Focus and Concentration

UPDATED 6/16/15

Focus and Concentration in refereeing. By Ian Blanchard – FA Senior National Game Referee Manager

It is accepted that every good referee has the ability to maintain their focus during the whole of a game.
But what is focus? How do you develop it? How is it linked to concentration? Are focus and concentration different mindsets? This article will explore the meaning of focus and concentration as well offering some helpful tips that will aid your refereeing.

Imagine driving a car for the first time. There are so many things to think about that it can be a daunting prospect.
But as you focus on each important aspect you steadily become more competent in each area. You develop a clear focus and concentration on strengthening your skills and an understanding of
each part of the car.
Eventually you equip yourself with the skills that enable you to drive a car, at the right speed and safely.
Simply put, focus is what we are thinking about. In refereeing we often hear the word focus or the term being focused. Well we are always focused on something but we need to focus on the right thing.
So in respect of concentration I think you can now start to see the link between focus and
concentration.
In refereeing terms consider the following scenario of two players, who are equidistant, running towards the ball. Your focus is on what is going to happen; your concentration is on the shape of the body of the players as they challenge for the ball.

In the book Football – Raise your Mental Game the authors Richard Nugent and Stephen Brown suggest that “Developing your mental focus and concentration is like developing a muscle. The more you train yourself, the more focused you become.” Referees spend a lot of time developing and
maintaining their physical levels. However, Nugent and Brown clearly suggest that you should also spend time training your brain to develop concentration levels. So how can we do this?

Develop clear goals
These should be related to your refereeing performance, for example - needing to get closer to play. This is a performance goal, a technical target that will enhance your decision-making.
So if you work on your fitness level, your ability to sprint to be closer to play then there is every chance you will achieve this goal.

Practice makes perfect
David Beckham relentlessly practiced free kicks at goal, with several clearly defined targets as to where the ball should go.
So, as a refereeing example, work on repeatedly giving that correct penalty decision: look at how far away from play you are, what angle of view you have; what is your first movement? This suddenly breaks the process down into manageable chunks.

Training the brain
Using simple tasks will help you improve your focus and concentration. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing,
feel your chest moving as you breathe in and out. Count each breath, seeing how many you can count before your mind wanders or is distracted. If you get over 10 you are doing well.
Practice this twice a day and set a target of improving your previous count until you are into three figures.

Focus on the game
Using the above model, focus on 10 refereeing situations.
Do the breathing exercise above but as you take a breath run one of the scenarios through your mind.
For example:
breath – award a corner kick – breath – give a free kick – breath – indicate offside – breath – give a penalty – breath – fair challenge, no foul etc.

Mastering this allows you to remain focused on the key tasks required in refereeing, which are important to you, whilst remaining relaxed.

Eight (8) helpful tips on gaining and remaining focused and developing full concentration:

1. The power of the process
It’s important to focus on what you do as a referee rather than concentrating on the possible outcomes. Positive performances naturally follow when you have developed and mastered the techniques of refereeing.
Remember focusing on the outcome, getting through 90 minutes of a game, does not tell you how to get there.

2. Keeping calm
Improving your focus doesn’t always mean trying harder. Pushing yourself too hard is usually counter-productive, as you’re more focused when you are relaxed, calm and in control. Learn to relax and improvement and success will follow.

3. External focus
If you over-think or over-analyse your performances, they will unravel and become cumbersome.
Stay in the zone during your refereeing, focusing on the physical action rather than your internal thoughts.

4. Inside the bubble
A vast number of distractions compete for your attention when you are refereeing.
Comments from players, from managers, spectator chants are just some of the distractions that can influence your performance. Keep your focus firmly on the game you are controlling and ignore or
block out the distractions.

5. Positive focus
Focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want. It’s more beneficial to focus on being a success rather than a failure.
Always have a game plan, an aim to move towards your goals, dreams or aspirations.

6. See you focused
Take advantage of the brain’s ability to differentiate between reality and fantasy by imagining you looking focused and motivated during refereeing. Close your eyes and recreate the sights, sounds and
feelings when you are refereeing at your best.

7. The progress reminder
Your progress or development as a referee can at times be difficult to measure. At the end of every week record three or more aspects of your performance that indicates you are improving.
Being aware of your progress will keep you focused on achieving your long term goals.

8. Keep in shape
Maintain a high level of fitness at all times.
Concentration and focus are significantly more likely to drop when you are tired; the best way to stop this is to get fitter which in turn will prevent fatigue from setting in.