Embodied Performance Adaptation in Precision Sport – A Multimodal Study of Cognitive, Autonomic, and Motor Integration in Refining Dexterity
Abstract
Background: Self-regulation under performance pressure is critical in precision sports such as shooting and archery. Prior research has examined cognitive, physiological, and motor processes independently, leaving limited evidence on their integrated adaptation within an embodied performance framework. Methods: Eight trained precision sport athletes (seven men, one woman; age 31.2 ± 15.0 years) completed a longitudinal within-subject repeated-measures design with assessments at baseline, after Training Block 1 (mid-assessment), and after Training Block 2 (final assessment). Cognitive efficiency was assessed with the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics, fine motor control with the Analyser of Dynamic Parameters of Human Hand and Leg Movements, and autonomic regulation with heart rate variability (HRV). A controlled auditory pressure constraint (countdown beep) was introduced during the final assessment.
Results: From baseline to final assessment, reaction time decreased by 8.40% (W = 36, p = .008, rrb = 1.00), motor variability decreased by 25.19% (W = 33, p = .039, rrb = 0.833), throughput increased by 24.32% (W = 0.0, p = .008, rrb = −1.00), maximum movement speed increased by 34.26% (W = 0.0, p = .008, rrb = −1.00), and spatial accuracy error decreased by 11.79% (W = 36, p = .008, rrb = 1.00). Under the auditory pressure condition, spatial accuracy improved further relative to post-training baseline (W = 33, p = .039, rrb = 0.833) without significant HRV deterioration. Spearman’s correlations linked reaction time with temporal inconsistency (rs = .777), spatial accuracy with throughput (rs = −.802), temporal inconsistency with HRV (rs = −.709), and motor variability with shooting performance (rs = −.714) (W, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test statistic; rrb, rank-biserial correlation effect size; rs, Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient).
Conclusion: Multimodal training was associated with coordinated cognitive, motor, and autonomic adaptation in precision sport athletes, consistent with performance stability under externally imposed pressure and an embodied, system-level account of precision sport performance.
Keywords: Dexterity, cognition, archery, shooting, expert performance
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