Concentration

“Whether it be the last ten minutes of play, the closing holes of a major tournament or

the last mile of a marathon, an athlete needs to focus their attention on the correct things”

“Concentration is the ability to focus on the task in hand and focus for a period of

time”

Concentration Test

Summer Fall

Glass Adrenalin

Frame College

Final Shoes

Ready Commonwealth

Speaker Medium

Basket Narrow

Cooper Test Selective

SummerFallGlassAdrenalinFrameCollegeFinalShoesReadyCommonwealthSpeakerMediumBasketNarrowCooper TestSelective

How well did you do in the concentration test?

Why do you think you did not concentrate as well as you might have done?????

InternalStimuli

Negative Self talk

Over thinking

Mechanics

Dwelling

ExternalStimuli

Bad Decision

Opposition (Trash talk)

Weather

Field conditions

Crowd

What external and internal stimuli can impair your ability to concentrate?

No performer can concentrate 100% of the time

• The key is to be selective with your attention and focus on what is important in that given moment.

• Selecting your attention on the correct stimulus /cues and switching attention on and off prevents concentration lapses

and mental fatigue

Narrow Concentration Broad Concentration2 Dimensions

Directing focus to one or two cues in the game

Aware of everything around them but not focusing on any one part of performance e.g crowd, playing environment.

Sustained Concentration

?

?

Short Bursts of

Concentration

?

?

Intense Concentration

?

?

The demand for concentration varies with every sportFill in the table below in pairs

Sustained Concentration

Marathon

Badminton/Tennis

Short Bursts of

Concentration

Cricket

Diving

Intense Concentration

Bobsleigh

100m Sprint

POSSIBLE ANSWERS

WHY DID THESE ATHLETES LOSE CONCENTRATION

Barriers to Concentration

AnxietyMistakesFatigueWeatherPublic announcementsCoach/ManagerOpponentNegative thoughts

Positive

Consistency in play –

Focus at the right time

Respond faster to cues to solve

problems

Stay in the

zone

Disregard external /internal stimuli,

distractions and noise

Faster decisions

Selective with

attention

Few careless mistakes

as relaxed

Concentration

A badminton player with a lack of concentration will allow the pressure to get to them and will forget their game plan. They will make frequent errors through not being selective with what they focus on resulting in brain overload.

Might not be watching where the opponent is or the space to hit the shuttle (Reducing effectiveness of shots)

Not watching the flight of the shuttle (Preparation time delayed and technique effected) Incorrect execution of specific techniques. Wrong, rash decisions (adaptiveness reduced.

Too much attention on irrelevant cues

Increased anxiety Confusion

Lack of concentrationBadminton

Example of intense concentrationQualifiers : European Championships 2014 – Max Whitlock

Qualifies in 1st position

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ZTYCbPYeQ

Going into the final as Favourite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpkeWpiBrOA