Distraction is damaging to your performance because it interferes with your
ability to focus and disrupts flow. It interferes with the attention that you
need to apply to maintain good technique. This causes stress and consumes mental
energy that is better applied elsewhere.
This section will teach you skills for overcoming distraction
Sources of Distraction
Distraction can come from a number of sources, both internal and external, such
as:
the presence of loved ones you want to impress
family or relationship problems
media - photographers, interviewers, cameras, heat form lights, etc.
teammates and other competitors
coaches who do not know when to keep quiet
underperformance or unexpected high performance
frustration at mistakes
unjust criticism
poor refereeing decisions
changes in familiar patterns
etc.
You can prepare for and deal with all of these sources of distraction.
Coping with distraction
Coping with distractions and minor irritations is mainly a matter of attitude
- you can either dwell on them and blow them up out of all proportion to their
significance, or you can accept them and bypass them. If you waste mental energy
fretting over a trivial problem, then this is energy that cannot be spent
maintaining good technique (hence preserving physical energy). Over long events
or competitions, this wastage of mental energy can seriously damage your
performance.
What is worth remembering is that when you are distracted, lose concentration
and make a mistake, you have not lost your skills. All you have lost is your
focus.
The following points may help you to deal with distractions:
Remember that although events may be beyond your control, your reactions
to events are entirely controlled by you.
Think positively - recognise petty irritations as such, and let them go
Know you can perform well despite distraction
Prepare for and expect more distraction at bigger events
Expect other competitors to be more nervous at big events - use your
ability to resist stress and distraction as a competitive advantage
Develop a refocussing
plan and practice using it when you are distracted
Learn how to change bad moods to good moods
Sleep and rest more before big events so that you have more mental energy
to devote to distraction, mood and stress control.
