Concentration is critical to top performance. Continuing our Psychological Skills Training series in pelinks4u, today's article provides a concentration drill combined with Relaxation (see 12/11 pelinks4u back issue) and Breathing Easy (see 2/13 pelinks4u back issue) to help athletes concentrate. A handout for athletes to use when practicing at home is provided.

Psychological Skills Training: Staying on the Ball Drill

written by Dr. Christine Lottes, Kutztown University, Pennsylvania

Psychological Skills Training series: previous issues

1. Training Your Athletes to be Mentally Tough
2. Mental Training Tools
3. Goal Setting and Self-Confidence
4. Imagery
5. Relaxation and Energization
6. Self-Talk Skills
7. Energy Management
8. Stress Management Skills
9. Breathing Easy Drill

Coach's Script for: Staying on the Ball Drill

Bring to practice: coach's script, copies of the athlete's handout, pencils or pens, dry board markers or chalk.

• Review:

• During our psychological skills training we've learned a variety of techniques to make us mentally tougher.
• Last session we looked at how to perform well by reducing tension and anxiety.
• Today's drill combines relaxation and breathing.
• We use these to work on concentrating on relevant cues in order to perform at our optimal level.

• Today: Sports Psyching Technique: Staying on the Ball

• Athletes many times struggle with their mind wandering to the past or to the future. These thoughts may involve ________ (insert your sport) or any other area of your life.
• Turn to a teammate and come up with three distracting thoughts that might pop into your mind while you are playing ________ (insert your sport).
• Report out: one thought per pair that wasn't mentioned yet.
• We are going to learn the technique of staying on the ball so that when thoughts like these pop into your mind, you can quickly refocus back to the game. (NOTE. If the sport you coach does not involve a ball, pick another relevant aspect of the game to use as the concentration point).
• What is Staying on the Ball? Staying on the ball is concentrating.
• Concentration is when you are "on" your best game. Concentration is a key to athletic excellence.
• Concentrating means not thinking about the past or future but only about one object.
• We concentrate best when we are relaxed. Concentration is a state of calm, focused attention.
• What does Staying on the Ball do? It allows you to be successful in _________ (insert your sport). It keeps thoughts from wandering and keeps them on the task at hand.
• You learn to catch yourself if your mind wanders during a game and refocus on staying on the ball.
• Staying on the ball involves the relaxed state you experienced in the Relaxation and Breathing Easy exercises.
• After doing these exercises for 6 weeks, you will be able to relax and concentrate in just a few moments time.
• When "Staying on the Ball" you will limit your attention to space (one area of the court/field or one thing such as the volleyball/tennis ball/basketball/field hockey ball/lacrosse ball/football/soccer ball/bowling ball/table tennis ball/baseball/softball, etc.) and time (only the present).
• In _________ (insert your sport), you need to be in the here and now.

• Begin the 10 minute session as follows:

• Sit at a desk and put a _________ (insert here the ball used in your sport) in front of you (or a picture of the ball).
• Do the Relaxation exercise learned during a previous session but in the following, less elaborate way: Sit back and think your way through the sequence of muscles without doing the tensing-relaxing part of it. Just say to the muscles in your left leg, "Let go...," starting with the lower leg. Jiggle the leg slightly and tense the muscles just a little, and then let go.
• Don't be concerned with how deeply you are relaxing muscles. You aren't trying to reach the deep state of relaxation you could achieve lying down. You are only trying to rid yourself of any excess tension. The cue phrase 'Let go,' should have the effect of letting excess tension go out of you. You are gradually working up to the point where you will be able to do this just before and during breaks in competition. Go through your legs, buttocks and thighs, stomach, back and neck, arms and shoulders, jaw, face, and eyes.
• With your eyes closed, do ten of the "Breathing Easy" exercises. Breathe in slowly to a count of four. Hold for four and exhale slowly, saying to yourself, "easy… easy… easy… easy…"

• Now begin the Staying on the Ball concentration exercise (10 min.):

• Say concentration word. Open your eyes and look at the ball. Say to yourself, "Ball." The repetition of a word helps to keep the mind from wandering.
• Examine the object of concentration. Look at its outline, at its surface, its seams, its printing, scratches or scuff marks; how light falls on it; where the shadows fall. Relax your gaze and blink as you do this.
• Feel the object. Pick up the ball. Feel its texture. Turn it around and look at it from various angles.
• Imagine the object.
  • Put the ball down and focus your mind and eyes on it.
  • Study the smallest detail of the ball while relaxing.
  • Allow the ball to "come to you" rather than stressing on it.
• Get the feeling. When your concentration breaks, as it will, say to yourself, "I have been concentrating on the ball. This is what it feels like to be concentrating. I am relaxed, I feel good, my attention is totally focused on the ball. This is concentration." Look back at the ball.
• Again say the concentration word "ball." Now say to yourself, "Ball." Look at the ball. Concentrate.
• "Breathing Easy" - Close your eyes and do ten more of the "Breathing Easy" exercises.

• Summary

• At first your mind won't "Stay on the Ball." This is natural. Simply bring your mind back to the ball and keep repeating the word Ball. As you work on this, your mind will stay on the ball for longer and longer periods and your powers of concentration will grow.
• Practice this every day.
• In a game, you will be able to say Ball and bring your concentration to the present without going through this whole exercise. But, you must PRACTICE.
• After six weeks of practice, you will be able to put yourself in a relaxed state just using a deep breath and the cue words. Saying "Let go" will rid you of tension. "Easy" will start the relaxation process, and "Ball" will focus your attention and shut out inner and outer distractions.
• You will use this skill in _______ (insert your sport). You will also find this a very helpful skill in other areas of your life such as with your academics and your relationships.

NOTE. Once the athletes have mastered this drill, they will be able to perform it in a shorter time. For example, during a timeout or a substitution, the athlete will be able to breath deeply while relaxing muscles and repeating his/her cue word (relax, calm, chill, peaceful, etc.).

Sports Psyching Techniques are taken from Sports Psyching by T. Tutko & U. Tosi.

There will be an upcoming article on Mental Training. In the October edition of pelinks4u we will be looking at another practice-ready drill coaches can use with their athletes in order to train them in the Psychological Skills presented by Christine over the past year.

Download Coach's Handout Here!

Download Athlete's Handout Here!

Biography: Dr. Christine Lottes is a professor at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches Coaching Education, Sport Psychology, Sport Sociology and Sport Ethics.

She volunteers with youth and college athletes in the area of mental training. It was through this work that she became interested in helping coaches to present mental training to their athletes in the pre-season and then have athletes continue to "work out mentally" throughout the season as part of practice and competitions.

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