Renata Alvares Denardi

Effects of instructional focus on learning a classical ballet movement, the pirouette.

This study investigated how changes in the focus of instruction might affect the learning by individuals who are not trained dancers of a complex classical ballet movement, the pirouette. Seventy-two volunteer college students were divided into six groups according to the focus of instruction: (1.) head, (2.) arms, (3.) trunk, (4.) knees, (5.) feet, and (6.) controls. In the acquisition phase, all groups performed 160 trials, over 2 consecutive days. At the beginning of each day, they received verbal instruction regarding some of the general principles involved in performance of the pirouette and viewed a video that illustrated those principles. Each group (head, arms, etc., exclusive of controls) was then given specific directions for controlling focus on its body part while performing the movement. After a week, all participants were asked to complete a retention test, with no additional instruction. The trials were videotaped with two cameras (frontally and laterally), and the results were analyzed by 10 specially trained examiners, utilizing Movement Pattern and Error of Performance measures. They revealed that all groups improved in the acquisition phase, and the improvement was maintained in the retention test. No differences were revealed between groups. It was concluded that generalized instruction in basic principles of the movement was more effective than focus on specific body parts in the teaching and learning of the pirouette.

The volleyball setter’s decision-making on attacking#

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the volleyball setter’s decision-making on tipping, based on spatiotemporal variables of interaction between players and between players and the game environment. The sample consisted of 172 sequences of 20 volleyball games from 6 male and 10 female teams. The actions selected for analysis were 86 tips and 86 sets (control group), both made by the setters. From the players’ x and y coordinates of displacement trajectory, 37 spatiotemporal measures of players’ interaction were calculated as dependent variables, which were analysed by multivariate analysis of variance. Results showed that tips and sets differed in terms of (i) final area between opponents, (ii) displacement of setter to reach the ball, (iii) displacement velocity of setter to reach the ball, (iv) distance between setter and net in the initial moment, (v) distance between setter and net in the final moment, (vi) pass velocity and (vii) final distance between setter and blockers. It was concluded that these variables formed a spatiotemporal configuration of the game that influenced the setter’s decision-making on tipping.