Whilst there has been much speculation, there remains little clarity regarding what information athletes use to direct decision making in performance settings, and how skill is transferred from training to performance (Michaels and Beek, 1995). The role of perception-action coupling within decision-making in team sports has been widely considered, and there is some consensus that skilled performers are better able to locate and interpret key information determining expertise in a particular skill. The consideration of Quiet Eye (QE) has become increasingly popular in assessing the critical moment in which an action is initiated (Vickers, 1996), and as the consistent perception-action variable in elite performers. Quiet Eye data (onset; offset and location) will be collected in a 1 v 1 dyadic system, with the primary purpose being to understand the impact of chronological age in academy Goalkeepers (13, 15, 18 y/o) against their expert counterparts (Senior Professionals). This research study has implications for coaches and researchers to i) be able to faithfully sample relevant specifying information in practice environments ii) further the theoretical and practical field in regards to intra-indivudal age variance and attainment of expertise and iii) allow for greater insight into research in elite sport.
Franks, Benjamin
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences