The Effect of Coach’s Drawing and Visuospatial Abilities on Visual Attention and Soccer Tactics Memorization: An Eye-Tracking Study

Generated drawing is a specific instructional approach that has been investigated in academic settings. However, in sports, tactical drawings are often presented based more on coaches' preferences than on empirical evidence. This study examines the impact of coach's drawing and the moderating role of Visuospatial Abilities (VSA) on soccer tactical memorization and visual attention. A total of 54 male university students, all novices in soccer, were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. In the static-drawing condition, participants viewed a pre-drawn tactical diagram while listening to an oral explanation. In the dynamic-drawing condition, they observed the coach actively drawing the diagram while providing the same explanation. Initially, individuals' VSA were assessed through a control test. Subsequently, in a main test, participants memorized and reproduced the tactical scene while their gaze was recorded with an eye-tracking system. Key findings reveal a moderating effect of VSA, as high-VSA participants benefited more from the dynamic-drawing condition and showed more effective visual processing, supporting the ability-as-enhancer hypothesis. In contrast, low-VSA participants showed no significant benefit from the coach's dynamic-drawing and demonstrated less effective visual processing, indicating difficulties in extracting and interpreting diagram elements. These results highlight the importance of adapting instructional drawing strategies based on individual cognitive characteristics, particularly VSA, to optimize visual attention and memorization from narrated tactical diagrams.