Returning attention to the next play

Locate the information gap

A fictional Tobago volleyball receiver is still thinking about a disputed call when the next serve begins. The practical problem is not simply ‘poor concentration’. The receiver has missed information from the server's action and the ball. Naming that gap helps a student identify what a useful cue should do.

Ask the receiver to describe where attention went and when it became difficult to return. Avoid assuming that hearing a crowd means all attention has failed. The relevant question is whether information needed for the task was available and used at the appropriate moment. Observation and the athlete's account provide different parts of that picture.

Give a cue a clear function

A cue such as ‘server, ball’ is a proposed teaching example for this situation. Its job is to direct attention to relevant information. It is not a validated phrase for every receiver. The athlete and coach should clarify what the words mean and whether their timing fits the reception task. Adding more words can make that purpose less clear.

Interpret focus research precisely

Chua and colleagues' meta-analyses compared focus on intended movement effects with focus on body movements and reported advantages for external focus on average. That specific comparison does not establish that every thought outside the body is useful. Crowd reactions are external too, but may be irrelevant to receiving a serve. Match the research question to the coaching decision.

Sources: Chua et al. (2021): external attentional focus meta-analyses ↗

Practise a return, then review it

For this fictional receiver, plan a permitted moment between rallies to acknowledge the distraction and return to the agreed information. In relevant practice, observe whether the player picks up the server's action and prepares for the ball. Ask whether the cue felt clear or distracting. Include trials that went poorly as well as the successful ones.

If the team wins a rally, consider the serve, teammates and other influences before crediting the cue. If the cue is used but remains unhelpful, revise it. Learning to return attention is a more workable teaching aim than promising uninterrupted focus. Connect this activity to the self-talk and pre-performance routine modules to explain how a short phrase can fit within a wider sequence.