Superior Gaze Strategies of Elite Badminton Players and the Significance of Natural Research Conditions
Abstract
Gaze behavior and performance of internationally ranked players and “near”-expert players were investigated under field conditions for the game situation service-return in badminton. According to literature, it was assumed that expert players focus more frequently on the racket arm, wrist, and racket of the opponent, while less experienced players focus on the shuttle. Thus, gaze strategy would have an influence on performance. The results contradicted the initial hypotheses: the higher the performance level of the athletes, the more frequently they directed their gaze to the shuttle. Non-professional players were found to focus more often on the upper body and face. To improve gaze behavior in the service situation, on-court drills with focusing on the shuttle region are assumed to be advantageous for athletes of all skill levels. Our research showed that players use other visual search strategies when observing a real opponent then when confronted with a two-dimensional stimulus.
References
Abernethy, B., & Russell, D. G. (1987a). Expert-novice differences in an applied selective attention task. Journal of Sport Psychology, 9, 326-345. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsp.9.4.326
Abernethy, B., & Russell, D. G. (1987b). The relationship between expertise and visual search strategy in a racquet sport. Human Movement Science, 6(4), 283-319. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-9457(87)90001-7
Adolphe, R., Vickers, J., & Laplante, G. (1997). The effects of training visual attention on gaze behaviour and accuracy: A pilot study. International Journal of Sports Vision, 4(1), 28-33.
Alder, D., Ford, P. R., Causer, J., & Williams, A. M. (2014). The coupling between gaze behavior and opponent kinematics during anticipation of badminton shots. Human Movement Science, 37, 167-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2014.07.002
Bates, D., Mächler, M., Bolker, B., & Walker, S. (2014). Fitting linear mixed-effects models using lme4. arXiv preprint arXiv:1406.5823.
Gawin, W., Beyer, C., Büsch, D., & Hasse, H. (2012). Analyse der Olympischen Spiele 2012 in der Sportart Badminton [Analysis of the Olympic Games 2012 in the discipline badminton]. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Trainingswissenschaft, 19(2), 16-34.
Gawin, W., Beyer, C., Büsch, D., & Høi, J. (2012). Die asiatische Überlegenheit beim Schmetterschlag: Videometrische Analysen der internationalen Badmintonelite im Wettkampf [The Asian Superiority in Smashing. Videometric Analysis of International Elite Badminton in Competition]. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Trainingswissenschaft, 19(1), 67-81.
Gawin, W., Beyer, C., Hasse, H., & Büsch, D. (2013). How to attack the service: an empirical contribution to rally opening in world-class badminton doubles. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 13, 860-871. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2013.11868694
Gawin, W., Stein, J.-P., Fries, U., Gaudel, J., Zwingmann, K., & Voelker-Rehage, C. (2017). THE EFFECT OF PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL ON THE QUIET EYE OF ELITE BADMINTON PLAYERS. In A. Ferrauti, P. Platen, E. Grimminger-Seidenstricker, T. Jaitner, U. Bartmus, L. Becher, M. De Marées, T. Mühlbauer, A. Schauerte, T. Wiewelhove, & E. Tsolakidis (Eds.), 22nd Annual Congress of the EUROPEAN COLLEGE OF SPORT SCIENCE (Vol. 22, pp. 509-510). West Germany University Press.
Gegenfurtner, A., Lehtinen, E., & Säljö, R. (2011). Expertise differences in the comprehension of visualizations: A meta-analysis of eye-tracking research in professional domains. Educational Psychology Review, 23(4), 523-552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9174-7
Gonzalez, C., Causer, J., Miall, R., Grey, M., Humphreys, G., & Williams, A. (2015). Identifying the causal mechanisms of the quiet eye. European journal of sport science, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2015.1075595
Hagemann, N., & Strauß, B. (2006). Perzeptive Expertise von Badmintonspielern [Perceptive Expertise in Badminton Players]. Zeitschrift für Psychologie/Journal of Psychology, 214(1), 37-47. https://doi.org/10.1026/0044-3409.214.1.37
Harle, S. K., & Vickers, J. N. (2001). Training quiet eye improves accuracy in the basketball free throw. The Sport Psychologist, 15(3), 289-305. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.15.3.289
Hessels, R. S., Niehorster, D. C., Nyström, M., Andersson, R., & Hooge, I. T. (2018). Is the eye-movement field confused about fixations and saccades? A survey among 124 researchers. Royal Society open science, 5(8), 180502. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.180502
Hossner, E.-J., Klostermann, A., Koedijker, J. M., Kredel, R., & Lienhard, O. (2014). Lange Fixationen vor Bewegungsbeginn in der Beachvolleyball-Abwehr. In L. Maurer, F. Döhring, K. Ferger, H. Maurer, M. Reiser, & H. Müller (Eds.), Trainingsbedingte Veränderungen - Messung, Modellierung und Evidenzsicherung. Schriften der Deutschen Vereinigung für Sportwissenschaft (Vol. 237, pp. 86). Feldhaus. https://doi.org/10.7892/boris.66465
Hubbard, A. W., & Seng, C. N. (1954). Visual movements of batters. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 25(1), 42-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/10671188.1954.10624942
Hülsdünker, T., Gunasekara, N., & Mierau, A. (2020a). Short- and Long-Term Stroboscopic Training Effects on Visuomotor Performance in Elite Youth Sports. Part 1: Reaction and Behavior. Med Sci Sports Exerc. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000002541
Hülsdünker, T., Gunasekara, N., & Mierau, A. (2020b). Short- and Long-Term Stroboscopic Training Effects on Visuomotor Performance in Elite Youth Sports. Part 2: Brain-Behavior Mechanisms. Med Sci Sports Exerc. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000002543
Hülsdünker, T., Rentz, C., Ruhnow, D., Käsbauer, H., Strüder, H. K., & Mierau, A. (2019). The effect of 4-week stroboscopic training on visual function and sport-specific visuomotor performance in top-level badminton players. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 14(3), 343-350. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2018-0302
Hüttermann, S., Noël, B., & Memmert, D. (2018). Eye tracking in high-performance sports: Evaluation of its application in expert athletes. International Journal of Computer Science in Sport, 17(2), 182-203. https://doi.org/10.2478/ijcss-2018-0011
Jendrusch, G. (2011). Dynamisches Sehen im Sport. Aktuelle Kontaktologie, 6(18), 26-29.
Jin, H., Xu, G., Zhang, J. X., Gao, H., Ye, Z., Wang, P., Lin, H., Mo, L., & Lin, C. D. (2011). Event-related potential effects of superior action anticipation in professional badminton players. Neuroscience Letters, 492, 139-144.
Klostermann, A., & Moeinirad, S. (2020). Fewer fixations of longer duration? Expert gaze behavior revisited. German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research, 50(1), 146-161. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-019-00616-y
Lafont, D. (2008). Gaze control during the hitting phase in tennis: a preliminary study. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport(1), 85-100. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2008.118684258
Land, M. F., & Tatler, B. W. (2001). Steering with the head: The visual strategy of a racing driver. Current Biology, 11(15), 1215-1220. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-9822(01)00351-7
Li, S. (2005). Analysis on skills and tactics of serve and return of service of Chinese badminton men doubles and foreign ones. Journal of Wuhan Institute of Physical Education, 39(6), 84-87.
Lienhard, O., Kredel, R., & Hossner, E. (2013). Entscheidungs-und Blickbewegungsverhalten in der Beachvolleyball-Abwehr: Being just in time! [Decision- and Gaze Behavior in Beachvolleyball Defense: Being just in time] 5. Jahrestagung der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Sportwissenschaft, Basel.
Liu, Z., & Zheng, M. (2009). An Analysis of Service Skill of World Badminton Men's Doubles. Journal of Hubei Sports Science, 28(1), 112-113. https://doi.org/CNKI:SUN:HYKJ.0.2009-01-050
Mann, D. T., Williams, A. M., Ward, P., & Janelle, C. M. (2007). Perceptual-cognitive expertise in sport: A meta-analysis. Journal of sport and Exercise Psychology, 29(4), 457-478. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.29.4.457
Mitroff, S. R., Friesen, P., Bennett, D., Yoo, H., & Reichow, A. W. (2013). Enhancing ice hockey skills through stroboscopic visual training: a pilot study. Athletic Training and Sports Health Care, 5(6), 261-264. https://doi.org/10.3928/19425864-20131030-02
Moore, L. J., Vine, S. J., Cooke, A., Ring, C., & Wilson, M. R. (2012). Quiet eye training expedites motor learning and aids performance under heightened anxiety: The roles of response programming and external attention. Psychophysiology, 49(7), 1005-1015. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8986.2012.01379.x
Müller, S., & Abernethy, B. (2012). Expert anticipatory skill in striking sports: A review and a model. Research Quarterly for Exercise and sport, 83(2), 175-187. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2012.10599848
Nakashima, R., & Kumada, T. (2017). The whereabouts of visual attention: Involuntary attentional bias toward the default gaze direction. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 79(6), 1666-1673. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-017-1332-7
Oudejans, R. R., Koedijker, J. M., Bleijendaal, I., & Bakker, F. C. (2005). The education of attention in aiming at a far target: Training visual control in basketball jump shooting. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 3(2), 197-221. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2005.9671767
Rienhoff, R., Tirp, J., Strauß, B., Baker, J., & Schorer, J. (2016). The ‘quiet eye’and motor performance: a systematic review based on Newell’s constraints-led model. Sports Medicine, 46(4), 589-603. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0442-4
Ripoll, H., & Fleurance, P. (1988). What does keeping one's eye on the ball mean? Ergonomics, 31(11), 1647-1654. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140138808966814
Rodrigues, S. T., Vickers, J. N., & Williams, A. M. (2002). Head, eye and arm coordination in table tennis. Journal of sports sciences, 20(3), 187-200. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404102317284754
Savelsbergh, G. J., Williams, A. M., Kamp, J. V. D., & Ward, P. (2002). Visual search, anticipation and expertise in soccer goalkeepers. Journal of sports sciences, 20(3), 279-287. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404102317284826
Schorer, J. (2006). Höchstleistung im Handballtor-Eine Studie zur Identifikation, den Mechanismen und der Entwicklung senso-motorischer Expertise [High performance in handball goals - A study on the identification, mechanisms, and development of sensory-motor expertise] Heidelberg University. Heidelberg. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00007310
Sheskin, D. J. (2003). Handbook of parametric and nonparametric statistical procedures. Chapman and Hall/CRC.
Shim, J., Carlton, L. G., Chow, J. W., & Chae, W.-S. (2005). The use of anticipatory visual cues by highly skilled tennis players. Journal of Motor Behavior, 37(2), 164-175. https://doi.org/10.3200/JMBR.37.2.164-175
Tian, J.-N. (2004, 10.08.2010). Study on Third Strike of Serving Side to Force the Pace in Men's Double Event of Badminton. Journal of Nanjing Institute of Physical Education, 10(4).
Vickers, J. N. (1996). Visual control when aiming at a far target. Journal of experimental psychology: Human perception and performance, 22(2), 342-354. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.22.2.342
Vickers, J. N. (2006). Gaze of Olympic speedskaters skating at full speed on a regulation oval: Perception-action coupling in a dynamic performance environment. Cognitive Processing, 7(1), 102-105. https://doi.org/0.1007/s10339-006-0087-1
Vickers, J. N. (2016). The Quiet Eye: Origins, Controversies, and Future Directions. Kinesiology Review, 5, 119-128. https://doi.org/10.1123/kr.2016-0005
Vickers, J. N., & Adolphe, R. M. (1997). Gaze behaviour during a ball tracking and aiming skill. International Journal of Sports Vision, 4(1), 18-27.
Vine, S. J., Moore, L., & Wilson, M. R. (2011). Quiet eye training facilitates competitive putting performance in elite golfers. Frontiers in psychology, 2, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00008
Wood, G., & Wilson, M. R. (2011). Quiet-eye training for soccer penalty kicks. Cognitive Processing, 12(3), 257-266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-011-0393-0
Zhong, D., & Xie, X. (2008). Study on Skill of Third Stroke for Excellent Players in Badminton’s Men’s Double. Journal of Capital Institute of Physical Education, 20(5), 123-125.
Zwingmann, K., Fries, U., Liebold, B., & Gawin, W. (2017). Blickstrategien im Spitzensport: Unterscheiden sich auch Experten von Experten? [Gaze Strategies in Elite Sports: Do Experts even differ from Experts?]. In C. Augste & S. Künzell (Eds.), Cogito, ergo commoveo: Multitasking im Sport; Abstractband zur 15. Jahrestagung der dvs-Sektion Sportmotorik 2017 (Vol. 262, pp. 67-68). Feldhaus, Ed. Czwalina.
Copyright (c) 2022 International Journal of Racket Sports Science

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.