strategies to improve concentration

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE CONCENTRATIONPRESENTED BYMUHAMMAD USMAN

WHY CONCENTRATION SKILLS…

Several sources of evidence reveal that concentration, or the ability to focus on what is most important in any situation while ignoring distractions, is vital for success in sport.

Lapses in concentration can mean the difference between winning and losing.

CONCENTRATION STRATEGIES

if concentration is so important, then two basic question arises1. why do athletes appear to lose it so easily in competitive situations? 2. what are the building blocks of effective concentration skills in sport?

WHY DO WE LOSE IT? Though it is beyond the scope of this presentation to go into

details but it is necessary to name some of the common distractions in sports arena here.

INTERNAL DISTRACTERS EXTERNAL DISTRACTERS• Attending to past/future

events • Visual Distracters

• Choking under Pressure • Auditory Distracters• Overanalysing Body

Mechanics • Temperature

• Fatigue • Gamesmanship

How can we Improve Concentration

1. THROUGH THE USE OF IMAGERY: With the help of Imagery an athlete attend to relevant

stimuli more effectively and selectively. Imagery can also increase awareness of competitive

cues that can contribute to faster decision making and improved execution of tactics.

Improving Concentration

2. USE SIMULATIONS IN PRACTICE competitive environment includes numerous factors that are

not present to the same degree in the training environment. These factors represent potential distractions to the athletes. To cope with distractions and the environmental conditions

one has to practice in same situation. This type of practice is known as simulation training because

the coaches are try to simulate an actual competitive environment.


3. USE CUE WORDS: Cue words are used to trigger a particular response and are

really a form of self-talk. Cue words should be either instructional or motivational to

help focus on the task at hand. For instance, if a miler tends to tighten up in the last lap of a

race and his stride becomes shorter, thus spoiling his rhythm, a cue such as smooth, stretch, or relax might help him keep focused on relaxing and lengthening his stride

Improving Concentration4.Use Non-judgmental Thinking The process of evaluating and judging what you do on the

athletic field causes excess muscle tension, excess effort and concentration lapses.

Instead of judging the worth of a performance learn to look at your actions nonjudgmentally.

This doesn’t mean you should ignore errors and mistakes but rather that you should see your performance as it is, without adding judgments


5. Establish Routines Routines increase the likelihood that individuals will not be

distracted before and during performance. Pre-performance routines structure the athlete’s thought

processes and emotional states, keeping the focus of attention in the present and on task-related cues.

such as wearing a lucky pair of socks, wearing a shirt bearing specific number or tying shoelaces a certain way etc.


6. DEVELOP COMPETITION PLAN. Establishing pre-competition and competition plans

help in maintaining attentional focus. These plans help athletes not only prepare for their

events but to facilitate attentional focus on the process of performance as well.


7. Practice Eye Control

The key to eye control is to make sure your eyes do not wander to irrelevant cues.

Among ways in which athletes enhance eye control are focusing on the floor, on the strings of the racket, on the equipment etc.

strategies to improve concentration

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