Awareness: The Hidden Ingredient in Skillful Learning
Sep 30, 2025
Attention shapes how we learn movement. Neuroscience shows that where and how we place attention directly influences outcomes—confirming what Feldenkrais called “movement with attention.” Research over the past 15 years demonstrates that focusing on movement effects (external focus) consistently improves motor performance and learning across tasks, ages, and skill levels, enhancing both effectiveness and efficiency compared to focusing on body movements (internal focus). Rather than repetition alone, awareness drives lasting changes in the brain.
Source: Attentional focus and motor learning: a review of 15 years, By Gabriele Wulf; 2012, Publisher: Taylor & Francis Online
Abstract
Over the past 15 years, research on focus of attention has consistently demonstrated that an external focus (i.e., on the movement effect) enhances motor performance and learning relative to an internal focus (i.e., on body movements). This article provides a comprehensive review of the extant literature. Findings show that the performance and learning advantages through instructions or feedback inducing an external focus extend across different types of tasks, skill levels, and age groups. Benefits are seen in movement effectiveness (e.g., accuracy, consistency, balance) as well as efficiency (e.g., muscular activity, force production, cardiovascular responses). Methodological issues that have arisen in the literature are discussed. Finally, our current understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the attentional focus effect is outlined, and directions for future research are suggested.
