The Effects of the PowerMens Methodology on the Measurement and Training of Attention in Young Footballers: A Pilot Study

Abstract

In sport psychology, the use of biofeedback (BFB) is increasingly frequent, a noninvasive experimental procedure that allows the person to regulate their psychobiological functions and helps to become aware of internal processes that are not consciously controlled. Based on this, a new method was devised, PowerMens, which for the first time investigates these concepts integrated with specific training on visual attention. The subjects were 20 professional youth football players, divided into experimental and control groups. The research was conducted in pretest, training, and posttest, where the pre- and posttest consisted of a stress attention task. The experimental group conducted the BFB PowerMens training which integrates the BFB with Mental Games software promoting the control of the arousal level and the restoration of homeostasis. The aim of this research was to examine the psychophysiological reaction to the visual attention tasks that cause attentional and cognitive stress, predicting greater self-regulation and restoration of body homeostasis in the experimental group. The results are auspicious because they showed a better capacity for cognitive and emotional self-regulation, a restoration of homeostasis, and also an improvement in posttest time.