COACH
LARA SAYS:
Concentration
is paying attention to the right things at the right time.
Along with physical skills, strong mental skills are an essential
for peak performance. It is the mind that often holds us
back. In the heart of a race many things compete for your
attention, distracting you from your goal objective. With
strong concentration skills you can focus your thought and
attention on performance, ignoring distractions.
When 2002 Ultraman winner Gordo Byrn was asked what he
thought about during the 10k swim, he replied “my
stroke.”
During the pre-season physical training focus on building
general fitness. As the race season rolls around training
becomes more specifically geared towards race performance.
Mental training follows the exact same pattern of general
to specific, from pre-season to peak season. A general
mental training ability to practice during the pre-season
is concentration. Many race specific skills, such as self-talk
control, focus under pressure and mental imagery, are built
using concentration skills. With excellent concentration
skills, you can control what thoughts are present in your
mind and focus your attention where you desire. Learning
to focus your mind requires practice and time. Developing
the power to focus full attention on one task can be done
with simple exercises performed daily. |
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Sample
Exercises:
Focus on One Task
Count your pulse for 60 seconds without thinking about anything
else. If other thoughts wander into your mind, start over.
The goal is to have 60 continuous seconds with your complete
attention focused on one task. This exercise builds the skills
of attention focusing, distraction filtering, thought control
and self-talk control. For an advanced exercise, maintain
your concentration uninterrupted for five minutes.
Maintain a Clear Mind
Start the timer on your watch, close your eyes and clear
your mind of any thoughts. Maintain a clear mind with no
thoughts for as long as you can. Note the length of time
you were able to maintain this concentration. Aim to lengthen
this time with practice.
Control Distracting Thoughts
Fill your mind with many thoughts about training, racing,
work, family, finances, etc. until your head is buzzing.
Then choose a single thought to keep in your mind and quiet
all of the other thoughts. Continue to think only about this
single thought for one minute.
Observe One Function
Clear your mind of all thoughts. Use all of your senses to
observe your breath. Listen, feel and hear the air moving
in and out of your lungs. Recognize and quiet any distractions.
When you have mastered the art of concentration, race specific
mental training will be easy. |
