Focus Chapter 8 Maintaining good focus can be the difference between success and disaster

Confidence and Focus Focus is everything, it’s the most important mental skill. If you can master your focus you will avoid almost all of the potential psychological problems that athletes face.

POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF LOSING YOUR FOCUS INCLUDE Choking Performing below your ability level Experiencing fear, panic, or anxiety Getting “psyched out” POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF LOSING YOUR FOCUS INCLUDE

What is Focus? Focus is concentration, paying attention to one thing, and not being distracted

How Long Do You Need Focus You need to stay focused for the duration of the competition Basketball: 32 minutes Football: 48 min Bull riding: 8 seconds Soccer: 32 min

Fatal Distractions Parents Crowd Relationship Disability Bad day Drugs and alcohol. Violence (anger)

Two Basic Components of Good Focus The Right Time The Right Place These two components are like the latitude and longitude of focus. They allow you to “zero in”.

The Right Time During competition your mind must only exist in the present Totally forget your mistakes and focus fully on the next moment Ignore the past and ignore the future Focus on the present If you are thinking about WINNING or LOSING you are too focused on future “moment to moment focus” Stay in the present Stay in the moment Stay in the now

The Right Place Keeping your mind in the right places requires you to: Block out your fans, boyfriend/girlfriend, school, work, family Control your eyes and ears Know what easily distracts you Plan a strategy Stay in the HERE

Bottom Line Stay in the HERE and NOW! Getting “psyched out” is a result of poor focus

Drills for Focusing in places other than your practice or competition Listen to someone speaking Work on holding your focus on something Practice fully focusing when there are distractions Focus on the last 3 words you wrote until they stand out Focus on a specific positive thought, repeat it, stop thinking, then refocus on it

Drills for Focusing at practice or in a competition Practice being totally connected to your moves Relax, imagine the perfect execution of a skill, then do it Recreate the mental and physical conditions that led to past success When you feel stressed, slow everything down When distracted clear them away by focusing on tiny technical aspects of your sport After an error, take a deep breath, clear your mind, shift your focus to what you need to do next Execute your position by instinct

Tips to regain focus Return to basics and follow the game plan Focus only on the target, step, or move that is happening now Reassure yourself that you are trained and ready for this Remember that your goals are realistic Focus on what is going right, not wrong Embrace the joy of the activity

Focus Assignment Name 2 negative consequences that you can avoid by having a good focus Good focus means you are in the right mental ______________ and the right mental ______________ What are some things that cause you to lose focus in your sport? What do you do to stay focused during competition? What are some negative consequences you can avoid by having good focus? Which new techniques that you learned today will you try?