Episode 4:
Attention, focus, one mental lapse, one moment of switching off. That's all it takes to lose a match or to miss your opportunity to impress. This episode, I'll show you how to train laser sharp focus, keeps you locked in for 90 minutes, no matter the pressure.You walk away with tools, concentrate the top level player, and stop making the small mistakes that cost you big time. By the end of this video, you'll understand what attention and focus really mean in football, the difference between broad and narrow focus, how to stay locked in during high pressure moments.
Let's break it down. Focus is your ability to aim your mind at the right thing at the right time. And football focus isn't just about concentration, it's about knowing where to direct your attention, whether you're controlling the ball or anticipating your opponent's next move. There are two key types of focus: broad focus: this is where you need to be aware of everything happening around you, the position of your teammates, your opponents, the space on the field. It's like scanning the pitch, constantly staying alert to the big picture. Narrow focus: this is where you hone in on a specific task, for example, striking the ball cleanly, making a precise pass, or lining up a shot on goal. Good players know how to switch between these two types of focus depending on the situation. At one moment, you're scanning the field to see where the space is and where your teammates are. This would be broad focus, and the next, you're locked in on executing a perfect pass.
This is how Kevin De Bruyne is who we will be looking at for attention and focus. His brilliance on the football pitch isn't just due to his technical skills, it's his own parallel ability to stay locked in at all times. Whether it's the precision of his curling crosses, the quick release of his pass, or his ability to strike from range, the foundation of his success is his mental game. A large part of that mental strength revolves around his exceptional attention and focus. In football, maintaining of focus is a crucial skill. Losing concentration for even a split second can be the difference between creating a game changing opportunity and conceding a goal. Let's break down how he uses focus and attention in the game and what you can learn from it broad focus.Scanning the field: De Bruyne is known for his ability to scan the field. This is an example of broad focus where he's aware of the entire pitch, his teammates positions, and the movements of the opposition.His vision allows him to identify spaces that others may not see. For example, when preparing to deliver a curling cross or long range through ball, De Bruyne doesn't just focus on the immediate task at hand.He processes everything happening around him, where his teammates are, where the defenders are, and where the spaces His ability To scan the field quickly and effectively enables him to make decisions in real time that can change the flow of the game.This is where De Bruyne's mental agility shines. His ability to switch from broad focus seeing the entire field to narrow focus executing a specific pass or shot is a key part of his brilliance.Narrow focus locked in execution: when De Bruyne is about to execute a crucial move, like a precise outside of the foot pass or thunderous long range shot, he shifts to narrow focus. This means locking in all his attention on the task at hand.A perfect example of this is quick release passes. He receives the ball, assesses the situation with one touch, and releases a pass that can slice through the opposition defences. The speed and precision with which he executes these actions stems from his ability to eliminate distractions and zero in on the key details. To do this he uses a combination of his training and innate mental resilience. He trains his mind to shut off unnecessary noise of focus on the task in front of him, whether it's executing a pass or striking cleanly. Switching between focus modes. The real magic happens when he's able to switch seamlessly between broad and narrow focus in moments of high pressure, such as when he's under heavy defensive pressure or in the final moments of the game. His ability to shift between these two types of focus is what separates him from other players. This focus switching allows him to read the game, make quick decisions, and execute with pinpoint accuracy. Think about a time when you've been in a high pressure situation on the pitch. Maybe it was a last minute chance to score, or a moment where you had to make a fast decision.The best players can make that decision in a fraction of a second because they can filter out distractions and concentrate solely on what's important. De Bruyne exemplifies this perfectly. Mental resilience and a focus reset: in addition to his physical and technical skills, De Bruyne's mental resilience is another key factor in his ability to maintain focus.Like any player, he makes mistakes. What sets him apart? His ability to reset his focus quickly. Whether he's had a bad pass or the team is behind, he doesn't dwell on it, he resets and moves forward. For example, after an unsuccessful pass or missed opportunity, he doesn't let it derail his mental state, he uses reset cues such as a deep breath or a quick action like clapping his hands to refocus.This mental reset keeps him in the present moment, helps him to avoid lapsing into frustration or distraction. It's a mental technique that everyone can apply to improve their attention during the game. The takeaway: train your focus. Like Kevin De Bruyne, he doesn't rely on his natural talent alone. His ability to stay focused is something he's trained over time. His broad focus allows him to read the game and to anticipate plays, while his narrow focus allows him to execute under pressure. This dual focus ability, combined with mental resilience, enables them to perform at the highest level consistently.If you want to improve your own focus, Start by practicing broad focus, scanning the field and narrow focus, locking in on specific tasks. During training, use reset cues to maintain focus throughout the game and to train your mind to shift between those two states seamlessly.
In your next session, ask yourself, what's my focus right now? Is it broad or narrow?
Common mistakes: drifting mentally during matches, a lot of players fall into autopilot mode. They're physically present but mentally did not fully lock in. This can happen when the game feels easy, when you're not fully engaged. Solution to this: to use reset cues. These are short actions or words that bring your focus back. For example, you clap your hands, take a deep breath, you have a reset phrase like next moment, next play, next pass, next cross, next whistle.Or you could do something like a band on your wrist, maybe you have those elastic bands that are like animals, could be an animal that means something to you, maybe an elephant means something to you. You take it in your hand and you flick it into your wrist.This brings you into the present, and it's also pairing it with, an animal that means something to you. That's might be a tiger, that's sure to keep you being aggressive in the match.Things like this are again things that we can work on in the individual sessions to find something that works for you.
Mistake No. 2: getting stuck in frustration after mistakes. When you make mistakes, especially high stress moments, it's easy to get stuck in frustration. This hijacks your attention, you start thinking about the mistake instead of the next play. What's the solution again? Reset cues: when you make a mistake, instead of dwelling on it, immediately reset yourself with a physical cue like the elastic band or clapping, or fixing your shorts, tapping your thigh, clapping, deep breath or mental reset phrase.This helps you switch between gears, helps you stay focused on what's next, not what's behind. So in training focus drill, so before each drill or pause for a moment to ask yourself, what's my focus right now? Is it broad, like a scan, or is it narrow to execute? Then after mistakes, immediately use your reset strategy. Say a mental reset phrase, take a deep breath or the elastic band I've mentioned. This helps build your focus switching muscles just like you train your body. The more you practice these resets, the faster you'll be able to regain focus in games. So self assessment in my last match, when did I lose focus? What help me reset, or did I stay distracted for too long?These questions are really helpful because they'll help you pinpoint moments where your focus lapsed, and remind you that attention is something you can control and improve.
And just to finish up. Focus isn't automatic, it's a choice that you can train everyday. Ability to switch between broad and narrow focus is key to staying sharp in games. Your mission, take one physical reset cue and one mental reset phrase.Use them in your next training session. Anytime you lose concentration, even just for a second, try to make them part of your routine to help you stay locked in when it matters most. Ideally would be something that you already do, something a player you like does.Again, in certain sports like tennis, boxing, golf, these are more obvious things that jump to mind might be say, tapping the gloves and boxing or fixing the shorts in tennis.And I get things in golf, maybe fixing the hat. But again, it could be something as squeezing your hand, putting it into a fist. You could write a message on tape on your hand, which is again, constantly bringing you back to something bigger than yourself. It could be family related, goals for the game, these type of things.Right. So it could also be pulling up your socks or, and again, could be touching the crest to remind you who you're playing for. Why are you here? Could also be looking at the clock and, make it unique for you. That's gonna be best in terms of, keeping you coming back to it. Because I could give you a really generic thing. But, ideally, it would be something that you either already do or something that you admire or you notice in your favourite athletes.