strategies to improve concentration common concentration problems techniques to improve concentration

1. STRATEGIES TO
IMPROVE
CONCENTRATION
PRESENTED BY
MUHAMMAD USMAN

2. 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.

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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Improving Concentration
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

8. Improving Concentration
4.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

9. Improving Concentration
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.

10. Improving Concentration
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.

11. Improving Concentration
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.