Importance of Motor Control in “Static Situations” Where the Situation Does not Seem to Change

Abstract

This study focuses on the human decision-making process under temporal and physical constraints. While previous studies have explored how humans respond rapidly to changing situations, this study examined situations that appear static but involve potential dynamic changes. Specifically, we used soccer as a context to analyze mistakes made in sports situations that seem static but assume potential movements and changes. The number of successful kicks and passes in static and quasi-static situations were compared, and the concept of information entropy was used for motion analysis to provide new insights. The results revealed that the number of successful passes in quasi-static situations significantly decreased (count: 320/400 times), indicating that even in quasi-static states, humans make decisions while anticipating dynamic situations, even in quasi-static states (Movement time: 853 ± 121 ms). During this time, there was a large variation (Entropy: 1.64, 1.86 bits) in the direction of the waist and the kicking motion at the moment of the kick. These findings indicate that motion is controlled in anticipation of dynamic situations, even under seemingly static conditions, and emphasize the importance of stability and accuracy in motor control across all situations. This study offers new insights into the psychological understanding of decision-making and behavioral control under complex and dynamic conditions with time constraints, contributing valuable knowledge to the field of psychology.