Elite sport psychology/concentration/training

Even great athletes have lapses in concentration. What often sets them apart is their ability to recognise poor concentration and to refocus effectively.

Sport psychologists often propose that a key to gaining control over concentration is to learn to recognise the symptoms of arousal associated with optimal processing of information. When athletes are under-aroused they often lack intensity, and when over-aroused skill execution and decision-making tends to deteriorate.

In this final part of the module, several techniques to help promote effective concentration are explored.

Simulation training

Simulation training involves trying to replicate competition conditions as accurately as possible to allow athletes to better prepare for what they will face, perhaps in a major competition.  This allows them to practice coping strategies so that the potential for concentration to be disrupted is reduced. Examples of simulated environments include:

• Recorded competition noise during training to simulate the noise of the crowd, announcements, crowd officials and other athletes.
• Lighting conditions that closely match the competition arena.
• Wearing competition uniforms rather than training kit in practice.
• Training in temperature and weather conditions that may occur on the day.

There are some great examples of simulation training for the Olympic Games in the Archery in Korea chapter.

Simulation activity

Can you suggest some ways in which the conditions of an athletics meet could be simulated for a javelin thrower ahead of an upcoming competition?

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An athletics meet is often a noisy affair with a lot of things going on at the same time. A recording of the noises to be played back during practice can help with this. The recording can include:

• Crowd noise, including the cheering and hand claps that often accompany athletes before they attempt a throw or jump.
• The noise of officials, for example the ringing of a bell signifying the the last lap of a running event.
• Stadium music and announcements.

Pre-event routines

Pre-event routines are common in many sports. Some are quite logical whilst others may seem superstitious. A soccer player may put on her left boot before her right. A boxer may recite a prayer. An athlete may have a series of stretches which must be done in a specific order.

A pre-event routine is similar to a pre-match ritual or race preparation plan. It involves a sequence of behaviours that can help ease anxiety and focus attention, both of which can aid concentration and performance.

A routine will often start the night before and continue all the way through to the start of play. Of particular importance are the last few minutes before the action, considering that a good start can often lead to a good overall performance. Pre-event routines differ from sport to sport and individual to individual, and it’s crucial that a routine should fit the specific circumstances, but an effective pre-event routine might include:

The night before

• Pack equipment and sports kit in the evening.
• Watch a movie/listen to music/read a book.
• Get a good night’s sleep.

Morning of competition

• Breakfast, with the correct nutritional balance for competition.
• Visualisation of forthcoming performance.
• Light massage.

Journey to competition and arrival

• Allow adequate travel time accounting for heavy traffic.
• Stay hydrated.
• Listen to music to stay relaxed.
• Register soon after arrival.

Changing rooms or practice area

• Change into kit (perhaps in a specific order).
• Standardised warm up and stretching.
• Pep-talk, strategy talk or quiet time depending on athlete.

Three minutes before competition

• Further warm up or stretches depending on sport.
• Positive self-talk and strong body language.
• Mentally rehearse performance.

Pre-event routines are designed to reduce levels of anxiety and maintain focus by making the athlete feel in control. Some flexibility should be built into a routine, so that if there is a shift in event timing, it will not upset preparation.

Centering

Centering is a technique that is particularly useful to refocus in sports, such as tennis and baseball, that have frequent breaks. It is a technique that can be used to control arousal and for ignoring distractions.

The technique is known as centering because it involves focusing attention on the centre of the body, just behind the navel. You are centered when your body weight is evenly distributed about the centre of your body in a way that feels comfortable. Once centered your body is primed and ready for action.

Centering is generally done in a standing position (although it can be done seated), and like other techniques described in this course, it takes practice. Also, it requires the athlete to know their optimal levels of arousal so as to understand when they are under or over-aroused. You can have a go at centering yourself by listening to the audio below.

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Triggers

Triggers are a useful way to refocus attention in sports that are long in duration and repetitive. Triggers are behavioural actions or stimuli that remind you to refocus when there is a greater chance of attention drift. Examples include:

• Walking towards the batter when fielding in baseball.
• Waggling the club before swinging a golf club.
• The batsman tapping the bat on the pitch in cricket.

Techniques for responding to errors

All athletes make mistakes, even the greatest:

• Pele miss. Brazil vs Uraguay 1970

Mistakes are unavoidable because elite competition places such a high demand on the athlete, particularly in fast-paced sports where complex decisions have to be made in very short time periods. A huge effort to maintain concentration is required and inevitably mistakes occur.

Concentration is further disturbed when an athlete dwells on a mistake (shifting focus from an external focus to an internal focus). The error response often begins with an emotional outburst such as anger and is often followed by name calling, replaying the mistake in the mind, and over-analysis.

Various strategies can be used to avoid or reduce the negative effects of mistakes:

1. Parking. This involves ridding yourself of an error by, for example, symbolically wiping it on your shorts or sporting equipment. It acts as a behavioural reminder not to get caught up in the mistake and initiate the downward spiral into loss of concentration.
2. No blame. This works particularly well in team sports with a culture of “no blame” if a mistake is made. This may involve making an effort to re-assure a team mate, perhaps with a pat on the back, which acts as a cue to “Just let it go”.
3. Editing. This brings rapid closure to a mistake by using imagery to edit an error into the correct execution of the skill. This will help to keep negative thoughts at bay.

The objective is to re-establish a sense of personal control and an optimal arousal level as quickly as possible after a mistake has been made.

Technology

Increasingly technology is being used to help with concentration in sport. Some areas being applied with elite athletes include:

• Virtual and augmented reality.
• Wearable technologies that can measure levels of arousal.
• Vision training equipment.
• Video games and concentration software.