🎯 Attention Focus in Sport: How to Concentrate

👁️ Types of Attention in Sport

Four types of attention are needed in sport:

An effective athlete is able to flexibly switch between these types.

Candle exercise: watch the flame for 3–5 min.
Grid exercise: 10×10 numbers — find them in order
Breath counting: count inhales up to 10
Single-action practice: 5 min. only one thing
STOP technique: notice a distracting thought → mentally STOP → return attention

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Concentration is not a single state — it depends on the situation. Four types of attention are usually distinguished:

Type	What it is directed at	Example
Broad external	Broadly at the environment	Players’ positioning on the field
Broad internal	At one’s own plan and analysis	Tactics review before the start
Narrow external	At one specific thing on the field	Watching the ball, the target
Narrow internal	At a single sensation	Technique detail, breathing

Mistakes occur when the attention type does not match the situation: for example, narrow internal thinking when you need to follow the game.

Crowd, referee decisions, opponent provocations.
Previous mistakes (“I’m doing it, but thinking about that miss”).
Future result — what will happen if I lose.
Conditions: heat, noise, an unexpected change in field conditions.
Fatigue — concentration drops when you are physically tired (which is why physical preparation is psychological preparation).

Pre-start ritual: the same 3-step action set every time — for the brain this is a “switch-on” signal.
Key word: one word that brings attention back (“here”, “now”, “hands”).
Breathing: slow exhalation, longer than inhalation — reduces arousal (see relaxation techniques).
Focus on the action, not the result: “I’m watching the ball”, not “I can’t make a mistake”.
Using breaks: between points/thematic pauses — a “clearing” moment, not dwelling on a mistake.