Focus & Concentration

You know the feeling: you're attempting a handstand, and suddenly you notice someone watching. Your attention splits—part on the skill, part on the observer. Balance evaporates. Or you're mid-set, and your mind drifts to a work problem. Reps suffer.

Attention is a limited resource. Where you direct it—and how well you maintain that direction—dramatically affects performance. Elite athletes often credit their ability to focus as their key advantage, yet most training programs ignore this trainable mental skill.

This chapter teaches you to control your attention: where to place it, how to maintain it, and how to recover when it drifts.

Understanding Attention

Attention isn't a single thing—it's a collection of related processes that determine what information gets processed by your brain.

Types of Attention

Selective attention: The ability to focus on specific information while filtering out distractions. Needed when training in noisy environments or with internal mental chatter.

Sustained attention: The ability to maintain focus over time. Essential for long holds, multiple-set sessions, and maintaining form as fatigue accumulates.

Divided attention: The ability to process multiple information streams simultaneously. Required when monitoring multiple body parts during complex movements.

Attentional shifting: The ability to move focus between targets. Needed when technique cues change during different phases of a skill.

Each type can be trained and improved through deliberate practice.

Attentional Width and Direction

Sport psychologist Robert Nideffer developed a model classifying attention along two dimensions:

Width:

• Broad: Taking in a lot of information at once (the whole environment, overall body position)
• Narrow: Focusing on specific details (hand position, single cue)

Direction:

• External: Focused outward on the environment, equipment, or task (the bar, balance point)
• Internal: Focused inward on thoughts, feelings, or body sensations (muscle engagement, emotional state)

This creates four attentional styles:

Different situations require different combinations:

• Preparing for a handstand: Broad-internal (assess how you're feeling) → Narrow-external (focus on hand placement)
• During a max hold: Narrow-internal (specific muscle engagement) → Narrow-external (balance feedback from hands)
• After a failed attempt: Broad-internal (analyze what happened)

Effective athletes shift between styles fluidly based on task demands.

Attentional Focus in Calisthenics

Research on attentional focus has practical implications for calisthenics training:

Internal vs. External Focus

Studies consistently show that external focus produces better motor performance than internal focus in most situations.

Internal focus directs attention to body movements: "Squeeze your glutes, engage your core, press through your shoulders."

External focus directs attention to movement effects: "Push the ground away, pull the bar to your chest, reach your feet toward the ceiling."

Why external focus works better:

• Reduces overthinking and "paralysis by analysis"
• Allows more automatic, natural movement patterns
• Reduces unnecessary muscle tension
• Creates clearer movement targets

Practical application:

Instead of: "Contract your lats and depress your shoulders" (internal) Use: "Pull the bar down toward your hips" (external)

Instead of: "Squeeze your core and maintain hollow body" (internal) Use: "Press your lower back into an imaginary wall behind you" (external)

Exception: Internal focus may be useful for beginners learning body awareness or when specifically targeting muscle activation for rehabilitation.

When to Use Which Focus

The Flow State

Flow, described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is a state of complete absorption in an activity—where attention is entirely focused on the task, self-consciousness disappears, and performance feels effortless.

Characteristics of Flow

• Complete concentration on the task
• Merging of action and awareness
• Loss of self-consciousness
• Sense of control over actions
• Distortion of time (usually passes quickly)
• The activity becomes intrinsically rewarding

Athletes describe flow as being "in the zone"—a state where everything clicks and performance reaches its peak.

Conditions for Flow

Flow doesn't happen randomly. Certain conditions promote it:

Challenge-skill balance: The task must be challenging enough to engage full attention but not so difficult that it overwhelms ability. If too easy, boredom results. If too hard, anxiety results.

Clear goals: Knowing exactly what you're trying to accomplish focuses attention.

Immediate feedback: Getting real-time information about performance keeps you engaged and allows adjustment.

Deep concentration: Eliminating distractions and giving the task full attention.

Cultivating Flow in Training

You can't force flow, but you can create conditions that make it more likely:

Match difficulty to ability: Train at the edge of your current capability—challenging but achievable.

Set clear session goals: Know what you're trying to accomplish before you start.

Minimize distractions: Remove phone notifications, find less busy training times, use headphones if needed.

Develop pre-training routines: Consistent preparation signals your brain that it's time to focus.

Train skills you enjoy: Flow is more common in activities you find intrinsically interesting.

Allow adequate time: Rushing prevents the deep engagement flow requires.

Dealing with Distractions

Even with optimal conditions, distractions happen. Managing them is a skill.

External Distractions

External distractions are environmental—noise, people, unexpected events.

Strategies:

Environmental control: When possible, choose training times and locations with fewer distractions. Early mornings, quieter gym corners, or dedicated training spaces help.

Acceptance without engagement: You can't eliminate all external noise. The goal isn't silence but the ability to notice distractions without engaging with them. Acknowledge "someone is talking loudly" without following the conversation.

Anchor points: Develop specific focal points that draw attention back to the task. This might be the texture of the bar, the sensation of your hands on the ground, or a specific visual target.

Pre-planned responses: Decide in advance how you'll respond to distractions. "If someone talks to me mid-set, I'll complete my set before responding." Having a plan prevents reactive attention shifts.

Internal Distractions

Internal distractions come from within—thoughts, worries, emotions, physical discomfort.

Strategies:

Thought labeling: When distracting thoughts arise, briefly label them ("that's a work thought," "that's worry about the skill") and return focus to the task. Don't engage with or suppress the thought—just acknowledge and redirect.

Parking lot technique: If an important thought intrudes, mentally "park" it for later. Tell yourself: "I'll deal with that after training." This acknowledges the thought's importance without letting it hijack attention now.

Refocus cues: Develop specific cues that bring attention back to the task. This might be a physical cue (take a breath, adjust grip) or a verbal cue ("here, now" or "focus").

Segmenting: Break training into smaller segments with clear end points. Maintaining focus for "this set" is easier than maintaining focus for "the whole session."

The Refocus Routine

Develop a personal refocus routine for when attention wanders:

1. Recognize the distraction (catch yourself wandering)
2. Release judgment (don't criticize yourself for losing focus)
3. Return attention using your chosen cue
4. Refocus on the immediate task

With practice, this sequence becomes automatic—you'll catch distractions faster and return to focus more quickly.

Building Concentration Skills

Like physical abilities, attention can be trained and developed.

Formal Concentration Practice

Breath focus: Spend 5-10 minutes daily focusing solely on your breath. When attention wanders (it will), gently return to the breath. This trains the "noticing" and "returning" skills fundamental to all concentration.

Single-point focus: Choose an external focal point (a spot on the wall, a candle flame). Maintain attention on that point for increasing durations. Start with 2 minutes and work up.

Meditation: Regular meditation practice develops attentional control that transfers to training and performance.

Training-Integrated Practice

Single-set focus: Choose one set per session to practice complete concentration. Eliminate all distractions for that set. Notice where attention goes and practice returning it.

Cue adherence: Give yourself one technical cue per set. Your only job is to maintain focus on that cue throughout. Notice when you lose it and bring it back.

Post-set reflection: After each set, briefly assess: "Where was my attention? When did it wander? What distracted me?" This builds awareness of your attentional patterns.

Progressive Challenge

Level 1: Practice focus in controlled, quiet environments with minimal distraction.

Level 2: Practice with minor distractions (background music, others in the gym).

Level 3: Practice with significant distractions (busy gym, training partners talking).

Level 4: Practice under pressure (being recorded, others watching, simulated competition).

Deliberately training focus under progressively challenging conditions builds robust attentional skills.

Concentration in Different Training Phases

Warm-Up

Goal: Transition from daily life to training mode.

Focus: Gradually narrowing attention from broad-external (arriving at training space) to narrow-internal (body awareness and readiness assessment).

Practice: Use warm-up as a focus transition. Leave outside concerns behind. Assess how your body feels today.

Skill Work

Goal: Complete focus on the skill being practiced.

Focus: Narrow-external (movement effect and outcome).

Practice: Before each attempt, set a clear focus cue. Maintain that focus through the attempt. Reflect briefly afterward.

Strength Work

Goal: Maximum effort with maintained technique.

Focus: Narrow-external (moving the resistance, completing the rep).

Practice: Block out everything except the immediate rep. Between sets, let focus relax slightly before recommitting.

Endurance/Holds

Goal: Sustained effort over time.

Focus: Narrow-external (external target) with periodic attention to pacing.

Practice: Find a focal point or mantra that maintains attention. Accept discomfort without letting it dominate attention.

Case Study: Focus Training for Competition Preparation

The Situation: Danielle performed well in training but struggled in competition settings. Her skills were solid when alone but deteriorated with audiences. She described being "unable to think" during performances—attention scattered between the skill, the judges, the audience, and self-critical thoughts.

Assessment: Danielle had never trained concentration specifically. Her focus was adequate in low-distraction environments but collapsed under pressure.

Intervention approach:

1. Formal concentration practice: 10 minutes daily breath focus meditation. Built baseline attentional control.

2. External focus training: Shifted from internal cues ("engage muscles") to external cues ("push ground away"). Reduced overthinking during skills.

3. Progressive distraction training: Gradually added distractions during training—music, then training partners watching, then recording sessions, then inviting observers.

4. Refocus routine development: Created a personal reset sequence: deep breath → grip adjustment → verbal cue ("own it") → begin.

5. Competition simulation: Regular "test" sessions that mimicked competition conditions, practicing maintaining focus under pressure.

Outcome: Over three months, Danielle competed twice with dramatically improved results. She described being able to "find her focus" even when anxiety arose. The skills hadn't changed—her ability to concentrate under pressure had.

Teaching Focus to Clients

Assessing Attentional Issues

Signs of focus problems:

• Performance variability unrelated to physical factors
• Significant performance drops with audience
• Reports of "going blank" or "overthinking"
• Inconsistency in technique despite capability
• Difficulty following multi-step cues

Questions to explore:

• Where is your attention during successful attempts versus failed attempts?
• What do you notice distracting you?
• What do you think about just before attempts?
• How does your focus change when being watched?

Focus Cues in Coaching

Provide clear, simple focus targets:

• Give one cue at a time, not multiple simultaneous instructions
• Use external cues when possible
• Create memorable, brief cue words

Model focused behavior:

• Demonstrate concentration during your own movements
• Don't multitask during client sessions
• Show what focused preparation looks like

Create focus-supportive environments:

• Minimize unnecessary distractions during challenging skills
• Progressively introduce pressure as skill and focus develop
• Give clear signals for when intense focus is needed

Self-Reflection Exercise

Part 1: Attentional Assessment

During your next training session, pay attention to your attention:

• What do you think about during attempts?
• Where does your mind wander?
• What external factors pull your focus?
• How does your focus change when being watched?

Part 2: Current Patterns

Reflect on these questions:

• Are you typically more internally or externally focused?
• What distractions are most disruptive for you?
• Have you ever experienced flow state in training? What conditions were present?
• How does your focus compare in training versus performance situations?

Part 3: Focus Practice

Choose one focus-building practice from this chapter:

• Formal breath concentration (5 minutes daily)
• Single-point focus practice (2-5 minutes daily)
• Single-set complete focus (one set per training session)

Practice it for two weeks and note any changes in your attentional control.

Part 4: Cue Development

For a skill you're working on:

• What external focus cue could you use?
• What refocus routine could you develop?
• What environmental modifications would support your concentration?

Concentration is a trainable skill that separates good performers from great ones. In the next chapter, we'll address a specific attention challenge: managing performance anxiety, when fear and worry hijack focus and undermine performance.