The Comparison of anticipation behavior and visual search in long service between skilled and non-skilled badminton players

The optimal anticipation behavior can be influenced by different factors such as proper selection of visual information. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the anticipation behavior and visual search in long service between skilled and non-skilled badminton players. The participants included 22 women aged 20-30 years (M =23.59) in two groups: skilled (n=10) and non-skilled (n=12). The participants watched 18 video clips of long services in different positions and were asked to anticipate the landing location of the ball in less than 3 seconds. Visual Search Behavior (number, duration and position of fixation) of the skilled and non-skilled players were evaluated using the eye tracker. To verify the normality of the data, Shapiro-Wilk test and to compare the data, Independent t-test were used. The results showed that there was a significant difference in anticipation accuracy between the two groups (p=0.02). Also, with regard to the visual search behaviors, there was a significant difference in the number and position of fixations on the rocket between the two groups (p=0.02). However, there were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to the duration and number of fixations on the position of the wrist, ball and other positions (p>0.05). In general, it can be stated that skilled players follow a different visual pattern from non-skilled players, which enables them to use important clues (rackets). These findings can be very important in facilitating the process of learning and teaching badminton.