Concentration on penalties

In any sport there are situations in which the importance of the psychological aspect becomes really remarkable. Penalties are a good example of this type of situation..

When players have to take penalties they often feel under pressure, especially if penalties are decisive in a team's classification within a championship. Feeling under pressure makes it more difficult to be precise, because it is difficult to maintain an optimal level of concentration. That is why in order to have more chances of successfully taking a penalty, skills such as concentration must be trained.

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What does it mean to concentrate?

Knowing how to concentrate is knowing pay attention to what is really important at a certain moment. To master this skill, one must learn to differentiate the different focuses of attention, know change from one to the other depending on the context, and resume concentration if it is lost for any reason distraction.

The direction of the focus of attention can be internal (for example, on emotions, thoughts, or sensations of each one) or external (for example, on the environment such as the public, the goal, or the ball). The focus width can be wide (for example, if they focus on various aspects of the game) or narrow (for example, when they look at a specific place inside the goal where they try to put the ball).

By putting together the different focuses of attention, four types of attention control emerge: evaluation, analysis, preparation, and performance. One way to improve penalty kick training is have players practice all these types so they learn to use the most appropriate.

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How does concentration affect penalties?

The coach can make use of the evaluation (broad and external focus) by putting videos on penalties that end in a goal or not so that the players can evaluate the characteristics of both.

To train analysis (broad and internal focus), players can practice reflecting on the thoughts they have during penalties, writing down which ones have helped them the most and which ones have not. Another way to use this focus is by reflecting on the penalties they have taken in the competition and writing down two aspects that they have done well and one that they need to improve.

The preparation (narrow and internal focus), can be done during competition and during training. To do this, once the players know that they have to take a penalty, they can practice switching to this type of focus. The best way to start using this type of attention control is to take a deep breath. Four breaths are usually enough to focus on that very moment. Once they are focused they can tell themselves the steps they are going to take when taking the penalty, or if it is easier they can visualize themselves taking the penalty successfully.

Finally, it is time to act (narrow and external focus). For this, when the referee blows the whistle, the players must take their time, without rushing, maintaining mental focus for at least 10 seconds and focusing on the place they want to send the ball. Once they are clear about where they want to throw the ball they have to pull firmly, without hesitating.

Mistakes and distractions

Players often lose concentration, among other reasons, due to distractions. If they use a type of attention control that is not appropriate for the activity at that moment, the players are often distracted by details that are not important at the time. That is why it is important to practice the different types of lights and gain practice in exercises in which they get used to maintaining concentration.

Another way to train concentration on penalties is by reflecting on your sources of distractions. They have to recognize if what deconcentrates them is of internal origin (such as a lack of confidence in one yourself, a negative internal monologue) or external (for example the audience that is clapping and shouting in the steps). Being aware of the aspects that worry them is the first step to be able to maintain concentration and perform optimally.

Once the distractions have been identified, the next step is to refocus attention. To do this, players can use phrases or words that help them. As the internal monologue is something very personal, the players themselves are the ones who have to reflect and choose the words or phrases that work for them (eg. 'let's go for it', 'you can').

The advantages of simulation

Finally, a practice that is used especially by elite athletes is the simulation of the aspects of the competition. What it is about is recreate a training environment as similar to competition so that when the players have to take a penalty in an important match they don't notice the difference.

One of the aspects in which competitions are different from training and which increase the pressure on the players are the sounds; For example, the whistle of the referee when he signals the start of the penalty, or the shouts of the public. In training, players do not usually hear these types of sounds; For this reason, if they get used to training the closest thing to the championships, they will be better prepared for when they have to take penalties. Another way to recreate the atmosphere of the championships, especially as the event approaches, is by training in the same clothes you are going to compete in.

Alicia Plaza, Psychologist