SportsPsychologist.com Blog by Dr Victor Thompson

An important element of self-management is the ability to manage attention, focus or concentration. Skilful performers can shift focus when the situation requires it and at will. One dimension is internal-external: Internal: this is your body, how it feels, your perceived exertion, your heart-rate, tension, but also your emotions and thoughts External: that which is outside your body, the competitive arena, your opponent(s), the weather Practice in training to shift your attention from internal to external and back again, plus to learn when it is helpful to have an internal or external focus. Dr Victor Thompson www.sportspsychologist.com

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