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