Create a Cone of Attention

Increase the chances that your athlete will remember what you told them

When you were a young athlete, do you remember getting corrections and having a hard time keeping track, or having little to no idea what the coach was asking you to do?  

Do wonder if your athletes are having the same experience? Or do you know for sure that they are?

To avoid these scenarios and to accelerate learning and retention:

Choose language that heightens focus.

More specifically: Make your corrections vivid and memorable (the funnier, the better).

Why? Learning, then mastering new skills – via making errors and making corrections – is a process that happens in the brain¹ when there is clear focus, intention and attention. We can improve the chances of creating this cone of attention by using images, stories, and analogies that the athlete is familiar with and can relate to.²

Say the new memory (the correct position, dynamic, shape) is a hat.

A familiar idea or image is a hook. 

The hat is much more likely to stay on the wall if we create a good hook. 

For example:

Problem: Gymnast isn’t punching the board hard enough

Common correction: “Punch harder”

Instead: “Imagine there’s a watermelon under the board. Try to smash it so it goes all over the gym. Imagine what kind of sound it’ll make.”

Yes, it’s longer to say and describe at first, but later you can just say, “More watermelon.”

It’s funny, engages their senses and emotions, and it captures their imagination. And because of that, they’re more likely to remember the correction, and have greater focus on what they need to do. And there’s a greater chance that the new/better movement – punching harder – is going to be sealed and retained in their brains the next time they come to practice.

It’s simple, not necessarily easy, but give it a shot and see what happens. And remember to share the good ones with other coaches!

1. Debarnot, Ursula, et al. "Experts bodies, experts minds: how physical and mental training shape the brain." Frontiers in human neuroscience 8 (2014): 280.

2. Winkelman, Nick. "Remember When." The Language of Coaching, Human Kinetics, 20-21, pp. 45-67.