Using Video Feedback to Improve Martial Arts Performance

This study used video feedback to enhance the martial arts performance of capoeira, an Afro‐Brazilian martial art that utilizes acrobatic movements (revesado, au de costa, and macaco). A multiple baseline across behaviors was used for five participants where baseline conditions consisted of standard coaching. The intervention consisted of video feedback, in which the participants were filmed attempting a movement and immediately viewed the video afterwards, while receiving positive and corrective feedback from the instructor. The target behaviors were scored on a 15‐item checklist, resulting in a percentage correct. A second video feedback condition similar to the first was also introduced to some participants, in which participants practiced the movements with live feedback before being filmed again. Results show that the video feedback conditions increased performance over baseline in most cases. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.