Concentration = Attention? William James: WILL is the combination of attention (focused consciousness) & effort (overcoming distractions, fears…) What Is Concentration?

Kangaroo Concentration

What Is Concentration? Focusing on relevant environmental cues Selective attention: Select what cues to focus on while disregarding others. Maintaining attentional focus Situation awareness Ability to understand what is going on around oneself (size up a situation). < Three components of concentration

Concentration and Optimal Performance being “absorbed in the present” and having no thoughts about past or future, being mentally relaxed and having a high degree of concentration and control, and practicing & using mental skills routinely, and preparing for adversity Reminder: Elite athlete peak performance is associated with:

Four Types of Attentional Focus WIDTH DIRECTION Broad Narrow External Internal

Shifting Attentional Focus When the environment changes rapidly, attentional focus must also change rapidly. Time pressures during a competition make this difficult.

Attentional Problems Attending to past events (e.g., what was?) Internal distractions Attending to future events (e.g., what if?) “Choking” under pressure Overanalysis of body mechanics Fatigue

Attentional Problems Visual distractions External distractions Auditory distractions Gamesmanship

Foul Play

Choking as an Attentional Problem An attentional process that leads to impaired performance and the inability to retain control over performance

Choking = An Attentional Problem

Exercises for Improving Concentration Learn to maintain focus 1. Learn to shift attention 2. “Park” thoughts 3. Search for relevant cues 4. Perform useless tasks daily; and **6. Practice pre-performance routines 5.

Example of Pre-performance Routine for Tennis Serve Determine positioning and foot placement. 1. Decide on service type and placement. 2. Adjust racquet grip and ball. 3. Take a deep breath. 4. Bounce the ball for rhythm. 5. See and feel the perfect serve. 6. Focus on the ball toss and serve to programmed spot. 7.

Self–Talk: --any self-statement or thought. Appropriate self-talk helps one focus on the present and keeps one’s mind from wandering. Cognitive Models Basis for Cognitive Model Watch Your Language

COGNITIVE EMOTIVE INSIGHTS "People are not upset by things but by their idea of things." Epictetus "Our life is what our thoughts make it." Marcus Aurelius "There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so." Shakespeare "The mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell, or hell of heaven." Milton "The ancestor of every action is a thought - a man is what he thinks about all day long." Emerson

COGNITIVE EMOTIVE INSIGHTS “Man is the inventor of his own happiness.” Thoreau "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Lincoln "You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are." Norman Vincent Peale "My life has been filled with terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened." Mark Twain “A person’s behavior springs from his/her ideas.” Alfred Adler

How Self–Talk Works Missing an important shot in a tennis match Event “Keep your eye on the ball— this match isn’t over” Self–talk Better concentration, optimism, calmness Emotional & Behavioral Responses

Self–Talk Self-talk and performance enhancement Positive self-talk improves performance. Techniques for improving self-talk Thought stopping: identify negative thought, stop the thought, focus on task-relevant thought. Changing NegaTalk to Posatalk

Changing Negative Self–Talk to Positive Self–Talk NegativePositive “He robbed me on the line call— that ball was in.” “There’s nothing I can do about it now. If I play well and focus, I’ll win anyway.”

DON’T EVER GIVE UP

Defining Self–Confidence Self-confidence: Self-efficacy: The belief that you can successfully perform a desired behavior

Trait self-confidence: The degree of certainty individuals “usually” possess about their ability to succeed. State self-confidence: The belief of certainty individuals possess at a “particular moment” about their ability to succeed. Defining Self–Confidence

Expecting something to happen actually helps cause it to happen. Self–fulfilling prophecy A psychological barrier where the expectations of failure leads to actual failure. Negative self– fulfilling prophecy

Bandura’s Self–Efficacy Theory Self-efficacy provides a model to study the effects of self-confidence on sport performance, persistence, and behavior. Self-efficacy is important when one has the requisite skills and sufficient motivation. (continued)

Bandura’s Self–Efficacy Theory Self-efficacy affects an athlete’s choice of activities, level of effort, and persistence. Although self-efficacy is task-specific, it generalizes to other similar skills and situations. High self-efficacy people set more challenging goals.

Benefits of Self–Confidence Arouses positive emotions Facilitates concentration Affects the setting and pursuit of challenging goals Increases effort Affects game strategies (play to win versus play to lose) Affects psychological momentum

Capriati’s self-talk is evidence of her confidence level after winning the 2001 Australian Open Positive self-talk can also create self- confidence

Levels of Confidence Being so convinced that you will achieve your goals that you strive hard to do so. Optimal confidence Self-doubts create anxiety, breaks concentration, and causes indecisiveness. Lack of confidence Confidence greater than actual ability causes you to prepare less than you need to perform. Overconfidence (false confidence)

Optimal Confidence, Under– confidence, and Overconfidence The inverted-U illustrating the confidence-performance relationship

How Expectations Influence Performance Self-expectations and performance Coach expectations and performance A teacher’s or coach’s expectations can alter a student’s and athlete’s feelings and performance.

Building Self–Confidence Ensure performance accomplishments. Successful behavior increases confidence and leads to further successful behavior. Include good physical, technical, and tactical instruction. Use game-pressure simulations. Act confidently. Instructors-coaches should display confidence. Teach athletes to display confidence.

Building Self–Confidence Think confidently. Focus on instruction and motivating thoughts. Avoid judgmental thoughts. Use imagery. Imagine yourself as confident and successful. Train for physical conditioning. Training and physical states keys to confidence. Prepare Develop performance plans and routines; plans give you confidence because you know what to do.