Increase Your
Concentration Under Pressure
Imagine this: You’re playing your cross-town rival and you
step back to the base line. The volleyball rests easy in your hands as you look
to your coach for what zone to serve. The crowd is rowdy and loud; you can hear
the opposing team’s fans calling your number and reading your name from the
media guide. You know how important it is for you to serve this zone. The referee
blows the whistle and you toss the ball up…
Why is serving a volleyball at this moment suddenly the most
difficult thing on the planet? Do you ever wonder why you can make serve after
serve during practice, yet you miss critical, even game point serves during competition?
This struggle with seemingly easy tasks (especially for trained individuals) can be improved through the use and practice
of mental skills.
This decrement in performance may be due to the increase in
attentional demands that exist during competitive play which may not be present
in practice. Not only do you have to focus on successfully completing the
action, but there may be additional factors such as noise from the crowd or serving to a specific target that demand your attention. Attentional focus is the
ability to tune into only the information that is relevant for a particular
moment. In this example the relevant information is the target location of the
serve, not the loud crowd or importance of the match.
The ability to switch your attentional focus from irrelevant
to relevant information is a learned task that takes time and practice. To
increase your ability to control your attentional focus, increase
concentration, and increase the consistency of the task you are performing, you
can start by following these four steps:
1. Assess- Begin
by assessing the situation and all of the important cues around you.
E.g., See
the zone or player you want to serve, feel the volleyball in your hands.
2. Analyze- Determine
your strategy.
E.g., Think about the target or the movement of your toss and
swing. Imagine how you will strike the ball. This may be obvious in some
situations; in others you may need to think about the play you are going to execute
next.
3. Rehearse- Go
through the motion or play in your head (if you are familiar with the mental
skill of imagery, this would be a good time to implement it).
E.g., Imagine yourself tossing an accurate ball and striking
it with good form. The ball effortlessly goes to your desired target.
4. Execute- Follow
through with the action; execute the shot.
E.g., Perform the movement.
With practice, you will learn that you do not need to go
through these four steps every time you need to refocus or concentrate on a
particular task. Eventually, you will be able to skip right to the step that is
most relevant for your situation.
What is a task in your sport that you struggle with when
there are many things to occupy your attention, especially while under
pressure? Are there moments when you need to increase concentration on a particular
task although it may be something you easily perform day after day during
practice? By implementing the steps of assess, analyze, rehearse, and execute,
you may be able to help increase your focus and concentration on your desired
task and ultimately become more successful in your sport!
Adapted from: Voight, M. (2005). Integrating mental-skills
training into everyday coaching. Journal
of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 76, 38-47.
Kristine Walker
Bowling Green State University
