Tag Archive for 'focus'
Did you know that breathing is useful to train self-control? It can allow you to be relaxed, concentrated and activated according to the your goals at a specific time.
To learn more about how to do this, write to me.
‘According to the attentional style approach originally proposed by Nideffer (1985) and adapted to football by Pain (2016), footballers must be able to broaden or narrow the focus of their attention quickly and appropriately in response to specific match situations. Under conditions of intense psychological pressure footballers have little time to devote to the rational analysis of a situation (e.g., pass the ball rather than shoot). This is because the speed of the game requires them to act fast, formulating thoughts within a few milliseconds. Consequently, high pressure match conditions must be extensively practiced during training until the player’s responses to such situations become fully automated. This is instrumental to allow the players to focus on playing the game without the need of constantly assessing what is best in a specific situation. In practical terms, this means that a decision and therefore a behaviour must be taken and implemented while the ball is in motion and it is in these types of situations that the differences between amateurs and experts is evident. While the amateur typically focuses on the technical execution of the task, the expert is typically more oriented towards the tactical components of his/her actions. The reason is that years of training have prepared the footballer for this situation and the player has mastered the technique which has become fully automatized (Christensen, Sutton, & McIlwain, 2016).
A number of studies have compared novices and expert performances (Lum, Enns, & Pratt 2002). In football (Memmert, 2009; Williams, Davids, Burwitz, & Williams, 1993), research has shown that expert players are typically more oriented to observe other players without the ball (environmental focus), whereas less experienced footballers focus their attention on the ball and at teammates to whom they could pass it (skill focus). Furthermore, highly skilled athletes analyse only a few relevant elements of the game for a longer duration compared to amateurs, who instead attempt to process a large amount of information over a restricted period of time. Thus, it seems it is not just the amount of attention or concentration that it is important to achieve top performance (accurate and quick); but rather the fact that concentration must be complemented by the skill to locate and select the appropriate environmental focus (Williams, Davids, & Williams, 1999). In football, this involves the ability to selectively concentrate (as quickly as possible) on the most significant environmental signals; those that allow the player to ‘read the game’, that is, to anticipate the opponents’ actions.’
(Source: Farina e Cei, Concentration and self talk in football, 2019)
In the last minute of the match in Serie A the Milik’s goal to Cagliari is a perfect example of what does it mean be focuses on the task. First, the player takes a breathing to relax the body and second, he looks at the gate to reach the attentional peak, and some instance later kick the ball extremely well. With this shot Napoli won the match
Un allenatore di salto in alto mi chiede come sia possibile migliorare la concentrazione nell’esecuzione di questa specialità. Personalmente non ho esperienza diretta di collaborazione con saltatori, comunque provo a fornire alcune idee che chiunque potrebbe seguire e poi valutarne l’efficacia.
Il salto in alto è una prove che si conclude nell’arco di pochi secondi e il cui inizio è determinato dall’atleta nei limiti di tempo determinati dalle regole del suo sport. Pertanto, è necessario che al momento dell’avvio della prestazione il movimento appaia fluido ed efficace e in quegli istanti la mente del saltatore dovrebbe essere libera da ogni pensiero ma lasciarsi portare in modo apparentemente spontaneo dal susseguirsi dell’azione motoria.
Raggiungere questa condizione mentale non è semplice e richiede un allenamento specifico. Nell’allenamento dovrebbero esserci almeno due livelli. Il primo riguarda l’apprendimento e l’ottimizzazione della tecnica di salto, si può ripetere il numero di volte necessario e alla fine si è imparato a saltare. Il secondo livello riguarda la gestione della tecnica nei momenti in cui le emozioni sembrano spaccare il cuore mentre invece si dovrebbe essere totalmente concentrati sul salto da eseguire.
Suggerisco di allenare il timing dell’azione, il saltatore ha un minuto a disposizione per effettuare il salto. Di conseguenza così come nel servizio nel tennis, nei lanci nel baseball o nel tiro a volo, anche chi salta deve avere una routine che rispecchia quel tempo o un tempo inferiore se l’atleta è pronto con un timing di 45 secondi anziché di 60 secondi. Importante che quel tempo sia sempre lo stesso e quindi il tempo scelto diventa una misura del suo livello di concentrazione e della sua fiducia.
Stabilita la routine e il timing (la sua durata) il saltatore si deve allenare a rispettarla e a eseguirla correttamente. Può svolgere esercizi a secco, senza l’esecuzione reale, allenando solo la routine e dandosi al termine di ognuno una valutazione di quanto sarebbe stato pronto a eseguire un salto. Ovvio che se la valutazione è minore di 8 su 10, qualcosa non è andato bene nella sua preparazione e quindi deve lavorare per renderla più intensa.
Questo lavoro richiede passione e consapevolezza e dovrebbe essere accompagnato da esercizi mentali per allontanare i pensieri che ostacolano la prestazione quali essi siano, anche se positivi (ad esempio: “Oggi mi sento proprio bene”) sono ugualmente distraenti dalla concentrazione sul compito.
Si potrebbe dire molto di più articolando un vero e proprio programma di allenamento della concentrazione nel salto in alto. Magari un giorno con qualche atleta che lo desiderasse si potrà farlo.
The focus is on the present. To show a consistent focus during all the points means be tough.
We are at the beginning of a new Olympic period and as sports psychologist I wonder what could be the future of psychological consultancy for Italian athletes aspiring to participate in the Olympic Games of Tokyo 2020. It has long been recognized that competitive stress management for top athletes pass through developing the capacity to remain focused on their own performance at key moments of the races and that one way to develop this skill is to use a personalized psychological preparation program adequate at the level at this competition level.
“At the Workshops, sports psychologists have worked with one-on-one with athletes and coaches on mental skill development. In particular, the theme for the sports psychology component has been “focus.” When elite athletes enter the competitive arena, they are faced with a number of distractions, ranging from external to internal origins. The ability to tune out the distractions and focus on the task at hand is an instrumental part of performance, and for most athletes this ability to focus is not an inherent trait. It is a learned skill that can be taught and practiced. The Workshop format allows for exactly that.” (Chapman, R. (2011). Sport Performance Workshops: A New Applied Science Model for USA Track & Field, Olympic Coach, 22, 5-8).
To address this situation the Sailing Federation of United Kingdom launched an open competition to hire part-time senior psychologist for follow the sailing team in the coming years. This is a transparent and professional way to find a qualified professional able to play this role.
This is an example of best practice to be disseminated.
Show me your priorities and I’ll show you your focus
Good question to know if we are goal or result oriented the events
Among the others presentations there will be my communication titled “The golf concentration”
