Getting in the zone

A junior club forward has a common problem: "I feel I have the potential to be a better player but my biggest problem is inconsistency. Sometimes I can kick points from 50 yards quite easily, but then I'm liable to miss one from 20 in front of the posts. How can I become more consistent?"

The likeliest problem here is a lack of concentration, or focus, throughout the 60 minutes. The ability to get into, and stay in, 'the zone' is a large part of what separates good athletes from bad ones.

The term 'the zone' is overused these days, but few of us realise what it actually means and what its merits are.

The 'zone focus' is best described by celebrated sports psychologist Dr. Patrick J. Cohn. Now, Dr. Cohn is not a noted Gael, but his methods are used across the entire spectrum of sports and are easily applied to Gaelic Football.

Dr. Cohn says that when an athlete is in the zone they reach a state of 'flow', that is; they are fully absorbed in what they are doing.

It seems obvious, but the moment you skew an easy scoring chance wide is the moment you have lost your flow. Generally, the lower the level of football, the more players there are who are not fully concentrating on the immediate task. In short, the mind wanders and the results are inevitable.

Recognising when you have mentally drifted out of the game is the first step to arresting your problems. Thinking about pints after the game, the loud fella on the sideline, troubles with your girlfriend – such distractions only need a second's indulgence before they take you away from your optimum performance.

Once you recognise what is happening, you must immediately regroup; tell yourself to 'stop'. Then you refocus; fix your mind back on the here and now; the next ball, the next chance, the next score.

These are the three 'R's of staying in the zone focus: Recognise, Regroup, Refocus. They should be drilled into any player with a wandering mind, to be repeated as a mantra.

Says Dr Cohn: "Most people have the power to concentrate. What you choose to focus on and how you cope with distractions is ultimately the road to entering the zone focus. Entering a zone focus is definitely a prerequisite to performing your best in any career. A huge part of getting into the zone is you ability to focus on the right things."

The Coach is compiled by Liam Horan. Questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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