Enhancement of motor skill learning by a combination of ideal model-observation and self-observation.
Hitomi Nishizawa, Teiji Kimura
PMID 28931987WHAT IT FOUND
Watching both a model and their own swing video made the angle closer to 90 degrees after the final practice than watching their own video alone.
The difference did not remain one week later in healthy novice golfers.
Key findings
01The combined model and self observation group had a take-back angle closer to 90 degrees than the self observation group on the immediate retention test.
02At the one-week delayed retention test, the observation groups did not differ in the take-back angle.
03Each group showed no significant change across its own tests.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study used healthy novice golfers, not injured athletes or patients receiving sports physical therapy. It tested one narrow golf half-swing task, so the result may not transfer to other sports movements. The benefit appeared only on the immediate retention test and did not remain significant at the one-week delayed retention test. No group showed a significant change across its own tests, so improvement within each method was unclear. The authors note possible inter-individual variability in transforming motor imagery into actual skill, and they did not test motor imagery. The paper does not describe how random allocation was generated or concealed.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that combined model and self observation is a proven method for improving sports movement in patients. The study found only an immediate difference between the combined group and the self-observation group in healthy novice golfers, and the difference did not remain one week later.