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Sunday, December 27, 2015

Improving Focus Skills

Listen up. Before each game, we coaches meet with players to educate and (ideally) inspire. Yesterday, I discussed Joseph Campbell's 1949 epic Hero with a 1000 Faces.



Campbell describes unifying themes in heroic literature and entertainment. My point was that we 'fight' as a team. Metaphorically, the team embarks on the season's heroic journey. 



I notice (with middle school players) that sometimes their attention wanders (probably the fascinating subject matter). How can we improve our players' listening and attention skills

The highlights:

Listening is a HABIT

Clear your mind to focus on the here and now

Carve out a LOCATION for study 


Beware DISTRACTIONS.

Get your REST. In "The Winner's Brain" the authors show the definitive relationship between rest, brain structure and function. I recommend the winning concepts (exercise, brain stimulation, proper diet, adequate sleep) but the distillate obviates reading the whole book. 

Abbreviated article summary:


  • Focus is a muscle: The more time you spend focusing, the better you will get.
  • Clear your head: Got concerns? Write them down. Make a plan... then get to work.
  • Location, location, location: Go where there are no distractions.
  • Stop being reactive: Turn phone notifications off. No interruptions.
  • Get your sleep: More sleep means better performance.

If you want to be a hero, then you have to pay attention.