Attentional focus is the ability to process specific information in our environment actively. We can focus on a task without being disturbed by irrelevant external and internal stimuli (Morris, 1997 as cited by Gano-Overway, 2024). 

Create a log of how your attention is for the given day on a scale of 1 = very poor, 2 = poor, 3 = moderate, 4 = well, and 5 = very well and you will log your performance with how many basketball shots you have made being given five attempts at each performance task. Circle the number of which you are either feeling the amount of attentive focus you have or how many shots you have made of the performance tasks. Log in your performance of the given task which will be how many free throws you made during that day, how many lay ups you made during the day, and how many three pointers you made during the day. After you finish the two week period, tally up your attention, free throw, lay ups, and three pointers and put them in the question below. Afterwards, answer the following questions that continue the log. 

Week 1:

Monday: Attention (circle): 1,2,3,4,5 Free throw: 1,2,3,4,5 Lay ups 1,2,3,4,5 Three pointers 1,2,3,4,5

Tuesday: Attention (circle): 1,2,3,4,5 Free throw: 1,2,3,4,5 Lay ups 1,2,3,4,5 Three pointers 1,2,3,4,5

Wedsday: Attention (circle): 1,2,3,4,5 Free throw: 1,2,3,4,5 Lay ups 1,2,3,4,5 Three pointers 1,2,3,4,5

Thursday: Attention (circle): 1,2,3,4,5 Free throw: 1,2,3,4,5 Lay ups 1,2,3,4,5 Three pointers 1,2,3,4,5

Friday: Attention (circle): 1,2,3,4,5 Free throw: 1,2,3,4,5 Lay ups 1,2,3,4,5 Three pointers 1,2,3,4,5

Week 2:

Monday: Attention (circle): 1,2,3,4,5 Free throw: 1,2,3,4,5 Lay ups 1,2,3,4,5 Three pointers 1,2,3,4,5

Tuesday: Attention (circle): 1,2,3,4,5 Free throw: 1,2,3,4,5 Lay ups 1,2,3,4,5 Three pointers 1,2,3,4,5

Wedsday: Attention (circle): 1,2,3,4,5 Free throw: 1,2,3,4,5 Lay ups 1,2,3,4,5 Three pointers 1,2,3,4,5

Thursday: Attention (circle): 1,2,3,4,5 Free throw: 1,2,3,4,5 Lay ups 1,2,3,4,5 Three pointers 1,2,3,4,5

Friday: Attention (circle): 1,2,3,4,5 Free throw: 1,2,3,4,5 Lay ups 1,2,3,4,5 Three pointers 1,2,3,4,5

Total attention focus points: ___ Total free throws: ___ Total lay ups: ___ Total three pointers: ___

Q1: What was your best category? What was your worse category?

Q2: Is their a correlation between your attention focus and your performance? Do you think with a better attention focus you had a better performance or a worst performance? Why?

Where to focus? What to focus on?

• Directing attention to specific cues that are critical for performance.

• Explain that they should focus on their breathing and heart rate when calming nerves before a sprint.

When to focus?

• Knowing the right moments to concentrate intensely during performance.

• In a soccer match, highlight the importance of intense focus when taking a penalty kick or taking a free kick. 

What type of focus?

• Using broad or narrow focus, internal or external, depending on the activity.

• Focusing on the ball when catching it.

• Surveying the entire field to decide the best pass.

• Visualizing a golf swing in your mind.

Use if-then plans

• Pre-determined strategies for managing focus in specific scenarios.

• Know to always look at something when trying to focus on something like a penalty kick

• Taking deep breaths before a big moment in a game

This study shows how different types of attentional focus, internal vs. external, affect motor skill learning, with a focus on the role of instructions and feedback in promoting effective learning. Research has shown that directing attention to one’s own body movements can be detrimental to performance, particularly for well practiced skills. For example, studies found that when participants focused on their body movements, like exerting force with specific body parts, their performance declined compared to those who focused on external cues, such as the effects of their movements on the environment. The Easterbrook’s Cue Utilization Hypothesis states that at a moderate arousal level, athletes are at their optimal attentional focus. This correlates back to the study that when athletes don’t focus on too many things at once, that are performing better. Incorporating the findings of this study into physical education classes can lead to better motor skill learning, improved performance, and more efficient feedback. By shifting from an internal focus on body movements to an external focus on the effects of those movements, students are more likely to experience automaticity and a better real-world skill transfer. Teachers should use external cues and feedback, emphasize outcomes, and gradually shift attentional focus as students advance in their skills. This approach will not only improve the students skill but also enhance overall student engagement and motivation in physical education.