ABSTRACT
This chapter intends to review the adequacy of the various psychological strategies alleged to improve athletes' concentration skills. It shows the concentration training programmes for athletes are at an early stage of development and validation. The chapter examines a variety of concentration techniques that are recommended for use by athletes in competitive situations. From an inspection of relevant mental skills programmes, five psychological techniques alleged to improve attentional skills were identified. These techniques, includes goal-setting, pre-performance routines, arousal-control, cue-words and mental practice. The chapter also examines the possibility that arousal-control techniques may serve as concentration strategies for athletes. The term arousal refers to a general physiological and psychological activation of the organism that varies on a continuum from deep sleep to intense excitement. There has been a remarkable upsurge of interest in the development and implementation of programmes of mental skills training (MST) for athletes.
