Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Improve Athletic Ability with this Important Tip

Improve Athletic Ability with this Important Tip

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Aug 17, 2012

No Comments

There are many different factors that go into athletic success, including physical strength development, hand-eye coordination, and athlete motivation to name a few.  Athletic focus is another important variable that contributes to how well (or poorly) an athlete performs, and athletes who develop their focus also benefit by having greater self-confidence, resiliency, and overall mental toughness (Sport Success 360).  But how do athletes improve their focus?  One sport psychology tip I have used with my clients is to remind them to do the next thing best.

When we dedicate all of our focus to the task at-hand, we benefit by improving our attentional control, moderating our human arousal, and galvanizing our resiliency for when we experience stress and adversity.  Unfortunately, maintaining focus on things that are relevant to athletic success (like knowing what to do on the next play) can sometimes be difficult when irrelevant things divert focus and attention (like a rowdy crowd).  How many times have you watched your child, or another athlete on your child’s team, miss a shot or blow a play simply because his or her focus wasn’t where it should have been?  When you think about it, athletic success is almost impossible to achieve when focus is on the wrong target.

Do the next thing best simply means to forget and let go of the last play as it is already “gone” and cannot be changed.  Do the next thing best is also a simple reminder to put all your focus and energy on what’s next, rather than get caught up in anything beyond what is important for the next play.  A simple tip, yes, but arguably one of the most important tips for sport — and life — success.

Athletes of all ages and skill levels can benefit by doing the next thing best and will see immediate positive outcomes as a result of this thinking.  In fact, by doing the next thing best throughout the day, kids can learn how to focus on the various tasks they encounter hour-to-hour, including paying attention in class, completing homework assignments, and of course, focusing on what the coach expects at practice.  Teach your kids about the importance of focus, and how doing the next thing best is a guaranteed way to maximize athletic abilities.

www.drstankovich.com (check out our NEW website!)

Do the next thing best today by checking out our peak performance line designed to help athletes reach their full athletic potential!

 

arousal, attention, Coaching, control, focus, perception, psychology, sport

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • August 3, 2022 Developing Mental Toughness: Train Your Mind to be Stronger than Your Emotions
  • July 21, 2022 Coaches Don’t Need to Use Intimidation to Get Kids to Play their Best
  • July 14, 2022 Improving Youth Sports: Insights from a Former Pro Athlete
  • July 13, 2022 Watch for the Aha Moment When Teaching Skills to Kids
  • July 12, 2022 There are No Days Off When it Comes to Greatness

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

Get Ready for Fall Interscholastic Sports!

NEXT POST

Mental Health “Chemical Imbalances” More Hype than Good Science

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Athletic Director , Boys Sports , Coaching , College , Confidence , Evaluating Talent , Focus , Girls Sports , Mental Toughness , Performance Enhancement , Playing Time , Pro and College Sports , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sports Leadership , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Training and Development , Youth and Interscholastic Sports , Youth Sports

Tags

arousal, attention, Coaching, control, focus, perception, psychology, sport

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Developing Mental Toughness: Train Your Mind to be Stronger than Your Emotions
  • Coaches Don't Need to Use Intimidation to Get Kids to Play their Best
  • Improving Youth Sports: Insights from a Former Pro Athlete
  • Watch for the Aha Moment When Teaching Skills to Kids
  • There are No Days Off When it Comes to Greatness
  • Show Kids How Much You Care Before You Teach Them What You Know
  • Kids Want to Play Sports, But Adults Can Sometimes Make this Difficult
  • Do Big College Athletic Programs Send Misleading Messages to Kids?
  • Developing Mental Toughness: Train Your Mind to be Stronger than Your Emotions
  • You are What You THINK You are: The Psychology of Human Development
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2022 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓