Expert-Novice Differences in the Anticipatory Skill of Rugby League Players

We investigated the anticipatory skill of rugby league players using a video-based test that encompassed game-specific scenarios (and more than one attacking player). Rugby league players from one of three different skill levels (high-skilled, intermediate-skilled, and low-skilled), and drawn from three different age levels (senior, under 20, and under 16 years) participated in this study. Video images of various rugby league-specific scenarios, presented from the perspective of a particular player, were projected on to a wall. Players were instructed to react to these plays as they would in a game situation. The test was performed under single-task (i.e., anticipation test in isolation) and dual-task (i.e., the anticipation test while also performing a secondary verbal tone recognition task) conditions. No significant dual-task decrements were observed for primary task performance in any of the playing levels or age groups. However, reductions in performance on the secondary tone recognition task were evident in the form of decreased tone response accuracy and increased verbal response times. Greater response accuracy and faster response times were observed with increases in age and playing level, highlighting the centrality of anticipation to skilled performance in rugby league. The differences in anticipatory skill between playing levels and age groups suggest that the accumulation of a high volume of sport-specific experience may facilitate the development of perceptual expertise in rugby league players.