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Monday, January 19, 2015

Focus

Focus is a necessity to any sport. Some may say they you need more focus when you play sports, but that is only half true. In Dan Abrahams' Soccer Tough he explains that you must use your focus in the right way in order to be successful. "The myth of focus is the concept that more focus is required. It is placing your focus in the right direction that is a crucial mediator" (64). I have done this many times. In games I would do things like focus on the ball instead of focusing on the ball and the person I'm marking. After reading this I have learned to put my focus in the right direction, and it has produced nothing but good results.

Another secret to focus that Abrahams' expressed was focusing on what can and can't be controlled. When trying to do so you need to ask yourself these questions: What can you control? What can you only influence? And what can you not control at all? (64 Abrahams) Asking myself these questions has really changed my attitude when I play. I focus on things that I can only control and try and do the best I can at those things. As for the things I can't control, weather, field, time, the other team, mistakes, I try not to focus on them. Doing this has helped my attitude and the way I play positively. 
What do you tend to focus on while playing?

Abrahams, Dan. Soccer Tough: Simple Football Psychology Techniques to Improve 
     Your Game. Birmingham: Bennion Kearny Limited, 2012. Print.
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6 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 19, 2015 at 12:03 PM

    Cool blog post Madison, I am going to try to keep these things in mind when I play soccer. I need to remember not to worry about things I can't control. My team loses most games, but I need to remember that I can not control the entire game, all I can do is make sure that I am playing the best that I can at that particular moment. I really liked what you had to share.

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  2. UnknownJanuary 19, 2015 at 7:11 PM

    Thank you. That's a great way to think. Because if you keep trying to control everything it gets very stressful and effects the way you play. Hope your team starts to win more games.

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  3. Roselyn RobisonJanuary 21, 2015 at 8:27 AM

    I don't do soccer, but in yoga I really focus on breathing. In rock climbing I focus on the next hold (and don't look down or think about falling).

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    1. UnknownJanuary 22, 2015 at 8:10 AM

      That is cool, I've always wanted to try rock climbing. I love how many different types of sports and activities require focus.

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  4. UnknownJanuary 21, 2015 at 5:37 PM

    Interesting perspective. There are 22 players + a referee crew for each match, and really, the only person that you have any control over is yourself. No one person can control the game, so it makes sense to really direct your focus on the things that you CAN control - your own physicality, attitude, level of aggression, interactions with teammates as well as the other team and referees. I think that as a player, the hard part is figuring out how to balance that focus so that you don't get hung up or overly focused on yourself to the point that you're no longer helping your team.

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    1. UnknownJanuary 22, 2015 at 8:11 AM

      Yes I agree, that is why it isn't about how much focus you have but where your focus is at.

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