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ne of the most important mental strengths during competition that athletes and sport professionals will agree with is concentration or focus. At any point in time during competition, an athlete’s level of concentration can make the difference between a victorious and an unsuccessful team or individual. If you disagree, ask any of the Trinidad and Tobago footballers at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. They made history being the smallest nation at any World Cup finals. On top of that, while playing against powerhouse Sweden, Avery John was sent off leaving the Soca Warriors down to 10 men. Nevertheless, the players were able to maintain their high level of concentration, partly due to the heroics of Shaka Hislop in goal and earn their only point in the 0-0 final score. 
Athletes are often told to “concentrate” by coaches, peers or even parents. What exactly is concentration? This involves putting all your attention and energy into what you have to do in the present moment by limiting distractions. Simply put, athletes become distracted when their attention is divided. A focused basketball player at the free throw line might focus on the backside of the rim but, when distracted he or she may begin to pay attention to the sounds of the fans or the players around, forgetting or ignoring the back of the rim completely, resulting in a miss or even an air ball. This could be a deciding factor in the final seconds of a game.
Are you focusing on what you are supposed to?
Shifting of attention can be broad, where a number of signs, individuals and objects on the field, course or court are observed. On the other side of the fence, attention can be narrow. A narrow focus involves paying attention to fewer cues in the environment.
Shifting of attention can be broad, where a number of signs, individuals and objects on the field, course or court are observed. On the other side of the fence, attention can be narrow. A narrow focus involves paying attention to fewer cues in the environment.
A Broad focus is beneficial for instances when athletes need to be aware of their environment (opponents positioning, teammates or field/ court/ course area). To take this a step further, these cues in the sporting environment help athletes make crucial decisions that contribute to optimal performance. Athletes will take the external information and make the best decisions based on what they have observed. A point guard in basketball sees his opponents, teammates, and position on the court then, decides where he or she will pass or dribble the ball. Some cons of the broad focus involve being distracted by too many external cues in the sporting environment to the point where individual skill execution is diminished. So, this player is observing a number of things but forgets to protect the ball causing a turnover.
2 TYPES OF BROAD FOCUS
Broad external- understanding and seeing many different things in the environment. A midfielder in football sees opposing players around the field, knows where the ball is, sees spaces and is aware of his or her positioning. A center in basketball is aware of the lane, makes eye contact with the point guard, sees possible blocks/rebounds depending on the play and observes movement of opponents.
Broad external- understanding and seeing many different things in the environment. A midfielder in football sees opposing players around the field, knows where the ball is, sees spaces and is aware of his or her positioning. A center in basketball is aware of the lane, makes eye contact with the point guard, sees possible blocks/rebounds depending on the play and observes movement of opponents.
Broad internal- be able to make accurate, wise and timely decisions after external information in an athletic environment is interpreted and processed. For instance: a golfer being aware of sand traps, trees, wind and ponds on the course then, deciding how much force, stroke and what technique will be used in stroke execution. Another example is a bench player observing what is going wrong during a game (tactics, strengths and weaknesses of both teams) and knows how to make a positive contribution when he or she gets in.
Narrow focus helps athletes be in tuned to a couple specific things they can control and place all of their attention on those things. This can be seen in a rifle shooter who concentrates on his or her breathing and is able to stay calm with the sole focus of hitting a target. A negative of this form of focus could be the fact that too much attention is placed on one thing especially in team events. This ‘tunnel vision’ can cause some footballers to lose possession of the ball because they failed to see an opposing defender.
2 TYPES OF NARROW FOCUS
Narrow external- focusing on a limited number of cues in ones surroundings. Some examples include: knowing where to move after looping a ball in table tennis doubles to make way for a teammate to return the ball while being aware of the opposing duo (focus here is on movement and the opposition).
Narrow internal- placing all of one’s attention on a limited number of thoughts. This is like going over plays of routines in one's mind. Some examples are: a swimmer mentally rehearsing his or her stroke and bodily sensations or a gymnast visualizing or seeing himself or herself tumbling (backhand spring is an example) in a floor event.
In sport, selective attention can be a key tool to performing optimally. The different forms of attention mentioned are flexible and usually changes depending on sporting environment, the individual athlete and type of sport. The important thing is for athletes to understand how best they focus in their sport, which type of focus is best for them and at what times.
