Who doesn’t know of Rahul Dravid. He was a batsman, wicket keeper and former captain of the Indian cricket team. He has contributed immensely to the sport. He was always known to be the crisis man for India and on number of occasions Mr Dependable has bailed out the team from troubled waters. That he was referred to as The Wall was in recognition of his ability to anchor one end and grind the opposition to frustration.
Rahul
was known for his ability to concentrate for long hours- the fact that he has
faced 31258 deliveries in test cricket- the highest number of balls faced by
any cricketer in the world- shows the levels of concentration he possessed. He
has scored 13288 runs in test cricket with 38 hundreds and 63 fifties and 10889
runs in one day cricket – with 12 hundreds and 83 fifties. He has been the
mentor for Rajasthan Royals for IPL, coach of the U-19 team that won the world
cup. He is presently the director of National Cricket academy in Bengaluru.
Once
asked about his unwavering focus Rahul Dravid said- `` you can’t concentrate
for 10 hours continuously – you need to switch ON and switch OFF. When your
mind wanders you bring it back, you steel yourself. The real battle is when you
win the battle against yourself.
Concentration
is one of the four components of success. We refer to them as the four Cs, the
remaining three are- confidence, composure and commitment.
Even the simplest of task requires mental effort which is
nothing but Concentration. That is why Alexander Graham Bell
said- Concentrate all your thoughts to
the work on hand. The sun ray’s don not burn unless it is brought to a focus.
When a person is lost in thoughts and his attention is
diverted s/he cannot pay attention to the task on hand, this may lead to
performance errors and in some cases there is a likelihood of injuries too. Any activity we perform requires concentration.
Concentration is a skill that can be learnt and practiced. Without concentration and effort a
skill will not get ingrained in to our system. The terms Concentration,
Focus and Attention are used inter-changeably in different contexts. Aidan Moran
[2004] professor of psychology, said -Concentration refers to a person’s ability
to exert deliberate mental effort on what is important in any given situation [and
blocking out what is not].
FACTORS THAT
CAN DISTURB CONCENTRATION: Internal: Thoughts. Inadequate motivation,
emotions.2 External: Auditory & visual signals.3. Physiological: Fatigue
etc.
Highly successful athletes are less likely to get
distracted with irrelevant stimuli.Gold medallist & world record holder in
400 Meters Michael Johnson’s say’s - I
have learnt to cut all unnecessary thoughts on the track in order to
concentrate. I concentrate on the tangible - on the track, on the race, on the
blocks, & on the things I have to do. The crowd fades away and other
athletes disappear and now it’s me and the lane.
Concentration is a skill that can be learnt and
practiced
PRACTICAL IDEAS TO IMPROVE CONCENTRATION 1] Centering & thought stopping. 2] Focusing & re-focusing 3] Simulating competitive conditions 3] Dress rehearsal 4] through eye control 5] Thought parking 6] Routines 6] Concentration thro’ visualisation 7] Self-talk 8] CUES 9] Concentration practice thro Relaxation 10] Biofeedback.
EASTERN
METHODS OF CONCENTRATION 1]
Concentration on objects 2] Trataka: Bindu Trataka & Jyoti Trataka. 3]
Concentration thro’ YOGIC exercises like Vrokshsana or the tree posture,
Natarajasana – dancers pose, Mayurasana or the scale posture, Garudasana or the
eagle posture, Kakasana- crow posture. [3] Self-observation [4] Concentrated
breathing [5] Meditation.
Watch and listen to
these videos to know more about Concentration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVU0WRwn-Eo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow_-6r8CjjQ
AUTHOR : M N VISHWANATH
Sports Psychologist
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