Helping Sports Kids Boost Their Focus
An athlete’s most focused state is sometimes called “the zone.”
When athletes are in the zone, they are totally involved in the game at hand, completely concentrated on what they are doing with no care or thought as to what else is going on around them.
They are not worrying about others or about their opponents. They are focused on the task at hand.
Being in the zone FEELS like watching a game in slow motion looks. Athletes have intense, complete focus on what is happening.
Unfortunately, finding “the zone” is not always the easiest thing to do.
Most sports kids are unable to keep focus throughout a game. They let their minds wander to other distractions, such as the sidelines.
When sports kids are distracted, they play slower, fail to think on their feet, and lose the rhythm of the game.
What’s more, when kids are distracted, they’re susceptible to getting caught up in harmful, negative thought loops, especially when they make a mistake or wonder about what one of their teammates may be thinking about them.
They may start to think about a class that they haven’t done the homework for or a friend who they need to text back and as soon as possible.
All of a sudden, the players they are guarding have scored on them or they have forgotten a key element of a play.
To make sure your sports children do not fall victim to these distractions, think about the “cues” that are relevant in their sports.
Cues are the things that they are responsible for while playing, things that they need to be focusing on in the moment. For example, if they are basketball players, and their main goals on the team are to rebound, play defense, and run plays well, they should focus on those cues.
When they are thinking about things other than those related to their main cues, they aren’t paying attention to what is important.
Once they can recognize that they are not paying attention, they can refocus on their own personal cues.
You might suggest that they try our three Rs of Refocusing:
Recognize, Regroup and Refocus.
First, they need to recognize that they’re off task. They need to practice doing this so that they can be aware of being off-task.
Next, they need to regroup by interrupting their distractions.
Third, they need to refocus on the task at hand—doing what they need to do to get their job done.
They should practice doing this as quickly as possible.
Encourage your sports children to think hard about their cues and practice keeping themselves concentrated on the task at hand. Hopefully, with these tips they’ll find that elusive “zone.”
Related Articles on Youth Sports:
- Helping Kids Get Out of Their Comfort Zone
- How This Sport Builds Confidence and Focus in Kids
- Why Kids Choke Under Pressure
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