Unfortunately, despite its intuitive appeal, simulation training has received little or no
empirical scrutiny as a concentration strategy. Nevertheless, some support for its
theoretical rationale may be found in cognitive psychology. For example, research on the
“encoding specificity” principle of learning shows that people’s recall of information is
facilitated by conditions which resemble those in which the original encoding occurred
(Matlin, 2002). Based on this principle, the simulation of competitive situations in
practice should lead to positive transfer effects to the competition itself. In addition,
adversity training may counteract the tendency for novel or unexpected stimuli to distract
athletes in competition. The simulation of these factors in training should reduce their
attention-capturing qualities subsequently. To summarise, there is some theoretical
justification for the belief that simulation training could enhance athletes’ concentration
skills. Nevertheless, this conclusion is tentative for one important reason. Specifically,
even the most ingenious simulations cannot replicate completely the actual arousal
experienced by athletes in competitive situations. For example, Ronan O’Gara, the
Ireland and Lions rugby out-half, admitted that although he can practise taking penalty-
kicks in training, “it’s completely different in a match where my heartbeat is probably
115 beats a minute whereas in training it’s about 90–100” (cited in Fanning, 2002, p. 6).
Clearly, it is difficult to simulate accurately the emotional aspects of competitive action.
Having reviewed some popular concentration exercises, we should now turn to the
second type of attentional skills intervention used in sport psychology—namely,
concentration techniques listed in Figure 4.4.
Figure 4.4 Concentration techniques
Source: based on Moran, 1996, 2003a;
b
Sport and exercise psychology: A critical introduction 114