How to Train Concentration in Football

“Concentrate” means nothing if the player doesn't know on what. The four types of attention a match demands, what breaks them, and simple games to train them from under-8s upwards.

Linkalde · 2026-10-19

We've all shouted it from the touchline: “Switch on!”, “Concentrate!”. And most of us have blamed a defeat on a lack of focus in the opening minutes. The odd thing is that, even though we see it as decisive, we almost never train it: we expect players to bring it from home or to learn it through mistakes in matches.

Concentrating means putting your attention on what matters in the play and not being pulled away by what doesn't: the crowd, a protest from the opposition, the referee, or your own head saying “nothing's coming off today”. And it is a skill that can be learned, just like passing or controlling the ball.

There isn't one kind of concentration, there are four

When we say “concentrate”, the player doesn't know what to do, because attention moves along two axes. One is breadth: sometimes you need to take in lots of things at once, and sometimes just one. The other is direction: outwards (ball, opponents, team-mates) or inwards (what I'm thinking, how I feel). Crossing them gives four styles, and each moment of the match calls for a different one:

This changes the instruction we give. Instead of “concentrate”, try “check where your two team-mates are before you receive” (broad, outwards) or “breathe and pick your side before you take your run-up” (narrow, inwards). The player understands what to do and the coach can correct it.

When nerves kick in, each player falls back on the kind of attention they handle best, even if it isn't the one the play needs. If nerves rise too high, attention narrows by itself and the player freezes: they “don't see” the free team-mate. That's why concentration and calm are trained together.

What breaks it

• Outside factors: shouting from the stands, provocation from opponents, instructions from the other bench, a new pitch or a new kit.
• Inside factors: “I'm going to get this wrong”, “the ref is against us”, feeling heavy legs or a racing heart.
• Bad experiences: the player who missed the last penalty arrives at the next one carrying that memory.
• Frustration and anger: someone who keeps replaying a mistake stops following the game for several plays.
• Tiredness: to stay alert you need to be fresh. With an empty tank, attention goes before the legs do.

How to train it on the pitch

The idea behind it is simple: if players have already lived the match stimuli in training, they won't be thrown by them on match day. Some pointers for building it into your sessions:

1. Explain what the game is for. If they understand they're training attention, they take it seriously.
2. Start slowly and speed up once they do it well. First get it right, then get it right fast.
3. Add distractions on purpose: voices, crossed instructions, the coach shouting orders from further and further away so they learn to pick out his voice.
4. Change the signals: a clap, a colour, a number, a ball from another sport. Something new forces them to adapt.
5. Only a few exercises of this kind per session, and never at the end when everyone is shattered.
6. Praise out loud the player who keeps focused and ask the players to invent variations: they get far more involved.

Simple games that work

In the match: routines and keywords

Concentration is also lost and regained during the match. Four tools you can teach from under-12s:

• A keyword: “eyes”, “ball”, “next”. The player says it or thinks it to get back into the play after a distraction.
• Turning the miss into a hit: after a mistake, picture the movement done well instead of dwelling on the error. It stops a chain of errors.
• Fixed routines: the same warm-up, the same way of placing the ball before a free kick. In time the routine switches concentration on by itself.
• Talking on the pitch: “I've got you covered”, “you've got time”, “good pass”. Talking forces you to stay in the game and helps your team-mate.

Rehearse the worst case. If it's going to rain on Sunday, train on a wet pitch; if the match is at a ground with a big crowd, add noise in training. What they've already lived through doesn't surprise them.

How to tell if it's improving

The most useful tool is the simplest one: give them a ball, say nothing and watch. In a few minutes you can see who follows the game and who switches off, who collapses after a mistake and who bounces back. If you watch often and note down what you see, you'll spot changes from week to week and before important matches.

With older players, a calm chat adds a lot, as long as there is trust beforehand. Psychological tests of attention or mood exist, but it is best to leave them to a sports psychologist.