The Peak Performance Expert

Without focus, you can’t accomplish anything. According to Robert Nideffer, a California sports psychologist, our focus is either internal or external and either broad or narrow.  So, our focus exists on two intersecting dimensions - that of width and that of direction.  To this I would add time.  We are either focused on the past, the present, or the future.

Different tasks require different kinds of focus.  As long as we use the right kind of focus for the task at hand, we’ll be okay.  Flexibility is important, too.

For example, a pitcher facing a batter has to consider who he is facing and what kind of batter he is.  His attention necessarily and briefly moves internally (thinking and remembering) and is broad because he must review everything he knows about that batter including scouting reports, videos he’s reviewed, and past experiences with that batter. He then checks for the sign from the catcher so his attention must shift to narrow-external focus.  If he agrees with the catcher’s sign, he then continues with his narrow-external focus as he notes the posture and body movement of the batter.  Then his focus shifts again to narrow internal as he mentally prepares for the wind-up and the pich and shifts once more to narrow-external as he actually delivers the pitch.

Now consider this: what if the pitcher, for whatever reason, is feeling worried about the way the game is going.  Maybe the bases are loaded and there are no outs and the other team is winning by 6 runs. Not a pleasant situation for the pitcher.  But if he indulges in negative self-talk (”I’m doing a lousy job; the fans will boo me; I’ll never get this guy out.”), where does his attention go?  Yep, that’s right…he is no longer focused on the review of the batter, the sign from the catcher, or executing his pitch.  Instead, his focus narrows and moves internal. He is not concentrating on the moment and  the task at hand but rather on what has happened (past) and what will happen.  He will likely throw a bad pitch or walk the batter.

Think about your work.  How often are you really present and devoting your attention to the task at hand?  How often do you indulge yourself in recounting past mistakes or slights by others?  How often do you make dire predictions of the future?

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 30th, 2008 at 10:18 pm and is filed under Mental Toughness, Red Sox. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.