Attentional Focus: The Hidden Driver of Athletic Performance and Coaching Impact
Coaching is a never-ending journey of learning.
When I first started, my focus was on the tactical components. If I ran this offensive scheme or that defensive system with my team, then we would be successful.
That progressed to understanding the importance of technical skills. In order to run an offensive scheme or defensive system, my players had to be able to execute certain movement patterns consistently, under pressure, when fatigued etc.
Over time, the importance of the psychological side came in - I dove in head first into motivation, confidence, goal-setting, group cohesion, culture etc.,
Almost 18 years later, I am wondering if I have even scratched the surface. A concept that I am exploring at the moment is that of attentional focus.
Attentional focus influences how athletes learn, how they perform under pressure, and how durable their skills become over time. Yet, it remains one of the most underutilised tools in a coach’s arsenal.
Let’s explore what attentional focus is, why it matters so profoundly in the context of performance and learning, and how a deeper understanding of it can elevate a coach from instructor to facilitator of skill mastery.
🔍 What Is Attentional Focus?
Attentional focus refers to where an athlete directs their concentration during movement execution. It shapes not just what they pay attention to, but how they process and control their body’s actions in real-time.
There are two primary types of attentional focus:
1. Internal Focus
Attention is directed inward, towards the body, muscles, or joint positions.
Example: “Keep your knees over your toes.”
Internal focus is typically explicit, requiring conscious monitoring of movement.
2. External Focus
Attention is directed outward, towards the outcome or the effect of the movement on the environment.
Example: “Push the ground away” or “Shoot the ball over the rim.”
External focus promotes implicit learning, allowing the body to self-organise.
This distinction may seem subtle, but it fundamentally changes how athletes move, how quickly they learn, and how well they perform under stress.
🧪 Why Attentional Focus Matters
The impact of attentional focus has been extensively studied, most notably by Dr. Gabriele Wulf, whose work has reshaped how we understand motor learning. Her research, and that of many others, consistently shows:
External focus of attention improves performance immediately and enhances skill retention.
Internal focus increases muscle tension, disrupts coordination, and leads to slower, more error-prone movement.
Let’s break down the key reasons attentional focus is so critical:
🔓 1. Unlocks Automaticity and Flow
Elite performance is characterised by smooth, efficient, and automatic movement.
Athletes in this state, often called flow, aren’t consciously controlling every part of their body. Instead, they’re responding instinctively to the environment.
An internal focus disrupts this state by creating conscious interference. It forces the athlete to think about their mechanics, which can degrade timing, rhythm, and reaction.
External focus, by contrast, promotes automaticity. It aligns with how the brain naturally organises movement: around goals and effects, not body parts.
🧠 2. Reduces Cognitive Load
Every cue we give adds to the athlete’s mental workload.
Internal cues (e.g., “Keep your chest up, elbows in, and knees soft”) can quickly overwhelm working memory.
External cues simplify the task by directing attention toward a single, actionable image or outcome. This allows the brain to delegate control to subconscious systems, reducing overthinking.
📈 3. Improves Skill Retention and Transfer
Skills learned through internal focus tend to be fragile. They break down under pressure or fatigue. This is especially problematic in competitive sport, where conditions are dynamic and stressful.
External focus fosters more durable learning. Athletes who practice with external cues are better able to:
Reproduce the skill in varied environments
Retain the skill over longer periods
Perform under pressure with less performance anxiety
🦾 4. Enhances Physical Output
Studies have shown that athletes using an external focus produce:
Higher vertical jumps
Faster sprint times
Greater force production
More accurate throwing, hitting, and shooting
One study even found that simply telling athletes to “push the ground away” increased jump height compared to an internal cue like “extend your knees rapidly.”
The body performs better when it’s liberated from micromanagement.
🧭 The Coach’s Role: Guiding Attention, Not Just Movement
A coach is not just a technical expert.
A great coach is a director of attention. The cues you give shape what your athletes focus on and, in turn, how they move and learn.
Here’s how understanding attentional focus can make your coaching more impactful:
🧰 Practical Application: How Coaches Can Use Attentional Focus
✅ 1. Shift from Body-Part Cues to Outcome Cues
Old (internal): “Keep your elbow in and snap your wrist.”
New (external): “Shoot the ball through the tunnel” or “Send it over the front rim.”
Try to coach the result of the movement, not the movement itself.
✅ 2. Use Analogies and Metaphors
Analogies are powerful external cues. They allow athletes to map complex actions onto simple mental images:
“Land like a ninja” for a soft landing.
“Explode like a rocket” for vertical power.
“Swing like you’re whipping a towel” for follow-through.
These metaphors reduce complexity and enhance recall.
✅ 3. Tailor Cues to the Athlete’s Stage
Beginners may need some internal awareness to establish orientation.
Intermediate and advanced players benefit more from external cues that promote fluidity.
In rehab, a mix may be needed: internal for awareness, external for reintegration.
Understanding the learner’s stage allows you to layer cues effectively.
✅ 4. Limit Cue Quantity: One Focus at a Time
Cognitive overload kills performance. Keep instructions lean and layered:
Start with one powerful cue.
Let the athlete repeat the task a few times.
Only adjust if the outcome doesn’t improve.
Give cues the space to land.
✅ 5. Test and Iterate
The best cue is the one that works, for that athlete, in that context. Watch for:
Movement quality
Speed of adjustment
Expression (“Ohhh, I get it now”)
Retention across days or contexts
If a cue doesn’t click, don’t repeat it louder. Try another image, outcome, or analogy.
🏀 Basketball Shooting
Internal cue: “Keep your wrist stiff and follow through.”
External cue: “Reach into the cookie jar above the rim.”
Players often shoot more fluidly and with better arc when imagining outcomes rather than positions.
🏈 Sprint Start
Internal cue: “Extend your hips.”
External cue: “Blast off like a rocket.”
Research shows this improves acceleration and power output by shifting attention to the interaction with the ground.
⚽ Passing
Internal cue: “Rotate your hips and follow through.”
External cue: “Whip the ball to the target like you’re throwing a frisbee.”
Result: More natural hip rotation and better pass accuracy.
🔁 A Mental Model: “Control vs. Connection”
Think of attentional focus as a control dial:
Internal focus = control.
External focus = connection.
Your job as a coach isn’t to lock your athlete into control. It’s to connect them to the purpose of the movement, to their environment, to the game.
You’re not just teaching motion. You’re teaching meaningful action.
🧠 Why Coaches Should Embrace Attentional Focus
Great coaching isn’t about saying more.
It’s about saying what matters most, at the right moment, in the right way. Attentional focus gives you a framework for doing that. It helps you:
Improve how your athletes learn
Build movements that last
Reduce over-coaching and cue dependency
Cultivate confident, creative performers
Whether you're coaching 12-year-olds or pros, understanding attentional focus turns your words into tools for learning, not clutter for the brain.
In a world filled with noise, the best coaches guide attention like a spotlight: quietly, deliberately, and with the power to change everything.