Concentration

Concentration

• Definition of Concentration

  • A person’s ability to exert deliberate mental effort on what is most important in any given situation.

• Four Parts of Concentration in Sport

  1. Focusing on Relevant Environmental Cues

  2. Maintaining Attentional Focus

  3. Situational Awareness

  4. Shifting Attentional Focus When Necessary

Attention & Performance

• Information-Processing Approach

  • Focuses on how attention assists in processing information to enhance performance.

• Three Processes Relevant for Concentration & Sport Performance

  1. Attentional Selectivity

  2. Attentional Capacity

  3. Attentional Alertness

Types of Attentional Focus

• Overview: Various types of attentional focus are suited for specific sports skills and activities, including:

  1. Broad Attentional Focus

  2. Narrow Attentional Focus

  3. External Attentional Focus

  4. Internal Attentional Focus

• Broad Attentional Focus

  • Definition: Used to rapidly assess a situation, such as a football quarterback analyzing the positioning of defensive backs; also utilized for analysis and strategic planning.

• Narrow Attentional Focus

  • Definition: Focuses exclusively on one or two external cues, for example, concentrating solely on the ball in a game.

• External Attentional Focus

  • Definition: Involves mental rehearsal of upcoming performances or managing an emotional state, such as mentally preparing for putting in golf or using breath control to relax.

• Internal Attentional Focus

  • Definition: Involves concentrating on internal thoughts or feelings during performance.

Concentration Challenges

• Internal Distractors

  • Common distractions include:

  • Attending to past events

  • Attending to future events

  • Choking under pressure

  • Physical changes:

    • Increased muscle tension

    • Increased breathing rate

    • Racing heart rate

  • Conditions leading to choking:

    • Important competition

    • Critical plays in a competition

    • Evaluation by coaches, peers, and parents

  • Performance impairments:

    • Timing and coordination breakdown

    • Muscle tightness and fatigue

    • Rushing

    • Inability to focus on task-relevant cues

  • Attentional changes:

    • Internal focus

    • Narrow focus

    • Reduced flexibility

• Additional Internal Distractors

  • Overanalyzing body mechanics

  • Fatigue

  • Inadequate motivation

• External Distractors

  • Types of distractions include:

  • Visual distractors

  • Auditory distractors

Improving Concentration

• Mindfulness

  • Definition: The awareness that emerges through intentionally paying attention to the present moment without judgment.

  • Components:

  • Awareness

  • Acceptance

• Self-Talk

  • Definition: Any statements made to oneself; can be positive, instructional, or negative.

  • Positive Self-Talk: Encouragement and affirmations.

  • Instructional Self-Talk: Focused commands or reminders.

  • Negative Self-Talk: Self-criticism or discouragement.

• Common Thought Distortions

  • All-or-None Thinking

  • Overgeneralization

  • Focusing on Negatives

  • Discounting the Positive

  • Jumping to Conclusions

  • Blowing Things Out of Proportion

  • Personalization & Blame

  • Labeling

• Rational-Emotive Approach (Albert Ellis)

  • Principle: Emotions are shaped by our thoughts about and interpretations of situations or events.

• Rational and Irrational Beliefs:

  • Negative Event (A): Ex. Missing an important shot in tennis

  • Irrational Belief (B): "What an idiot I am! I'll never win now."

  • Consequences (C): Leads to anger, hopelessness, increased muscle tension.

  • Rational Belief (B): "Keep your eyes on the ball. This match isn't over."

  • Consequences (C): Results in better concentration, optimism, calmness.

• Another Example:

  • Negative Event (A): Setback in rehabilitating a knee injury

  • Irrational Belief (B): "I'll never get back in the starting lineup."

  • Consequences (C): Produces hopelessness, anger, frustration.

  • Rational Belief (B): "This type of injury just takes time to heal. I need to keep working hard."

  • Consequences (C): Fuels optimism, motivation, increased effort.

• Irrational Beliefs & Healthy Emotions:

  • Relation between negative events, beliefs, and emotional consequences where rational beliefs lead to healthier emotional responses.

• Thought Stopping

  • Technique to deal with negative thoughts by halting them before they can lead to undesired emotions or behaviors.

• Keywords:

  • Use specific keywords as triggers to guide thoughts and redirect focus.

• Additional Strategies for Improvement:

  • Take Care of Yourself: Emphasizes physical and mental well-being.

  • Use Simulations in Practice: Helps prepare for real competition scenarios.

  • Establish Routines: Create consistent patterns that can enhance focus.

  • Develop Competition Plans: Strategic preparation for events.

  • Overlearn Skills: Reinforce muscle memory and automaticity in skills to enhance performance under pressure.