Distraction

Distraction Management

Distraction may be used in a positive way before an event (This does not include skylarking). If you find yourself becoming nervous or anxious, stress levels may be reduced by distracting your mind temporarily. Listening to music might be considered a useful example.

However, distraction during and event will damage your performance because it interferes with your ability to focus and disrupts flow. It interferes with the attention that you need to apply to each task. When you become distracted you lose focus, causing an appreciable drop in performance which results in stress (which consumes mental energy that is better applied elsewhere).

Sources of Distraction

There are different types of distraction – passive events (things that don’t materially affect you but grab your attention) and active events (things that have an actual bearing or effect on your actions).

For example: Being distracted because your girlfriend is watching could be classified as a passive event. This is due to your focus being in the wrong place. She is only watching and has no material influence on your activity. Learn to Center.

If however she kept talking to you throughout the game she would be an active distraction because she would not let you concentrate. Address the distraction and re-center.

It is important to differentiate between the two. The resultant effect may be the same, but how you would deal with the situation might differ.

Distraction can come from a number of sources, both internal and external, such as:

• the presence of loved ones or people you want to impress

• family or relationship problems

• media - photographers, interviewers, cameras, the event, etc.

• team mates and other competitors

• coaches who don’t know when to keep quiet

• underperformance or unexpected high performance

• frustration at mistakes

• unjust criticism

• poor umpiring decisions

• changes in familiar patterns – slow play, enforced breaks, honour on tee

• etc.

Provided you can recognise that a distraction is present you can learn to deal with it in an appropriate manner. It is possible to prepare for and deal with all kinds of distraction.

Coping with distraction

Coping with distraction and minor irritations is mainly a matter of attitude - you can dwell on them and blow them up out of all proportion to their significance, or you can accept them and move on.

Distractions initiate loss of focus, which in turn causes poor play, which results in frustration and stress. Stress causes negativity and burns energy unnecessarily.

(see Stress)

Over long events or competitions, this expenditure of mental energy can seriously damage your performance. (see Conserve Energy)

It is worth remembering that when you are distracted, lose concentration and make a mistake, you have not lost your skills. All you have lost is your focus. Whilst it is better not to get distracted, focus is possible to regain in most situations if you know how.

The following points may help you to deal with distractions:

• Remember that although events may be beyond your control, your reaction to an event is entirely controlled by you.

• Think positively - recognise petty irritations for what they are 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 nervous at big events - use your ability to resist stress and distraction as a competitive advantage

• Develop a refocusing plan and practice using it when you are distracted.

• Learn how to change bad moods to good moods.

• Do not let your opponent alter your focus (also see Tactics)

Sleep and rest more before big events so that you have more mental energy to devote to distraction, mood and stress control.