Temporal dynamics of alpha-band cortico-cortical coherence during motor preparation for successful and unsuccessful football penalty kicks.

Introduction: Successful motor performance may depend on the efficient coordination of cognitive and motor processes during movement preparation. Although previous electroencephalographic studies have linked alpha-band (8-13 Hz) coherence with performance in upper-limb precision tasks, little is known about cortico-cortical communication preceding successful lower-limb actions. Methods: Sixteen skilled football players performed penalty kicks under an individualized task-difficulty condition. EEG coherence was calculated for eight electrode pairs connecting the left and right temporal regions with frontal, central, parietal, and occipital midline sites. Coherence was examined during an early preparation period from -2,000 to -1,000 ms and a late preparation period from -1,000 to 0 ms before kick initiation. Results: Successful kicks showed significantly lower Fz-T7 coherence than unsuccessful kicks across both preparation periods. Successful kicks also exhibited lower Cz-T8 coherence during the late preparation period. Discussion: Lower Fz-T7 coherence may reflect reduced interaction between verbal-analytical processing and motor planning, whereas lower Cz-T8 coherence may indicate reduced coupling between visuospatial processing and motor-control processes immediately before kick initiation. These findings extend previous evidence from upper-limb precision tasks to football penalty kicking and support the psychomotor efficiency hypothesis. Successful kicking appears to be characterized by selective and time-dependent reductions in functional coupling rather than a general decrease in cortical connectivity.