Brazilian Elite Soccer Players: Exploring Attentional Focus in Performance Tasks and Soccer Positions

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore the attentional focus experienced by elite soccer players in different soccer positions and performance tasks of both closed and open skills. No previous studies have explored elite soccer players' attentional skills from a naturalistic and qualitative perspective in such detail. Data collection consisted of individual semistructured interviews with eight highly elite Brazilian soccer players from five main soccer positions, namely goalkeeper, defender, wing, midfielder, and forward. Important themes were positive thinking, performing on autopilot, and relying on peripheral vision. For example, thematic analysis indicated that in tasks where there may be an advantage in disguising one's intentions (e.g., penalty kick), relying on peripheral vision was essential. Early mistakes were among the main sources of distractions; thus, players reported beginning with easy plays as a strategy to prevent distractions. Implications for applied sport psychology were drawn and future studies recommended.

A review of the key demands for a football goalkeeper

“…Goalkeepers need superior movement detection from presented pre-shot cues which influence their decision making [36]. Much cue utilisation and gaze behaviour research has focused on closed skill penalty shot situations, however in open play situations there will be a number of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 F o r P e e r R e v i e w unknowns including when the shot might be played and therefore, extrapolating the closed skill techniques to an open skill situation might be ineffective [37]. The goalkeeper may not have a clear sight of the ball or the pre-shot cues and may have to rely on their observations of attacking team formation and strategies for both the current and the next phase of play [35,37,38].…”

“…Much cue utilisation and gaze behaviour research has focused on closed skill penalty shot situations, however in open play situations there will be a number of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 F o r P e e r R e v i e w unknowns including when the shot might be played and therefore, extrapolating the closed skill techniques to an open skill situation might be ineffective [37]. The goalkeeper may not have a clear sight of the ball or the pre-shot cues and may have to rely on their observations of attacking team formation and strategies for both the current and the next phase of play [35,37,38]. When the shot is long distance, the goalkeeper has more time to reposition if the ball curves and execute an intervention, however for short distance shots, the quick speed aspects of training helps the goalkeeper decide and react quickly to the shot [37].…”

“…The goalkeeper may not have a clear sight of the ball or the pre-shot cues and may have to rely on their observations of attacking team formation and strategies for both the current and the next phase of play [35,37,38]. When the shot is long distance, the goalkeeper has more time to reposition if the ball curves and execute an intervention, however for short distance shots, the quick speed aspects of training helps the goalkeeper decide and react quickly to the shot [37]. Where a goalkeeper demonstrates ineffective strategies related to decision making and cue utilisation, this can impact on the confidence of the goalkeeper which further affects their 'presence' and attentional focus [36].…”

“…One mistake can cost the team success and this creates a feeling of high pressure for the goalkeeper in many situations [25]. However, Tedesqui and Orlick [37] found that when goalkeepers are fully focussed on extracting the best information from cues and formations that they were less likely to worry and be distracted about the outcomes or previous mistakes. The coach plays a vital role here both helping the goalkeeper identify appropriate cues and providing constructive feedback when the outcome was unsuccessful [8].…”

The role of emotional abilities in elite sports coaching

“…It is evident that the plethora of research investigating psychological factors influencing athletic excellence has encompassed in-depth exploration into a multitude of psychological attributes. For instance, a vast array of research has been conducted in areas such as sport confidence (e.g., Hays, Maynard, Thomas, & Bawden, 2007;Hays, Thomas, Maynard, & Bawden, 2009;Thomas, Lane, & Kingston, 2011;Vealey, 1986), mental toughness (e.g., Jones, Hanton, & Connaughton, 2002;Gucciardi, Gordan, & Dimmock, 2008;Bull, Shambrook, James, & Brooks, 2005), concentration and attentional focus (e.g., Bell & Hardy, 2009;Tedesqui & Orlick, 2015), resilience (e.g., Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012;Galli & Vealey, 2008;Gucciardi, Jackson, Coulter, & Mallett, 2011), emotional intelligence (e.g., Barlow & Banks, 2014; As an attribute often cited in the athlete literature to positively influence athletic performance (e.g., Weinberg, Butt, & Culp, 2011) the construct of psychological resilience has also received increased investigation (e.g., Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012;Galli & Vealey, 2008;Gucciardi et al, 2011;Morgan, Fletcher, & Sarkar, 2013;Sarkar, Fletcher, & Brown, 2015). Specifically, recent research has tended to adopt more holistic approaches incorporating qualitative designs, to explore the processes that influence an athlete's ability to manage adversity and stressors (e.g., Galli & Vealey, 2008), and how such processes relate to optimal sport performance (e.g., Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012).…”