Sports psych - 4.6 concentration - athletes attentional errors & flow state

When do attentional errors occur?

•Attentional mismatch (due to dominant attentional style) under stressful conditions   which may be inappropriate:  thus the dominant style begins to control the person and they lose their ability to make adjustments needed in their focus of concentration

•Inability to adopt or maintain appropriate attentional focus: thus a reduced ability to shift concentration along both dimensions

•Internal and external overloads: concentrating on too many stimuli which results in an overload of information

•Involuntary internal narrowing: attention narrows as arousal and/or fatigue increases.  This narrowing can be so much that an athlete can develop tunnel vision. This narrowing of attention can cause an athlete to have difficulty attending to task relevant cues

•Choking: in this situation, athletes have a feeling of being rushed or not having enough time. Choking is a downward performance spiral that occurs when an individual’s level of emotional arousal reaches the point that attention begins to involuntarily narrow and become increasingly focused on task-irrelevant internal thoughts and feelings

What is flow state?

-Flow state is where the athlete has trained and developed their physical skills to the point that they can be performed automatically

-In flow state, the focus is almost exclusively internal

When does flow state occur?

When an athlete is:

•Fully absorbed in the task

•Not distracted by the external environment

•Operating at a level where challenge meets ability

What are the characteristics of flow?

•Movements feel automatic and smooth

•Thoughts are fully focused on the task

•Sense of time may fade

•Performance is at its peak

How to achieve flow?

• Train skills until they become automatic

• Commit to continuous improvement

• Set clear goals and stay focused on the process

Benefits of flow:

• Boosts confidence and enjoyment

• Leads to optimal performance

• Encourages long-term motivation and personal growth