PC

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Yuksel-Haji, C. (2026). Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study. European Journal of Multidisciplinary Health Sciences, 11(2), 77-85. https://doi.org/10.51754/ejmhs.1993410

AMA

1.Yuksel-Haji C. Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study. Eur J Multidiscip Health Sci. 2026;11(2):77-85. doi:10.51754/ejmhs.1993410

Chicago

Yuksel-Haji, Canan. 2026. “Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study”. European Journal of Multidisciplinary Health Sciences 11 (2): 77-85. https://doi.org/10.51754/ejmhs.1993410.

EndNote

Yuksel-Haji C (August 1, 2026) Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study. European Journal of Multidisciplinary Health Sciences 11 2 77–85.

IEEE

[1]C. Yuksel-Haji, “Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study”, Eur J Multidiscip Health Sci, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 77–85, Aug. 2026, doi: 10.51754/ejmhs.1993410.

ISNAD

Yuksel-Haji, Canan. “Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study”. European Journal of Multidisciplinary Health Sciences 11/2 (August 1, 2026): 77-85. https://doi.org/10.51754/ejmhs.1993410.

JAMA

1.Yuksel-Haji C. Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study. Eur J Multidiscip Health Sci. 2026;11:77–85.

MLA

Yuksel-Haji, Canan. “Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study”. European Journal of Multidisciplinary Health Sciences, vol. 11, no. 2, Aug. 2026, pp. 77-85, doi:10.51754/ejmhs.1993410.

Vancouver

1.Canan Yuksel-Haji. Immediate Effects and Short-Term Persistence of an External Focus Instruction During a Rocker-Board Balance Task in Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study. Eur J Multidiscip Health Sci. 2026 Aug. 1;11(2):77-85. doi:10.51754/ejmhs.1993410