When athletes are lacking focus, coaches often say things like:

“Get your head in the game!”

or

“You need to focus out there.”

What Do Coaches Need To Understand First?

Coaches need to first understand that non-focusing is built into kids’ hard wiring showing as curiosity and exploration in order to learn as much as they can. That’s their job as a kid and it’s actually a very powerful survival mechanism.

Now knowing that, you can have some empathy while helping them improve this mental skill instead of thinking they are just being lazy or unmotivated.

And yes it is a skill that can be learned by anyone, just like physical skills, through practice and repetition.

How You Can Help These Kids To Focus?

It’s really quite simple and it’s based on this: Tell them what to focus on!

When you tell a kid he needs to focus, without any other direction, generally, you are going to create confusion because they really don’t know what that means.

Also, you have to choose what will be the most effective thing for a player to focus on and when.

Generally speaking, during game time, you want to advise young players to focus on these 3 areas which gives their brain enough to process and stay with and yet, narrow enough to keep them fully engaged in the game.

3 Tips For Helping Players Focus

1. What their body needs to do to perform

This can otherwise be called fundamentals and you can add in specifics about that player’s position to direct them efficiently for the team strategy.

2. What their teammates are doing and communicating

Having a player zero in on what the team is doing and communicating through actions and verbal commands is a perfect blend of thoughts to focus on.

3. The present moment

Fear cannot exist in the present moment. You can’t tell a player to “get present” as they don’t know what that means. Guide them to direct their mind to what their senses are taking in.

For example:

“Jones, pay attention to your body right now, what are you feeling? Any aches or pains? How’s your energy? Now, tell me what see out there on the field? What do you hear?”

You actually want responses from these questions which tells you their mind is back on what is going on in the present. Have them take that process to the field or court.

In conclusion, be specific and tell your players what you would like to focus on that is easy for them to do. Remember, they want to please you.

 

If you want more in depth help with, my program Mental Toughness Academy covers focus and includes guided visualizations to help you gain and keep your focus.

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Let’s do this,
Craig Sigl