Skip to main content

Where’s your head at? Or more specifically, where’s your attention at? Is it off-task? Why it matters.


I worked with a swimmer a while ago who surprised me. When I asked him what he thought of during swim sets, including the drill sets, where he was supposed to focus on aspects of technique (e.g. hand entry, body rotation etc), he said that he sang songs in his head. Sounds fine, right? Well, no! 

If your attention is not where it is supposed to be (i.e. on the aspects of the drills in this swimmer’s case) you’ll get less from your training, less improvement, less good competitive performance, less satisfaction, and achieve less in sporting.

So, attend to what needs your attention, and leave your daydreaming for when it really doesn’t matter.

Dr Victor Thompson
www.sportspsychologist.com
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How will athletes react to the news that lifetime drug bans might be overturned by the BOA before the Olympics?

BBC website announces today: ‘Former Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards is happy the British Olympic Association's lifetime ban for drug cheats looks set to be overturned.’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17818958   Without going into how we as spectators think or feel about this issue, I’m interested in the impact that this issue might have on other competitors – those competing in the sports that the previously banned athletes compete in. Athlete A:   With a strong sense of right and wrong, Athlete A gets further fired-up and motivated to show the drug cheats that they are better, that they can win clean, expecting their performance to do the talking. This news of allowing, or potentially allowing, the banned athletes back in, is motivating, helping them prepare and perform. Athlete B:   With a belief that the sports officials, system or the world lets them down, Athlete B becomes angry at the developments. They may either get fired-up...
Post a Comment
Read more

Exercise can be good for stress-relief: Why? Why not share this good news?

Sport and exercise – but not competition for most of us – can be a good way to de-stress. This works for several reasons: It takes us away from stressful situations (home or work) We focus on what we are doing (e.g, chasing a football, hitting the tennis ball, running drills…) and therefore not on life’s problems We have endogenous opiates (‘happy hormones’) released into our bloodstream which feel good We might be exercising or playing sport with positive, encouraging people Those of us who exercise know this already. Perhaps we can share the good news to those who don’t exercise or engage in sport?  Dr Victor Thompson www.sportspsychologist.com
Post a Comment
Read more

Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini states that Premiership title chase is over: A clever psychological strategy?

(This is based on an interview I gave on Sky Sports News, 12th April 2012) Mancini’s recent statement is at odds with what football managers usually say. We are used to managers being positive about their team in the media, on talking up the team’s hopes, on saying that they are fighting to the end. Instead Mancini has said that the battle for the Premiership title is over, that they will likely finish 3rd, a place he will be happy with, when right now they can mathematically still win. He also spoke about how Manchester United, the team above them, shows much better spirit than City. How Mancini’s statements might work I believe that there are 3 potential advantages to this statement: 1. The Manchester City players, individually or collectively, set out to prove him wrong: that they can win, do better, show spirit… 2. City’s chief rival, Manchester United, takes its foot off the gas, becoming overly confident, complacent, under-prepares and under-plays in the last games....
Post a Comment
Read more