Satoshi Koyama’s scientific contributions

This study examined the effect of anxiety states on the relationship between golf-putting distance and performance in an environment requiring high movement accuracy. Twenty-three amateur golfers attempted 15 putts at each of three putting distances, 1.25, 1.50, and 1.75 m, under conditions characterized by both control demands and pressure. All attempts were recorded, and kinematics were analyzed. Under conditions involving an audience and a monetary reward, the mean score on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Y-1 and the mean heart rate increased by 14 points and 11 bpm, respectively. We grouped participants on an a posteriori basis using the median split. The backswing of high-anxiety performers shortened, the downswing speed declined, and the relative time to peak club-head velocity changed when putting under pressure from 1.25 m. In contrast, no change in backswing or relative time to peak velocity was observed in low-anxiety performers, although impact velocity increased under this condition. These results indicate that the degree to which both low- and high-anxiety golfers were anxious about failure affected motor control at the 1.25-m distance, suggesting that a distortion in perceived distance may result from the interaction between putting distance and anxiety related to failure during golf putting.

This study examined the effect of anxiety states on the relationship between golf-putting distance and performance in an environment requiring high movement accuracy. Twenty-three amateur golfers attempted 15 putts at each of three putting distances, 1.25, 1.50, and 1.75m, under conditions characterized by both control demands and pressure. All attempts were recorded, and kinematic features were analyzed. Under conditions involving an audience and a monetary reward, the mean score on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Y-1 and the mean heart rate increased by 14 points and 11bpm, respectively. We grouped participants on an a posteriori basis using the median split. The backswing of high-anxiety performers shortened, the downswing speed declined, and the relative time to peak club-head velocity changed when putting under pressure from 1.25m. In contrast, no change in backswing or relative time to peak velocity was observed in low-anxiety performers, although impact velocity increased under this condition. These results indicate that the degree to which both low- and high-anxiety golfers were anxious about failure affected motor control at the 1.25-m distance, suggesting that a distortion in perceived distance may result from the interaction between putting distance and anxiety related to failure during golf putting.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of anxiety level and level of task difficulty (putting distance) on the putting performance of amateur golfers under pressure. Seventy-five golfers participated. Four distances (1.25m, 1.50m, 1.75m, and 2.00m) were established as putting distances with a particularly high level of failure anxiety. Club movement kinematics (club head's linear amplitude, movement time, and mean velocity), putting score, and final resting position of missed putts were used as performance indicators. Participants hit one putt each from each distance under both low-pressure and high-pressure conditions. From the results of cognitive anxiety measured based on a questionnaire and somatic anxiety measured based on heart rate, it was confirmed that the pressure situation established by this research functioned effectively for the participants. From the results of analysis of variance, for the club's linear amplitude, movement time, mean velocity, and putting score, no significant association between anxiety and putting distance was apparent. On the other hand, from analysis of the final resting position of missed putts, it was conceivable that 1.50m putts were particularly impacted by pressure. Moreover, from the reduced movement time of the follow-through by participants with increased cognitive anxiety under pressure, the research suggested that cognitive anxiety had a greater impact than somatic anxiety on decrease of performance under pressure.