Focus! Concentrate!
How many times have you been scolded by coaches, parents and peers to “Focus!” “Concentrate!”? Yet in how many situations have you had any formal training on how to actually focus and concentrate?
You are instructed in detail on the physical aspects of the sport – how to throw a ball, tackle a running back, swing a driver. But so few of us are instructed in detail on the mental aspects of the sport, such as focus and concentration.
The good news is, the particular skills of focus and concentration can be developed using something you do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – breathing.
Try this:
Sit in a comfortable upright position
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth for 5 full breaths. As you are doing this, focus on the feeling of the air entering your nostrils and exiting through your lips. Pay attention to everything about it – the sensations, the coolness of the air entering your body, the warmth of the air leaving your body.
For the next 5 breaths focus on your lungs. Fill them up completely on the in-breath and empty them fully on the exhale
Finally, for the last 5 breaths, place one of your hands on your stomach and concentrate on the way your stomach expands on the inhale and contracts on the exhale
As you are focusing and concentrating for these 15 breaths, you may find that your mind begins to wander. If it does, don’t get upset with yourself, simply notice the thought, allow it to flow out of your head and then go back to the breath. Catching your mind wandering and bringing it back to the breath is great “exercise.” This is like taking your brain to the gym to build strong and defined focus and concentration muscles.
Congratulations on completing what is likely your first official lesson on the critical skills of focus and concentration!
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