Attentional Control

🧠 Introduction to Attention in Sport

🎯 Attention = concentration of mental activity on the task at hand

🏆 Crucial for skilled performance (e.g. sport, dance, music)

🧠 Hallmark of attention = focused mental effort

📚 Needed to learn, remember, and perform effectively

🧩 Cognitive Dimensions of Attention

1⃣ 🎯 Concentration

Deliberate investment of mental effort

Focus on what is most important in the situation

Ignore irrelevant distractions

2⃣ 🔍 Selective Attention

Ability to focus on task-relevant cues

Filtering out distractions in the environment

3⃣ 🔀 Divided Attention

Ability to coordinate two or more actions at once

Developed through practice

🧠 Key Terms Clarified

🎯 Concentration

Ability to perform with a clear and present focus

🔦 Focus

The central point of attention

👀 Attention

Active awareness of what is being observed

✔ Effective concentration = attention clearly focused on the task

🏃 Importance of Concentration in Sport

🏋 Once physical skills are developed, attention control becomes critical

🏆 High-level performance depends on managing focus under pressure

📌 Aspects of Concentration in Sport

🔍 Focusing on relevant environmental cues

⏱ Maintaining attention over time

🧭 Situational awareness

🔄 Shifting attentional focus when required

🧠 Situation Awareness in Sport

👁 Situation awareness

Ability to understand what is happening around you

Involves decision-making under pressure and time constraints

⚡ Decision-making under pressure

Based on current game situation

Considers opponents’ actions and demands of the moment

🏆 High-level performers

Often described as doing the right thing at the right time

Appear one step ahead in decisions and actions

🔄 Attentional flexibility

Ability to shift focus as the situation demands

Examples include moving between:

🌍 Broad external focus

🧠 Broad internal focus

🎯 Narrow internal focus

⏱ Task demands and pacing

Easier to shift attention in self-paced sports (e.g. archery)

More challenging in time-pressured sports (e.g. 400 m hurdles), where athletes must monitor:

Next action or obstacle

Body mechanics (e.g. stride length)

Position relative to others

Personal effort and race judgement

🎯 Concentration and Distractors in Sport

❓ Why athletes lose concentration

🧠 Internal distractors: daydreaming, worries about coach, emotions (anger), bodily sensations (fatigue)

👀🔊 External distractors: crowd noise, visual distractions (e.g. flash photography)

🧱 Five building blocks of effective concentration (Aidan Moran)

1⃣ 🧠 Decide to concentrate

Concentration is a deliberate choice, not automatic

2⃣ 🎯 One thought at a time

Use simple cues (e.g. single-word self-talk like “smooth”)

3⃣ 🔄 Think–do connection

Concentration is strongest when actions match thoughts

4⃣ 🚫 Control the controllables

Concentration is lost when focusing on uncontrollable factors (e.g. weather)

5⃣ 👁 Focus outward under pressure

Direct attention to actions, not internal doubts

🧠 Purpose of controlled distraction

👁 Increases awareness of distractors

🎯 Enhances focus on task-relevant information

🏌 Helps maintain effective skill execution

🏌 Example: Golfer teeing off

📍 Pre-shot planning

🎯 Identify a target that supports the next shot

🌳 Consider environmental features:

Fairway width and shape

Hazards (water, trees, bunkers)

Wind and terrain (undulation)

🧠 Decision-making phase

📝 Select the type of shot to play

🛠 Formulate technical requirements for the shot

🎯 Execution phase

⚪ Narrow focus on the ball

🏌 Concentrate on swing execution

🛠 Key idea

✔ Attention is deliberately directed to relevant information to reduce the impact of distractions

🎯 Deliberate Decisions

🧠 Intentional attention control

🔘 Conscious decision to invest mental effort

🔌 Use of “switch on / switch off” metaphors to control attention

🎯 Helps identify and focus on task-relevant information

⏱ Improves control over when and how attention is directed
 

🏆 Performance Goals

🎯 Purpose of performance goals

🧭 Direct attention to relevant, controllable behaviours

📌 Focus on how to perform, not just the outcome

🏌 Golf drive examples

🎯 Select a target on the fairway

🧠 Plan the first shot with the second shot in mind

👁 Visualize ball flight after committing to the plan

⚪ Keep eyes on the ball during the swing

Controlled distraction techniques

🗣 Trigger Words

🔑 Attention anchors

🧠 Single words used to focus attention

🎯 Link attention to key aspects of the skill

🏌 Examples

🎯 “Target” when scanning the fairway

⚖ “Balance” during the swing
 

🔁 Routines

⏳ Role of routines

🧠 Promote control of attentional resources

❌ Prevent over-thinking well-learned skills

😌 Reduce anxiety and negative thoughts

🏌 Example

👀 Visualising a successful shot to override focus on hazards
 

🧠 Mental Practice

🎥 Imagery and simulation

👁 Seeing and feeling the skill before execution

🔮 Allows anticipation of situations and distractors

🛡 Helps prevent distractions from negatively affecting performance

Types of attentional focus:

🧠 Shifting attentional focus

Athletes adjust the scope and direction of attention based on situational demands

Different sports and activities require different attentional focus types

📐 Two dimensions of attentional focus

Width → broad or narrow

Direction → external or internal

🌍 Broad attentional focus

👀 Perceiving several cues at the same time

🏒 Important in fast-changing environments with multiple stimuli

🔍 Narrow attentional focus

🎯 Responding to one or two specific cues

🏸 Example: tracking the flight of a shuttlecock

➡ External attentional focus

👥 Attention directed to the environment or others

⚾ Example: focusing on an opponent’s movements

⬅ Internal attentional focus

💭 Attention directed to thoughts and feelings

🏃 Example: preparing mentally before a high jump run-up

Arousal and attentional narrowing:

🧠 Attentional capacity

Limited attentional capacity at any one time

Closely linked to an athlete’s level of arousal

📈 Arousal levels in sport

Range from low (relaxed) to high (intense)

Influenced by factors such as competition importance

🔥 High arousal

↑ heart rate, ↑ breathing rate, ↑ muscle tension

Associated with excitement, anxiety and stress

Beneficial for sports requiring strength, speed and power (e.g. sprinting, weightlifting)

🧘 Low arousal

Associated with calm, controlled physiological state

Beneficial for sports requiring fine motor control and concentration (e.g. archery, golf)

🎯 Attentional narrowing

Occurs when arousal is high

Attention focuses on a limited set of relevant cues

Helps filter out distractions and improve concentration

👀 Low arousal and attention

Can lead to an overly broad attentional field

Attention may be drawn to both relevant and irrelevant cues

🏀 Performance example

High arousal → narrowed focus on key cues (e.g. rim and shooting technique in a free throw)

Can improve concentration, accuracy and decision-making

⚠ Potential negative effects

Excessive narrowing → fixation on one cue or internal worries

Can reduce awareness and overall performance

🎚 Key implication

Athletes must find and maintain their optimal arousal level to support effective attentional focus

Attentional focus and motor learning

🧠 Why attentional focus matters

Helps facilitate skill learning

Helps optimize performance

🔍 Types of attentional focus

Associative 🧍‍♂: focus on bodily sensations

Dissociative 🚫🧠: block out sensations from physical effort

Can also be classified by:

Width: broad 🌐 vs narrow 🎯

Direction: internal 🧠 vs external 👀

⚖ Impact on performance and learning

Attentional focus affects:

Effectiveness 🎯: accuracy, consistency, reliability

Efficiency ⚡: fluent, economical, automatic movement with low effort

👀 External vs internal focus

External focus (on movement effect or implement) is more effective than:

Internal focus (on body movements)

📈 Benefits of an external focus

Improves balance, accuracy and movement efficiency

Speeds up the learning process

Leads to higher skill levels sooner

Improves resistance to performance breakdown under pressure

🏀 Sport examples

Basketball: focus on basket or ball trajectory 🏀 > wrist movement

Soccer: focus on part of the ball struck ⚽ > part of the foot

Shown effective across sports: soccer, volleyball, basketball, swimming, running, kayaking, gymnastics

🔁 Performance and learning link

Attentional focus influences:

Immediate performance (practice)

Long-term learning (lasting skill improvement)

Attentional focus and motor learning

📈 External focus of attention puts focus on what should happen, rather than what the body should do. (Focusing thoughts on particular actions)

External: A basketball needs to have a particular path; Internal: My wrist needs to move in this way.

Evidence of increases success for kicking and throwing (hit a certain part of a ball, rather than have your foot be in a certain position)

⚡ Movement efficiency

Same movement outcome achieved with less energy

Indirect indicators of efficiency:

💪 Maximum force production

🏎 Movement speed

⏱ Endurance

🧠 Muscle coordination

Efficient force production requires:

Optimal activation of agonist & antagonist muscles

Precise timing and coordination

🚣 Kayaking study (75 m sprint)

Compared attentional focus types:

🎯 Distal external focus (finish line)

🚣 Proximal external focus (boat stability)

Outcomes:

🏆 Distal focus → fastest speed

🐢 Proximal focus → slowest time

🌊 Open skills & changing environments

Open skills = unpredictable, dynamic conditions

Performance depends on:

Rapid adaptation of motor behaviour

Readiness to execute multiple action options

Environmental influences:

👥 Opponents/teammates

🌬 Wind, 🌊 water, 🌦 weather

🎯 Distance effect (external focus)

External focus further from the body = better performance

Examples:

🧍‍♀ Balance task: markers away from feet > focusing on feet

🚣 Distal focus > proximal focus for effectiveness

🏁 Wild water kayak sprint (100 m)

Focus conditions:

🎯 Distal: “think only about the finish”

🚣 Proximal: “focus on the paddle”

⚪ Control: self-chosen focus

Findings:

🏆 Distal external focus → fastest performance

Proximal & control → slowe

Non-linear pedagogy and attentional control

🎯 Non-linear pedagogical strategies

Consider attentional focus to improve learning & performance

Used by physical educators and coaches to design learning environments

🔄 Shift in instructional focus

From internal thoughts/processes ➜ external movement outcomes/effects

Reduces reliance on conscious control

⚙ Self-organization

Learners adapt movements based on:

Individual needs

Learning context

Supports perception, response & adaptation in dynamic environments

🗣 Teaching strategies

📣 Feedback

Educates attention toward relevant information sources

❓ Questioning

Raises awareness of where attention should be focused

Example: court positioning and recovery in badminton

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