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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Sep 1.
Published in final edited form as: Phys Ther Sport. 2021 May 19;51:8–16. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2021.05.005

Table 2:

Comparison of Verbal Instructions with Internal Body Focus and External Visual Focus (Additional examples can be found in references.31,44,66).

Type of Exercise Instruction with Internal Body Focus Instruction with External Visual Focus
Single-leg stance on unstable platform Keep your balance by stabilizing your body Keep the bar horizontal
Single-leg squat Stand on 1 leg and bend your knee while keeping your knee over your foot Stand on 1 leg and reach your knee toward the cone
Single-leg hop for distance Jump as far as you can. While jumping, focus on extending your knees as rapidly as possible Jump as far as you can. While jumping, focus on jumping as close to the cone as possible
Walking lunges Lunge at an even pace. Bend your hips and knees until your leading knee is flexed to 90. Keep your front knee on top of your foot and prevent buckling inward with knee Lunge at an even pace. While pretending you have a plank on your back, keep your knee alignment with an imaginary line or if available real straight line on the floor.
Double-leg squat Bend your knees while keeping your knees over your feet While bending your knees, reach toward the cones with your hands and point your knees toward the cones.
Double-leg drop jump Jump down from the box, land with your feet at shoulder width, and bend your knees while keeping knees over toes Jump down from the box and land with your feet and knee just outside of the markers on the floor.
Vertical jump Jump as high as you can while concentrating on the tips of your fingers, reaching as high as possible during the jumps Jump and reach as high as you can while concentrating on the ball.