The psychology of focus and motivation in rowing

Words EMILY SPIEGEL

PSYCHOLOGY

Meet Kaitlyn and Jenny, our two fictitious collegiate rowers. Both walked onto their team in their freshman year. They’ve rowed in the same boats, acquired the same experience and technique, and they’re the same approximate height and weight. But when they’re erging side by side on the exact same pieces, Jenny consistently and significantly outpaces Kaitlyn.

What is causing our two athletes to perform so differently, and what strategies can you as a coach or a team leader take to effectively equalize their performance? Pay attention.

That’s where we start, with attention. Psychologists have identified two types of attention: internal and external. Internal attentional focus in athletic performance is when you focus on your body’s response to the exertion for e.g. your breathing, the tension in your muscles, etc. External attentional focus is when you instead concentrate on environmental cues for e.g. race position, the view, etc., to distract yourself from the pain of the exertion. The type of attentional focus you experience in athletic performance varies by individual.