In 1985, I attended a seminar, Journey to Center, at which I volunteered to demonstrate an exercise with Aikido master Tom Crum. Tom, who became a mentor, asked me to stand before a large group. Facing me, he gently pushed my shoulders, and as I fell back, I had to catch my balance by moving my feet. After highlighting the Aikido principles of a relaxed body and focused mind, Tom had me focus on my center, located about an inch above the navel. While I was in this focused state, Tom repeated the same shoulder push. I did not budge. This brief exercise enlightened me to the deep connection between our minds and bodies.
Athletes who utilize this connection by focusing their attention and concentration perform at higher levels than those who do not. Our bodies perform at their peak when our minds are free from distraction. Conversely, when our minds wander to the score, the clock, a missed shot, a questionable call, et cetera, our concentration levels fall. Such a result can make the difference between whether an athlete saves a goal or earns a spot on a team or in a league.
What is concentration?
Concentration refers to people’s ability to focus their attention. It is critical to success in hockey, in other sports and in most every profession. Not only is it a skill that anyone can enhance, it is one that will make a difference with whatever path a person chooses in life.
Distraction is a common reason why players do not perform their best. When athletes are distracted, whether internally or externally, they have taken themselves out of the moment, out of the play. In fact, many of the athletes I work with identify it as a primary area where they want to improve.
While it is impossible to remove all distractions, athletes can learn to control their performance by training their minds to steer clear of distractions. By becoming more aware of previous distractions and by choosing how to respond to potential distractions, athletes can direct their focus to areas that will help them excel.
Of course, direction and sustaining that focused attention might be easier said than done. Distractions are common. They can occur internally, such as when an athlete is focused on a distressing thought. For example, athletes might become preoccupied thinking of a nagging injury or berating themselves about a missed opportunity. Distractions also can be external, such as when an athlete’s attention is directed outwardly to the other team or to fans in the stands. The New Zealand rugby team, the All Blacks, is famous for trying to distract their opponents through their intimidating haka, a prematch choreographed team ritual.
How to strengthen concentration
With practice, athletes can strengthen their ability to control their attention. One strategy is for the athlete to gently refocus attention as soon as they become aware of the distraction. Imagine that you are driving a car or riding a bicycle and suddenly feel the sensation of the steering wheel drifting off-center. Then, imagine what you need to do to straighten the wheel so that the vehicle can follow the road ahead. That same gentle redirection is needed whenever your concentration wavers.
A leading prep school player I worked with frequently became distracted — and played poorly — during big games. Through our conversation, it became clear that the player was more focused on friends in the stands and that he made careless errors at the blue line. After making a concerted effort to develop his concentration skills through breathing exercises, this player went on to earn the MVP award in front of thousands of fans in the biggest game of the season.
Ability to refocus
Sometimes it is impossible to avoid distractions or not react to certain events. In those moments, the key is to refocus as soon as possible. With many clients, I discuss strategies for releasing emotions and tactics to refocus on the game.
Simple exercise:
- Release: Let out your emotion in the way that works best for you.
- Breathe: Reconnect your mind and body.
- Refocus: Return your focus to your task and the game.
As successful goalies know, dwelling on a past goal is not going to help future performance. One of my clients and I came up with the strategy of reacting in the moment after the goal and then, with a clean start, refocusing as soon as the ref has retrieved the puck. Whether your position is goalie, defense or center, the principles of refocusing as soon as possible remain the same.
How to improve concentration
Like developing any skill, strategizing a game plan, setting SMART goals and drawing on motivation will lead to success. Learning numerous techniques, such as focused breathing, vision exercises, kinesthetic drills, mindfulness techniques, concentration grids and others will increase every athlete’s performance by improving their ability to focus their attention and concentration.
Focused breathing assignment:
1. Develop awareness: What most distracts you? Some people are more distracted internally and others are more distracted externally. Do you get more distracted thinking about the fans, the refs, your coach, the other team (external) or by thoughts in your head (internal)?
2. Choose, what I refer to as, a “personal logo” (an inspiring word, phrase or image): Think of a grounding word, phrase or image, something inspirational, comforting or fun. You might even think of your center, above your navel.
3. Connect your mind and body: Practice breathing so that as you breathe in you think of that word, phrase or image and as you breathe out you think of that — or another — word, phrase or image. It is a personal choice and there is no right or wrong. Remember, if you mind wanders (everyone’s does), just gently steer it back.
After you get the rhythm of the process, challenge yourself to sharpen your focus. Set a timer and hold yourself to sustaining your focus while breathing in and breathing out.
While it is normal to have your mind disconnect from your body and bounce around, with time and commitment, you will be able to extend the duration of your focus.
I tell my clients that if we were to take a brain scan at the start of this exercise and then again several weeks later, they would actually see physical differences in their brain function and the power of the mind-body connection.
