The Impact of Stroboscopic Visual Conditions on the Performance of Elite Curling Athletes

Background: In elite curling, precise time perception, speed control, and accuracy are critical components of performance. Stroboscopic training enhances visual processing speed, reaction time, motor skill control, and cognitive abilities by challenging the brain to make quick decisions with limited visual information. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the impact of stroboscopic visual conditions on the key performance aspects of elite athletes in curling to determine whether these effects can be leveraged in long-term training to enhance elite curling performance. Methods: This study involved the participation of 32 national-level male curling athletes (n = 32, age: 19.9 ± 2.2 years, height: 178.0 ± 6.2 cm, body mass: 71.9 ± 10.6 kg, and training age: 2.7 ± 0.9 years). A cross-over controlled experiment was conducted, with participants randomly assigned to either a stroboscopic-first group (n = 16) or a control-first group (n = 16). Each participant completed tests under both stroboscopic and normal visual conditions, including assessments of time perception error, speed control error, and curling accuracy. Paired sample t-tests were employed to analyse performance differences across conditions, and two-factor ANOVA was used to analyse sequence effects. Bonferroni post-hoc tests were used to compare differences if the main effect was significant. Cohen’s d was used for two-group comparisons, whereas ηp2 and Cohen’s f were used for comparisons involving three or more groups. Results: under stroboscopic conditions, participants experienced increased errors in time perception (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 1.143), delivery speed control (p = 0.016, Cohen’s d = 0.448), and reduced accuracy (p = 0.029, Cohen’s d = 0.404). The sequence main effect on speed control error was significant (p = 0.025, ηp2 = 0.081, Cohen’s f = 0.297). Conclusions: Stroboscopic visual conditions negatively impacted cognition (especially time perception) and delivery performance focused on speed control and accuracy in elite curling, highlighting the potential and feasibility of using stroboscopic training to enhance elite curling performance.