Concentration (Part 1)

FOCUS: to concentrate attention or effort

What is the proper mindset of an umpire? Is it staring straight at an unobstructed view of the play, ready and willing to make a decision as everything slows down and fractions of a second seem like full minutes? Now this umpire IS focused. Too bad you are watching on television and it's only your dream and ambition to be out there making the split second decision that turns a Test Match.

What about the fact that the bowler "lives on the line", it is 35 degrees, the pitch is up and down and it is session 3, day 5 of the deciding match in a 5 test series. What really happened before you saw the 5th replay from every conceivable angle?

This is the life of not only the International Umpire, but also every umpire officiating in any match on any given day of the year. Umpires' jobs are hard enough given the multitude of Laws and Playing Conditions to remember, extensive techniques to perfect, diversity of personalities with which to interact and the challenge of the judgement calls they're face with every time they walk on to the field. Combine all these factors with the pressure of a game situation and even the most focused officials face a difficult task.

Regardless of how good you are in a natural sense with your experience and feel for the game, your performance will be diminished if you are not able to maintain your concentration and focus during a game.

Common Fact Number One - As soon as you lose concentration, that's when something happens that calls for focus
This is the usual admonition, challenging you to maintain your focus constantly during a game. You caution yourself that, if you allow your attention to wander for an instant, something will happen to exploit your lapse. The truth is, this type of 'happening' occurs throughout most cricket matches. The reason it seems that they happen only at bad times (when something critical occurs) is because the other occasions are not noticed because nothing happens to call you into action. You have not been called upon to make a decision when you were in fact not ready to make that decision anyway.

Common Fact Number Two - Normal game circumstances lead to abnormal mistakes
Contrary to our beliefs, there is no magical force out to get you as an official even though it seems like it sometimes. Maintaining your concentration and focus at all times is important because when you lose it, common match circumstances lead to uncommon mistakes. A lapse in focus can cause you to be in poor position for a call or to interpret a Law incorrectly. Becoming uncomfortable and flustered when dealing with tension and pressure can also lead to a lapse in focus. Concentration and focus are foundationa! in that when they are lacking, the other skills and aspects of your umpiring will breakdown.

Common Fact Number Three - The focus ability of the better umpires is at a different level
The ability to put all other matters aside and focus entirely on the job at hand is what separates the elite umpires from the rest. These umpires are never in the wrong place, never surprised when the unexpected happens and never unprepared to deal with any situation that may arise even in the most tense of situations. Every game is different but the principles remain the same and flexibility in applying Laws and techniques is the key.

Because the last game involving the same teams was difficult and tense does not mean the next one will be the same. Umpires who go into a game with a pre-conceived set of ideas are not focused. Keep in the here and now.

Common Fact Number Four - focus must exist before the start or restart
For the correct concentration and focus to be maintained throughout a match, it must exist prior to the commencement of the match. If you miss a call or get a decision wrong, players will assume you were not concentrating at the time. This perception by the players is often based on the fact they are told to focus on their particular part of the game. Quite often this conclusion is incorrect but you will be judged more harshly if they feel you had a lapse in concentration than for an error in judgement. Make sure you are prepared and focused from the time you walk on to the field, as it will be your best weapon to get through the day unscathed.

Why Officials Lose Focus
Outside pressures or personal life issues are a reality for all umpires and can certainly affect anyone's mindset during a game. The better umpires are able to put all outside issues aside for the period of time necessary to do the job. Any umpires aspiring to that level of competence must be able to make themselves aware of the common things which happen during a game that can cause a lapse in focus. You can work 99 perfect overs out of 100 for the day and a lapse in concentrat/on and focus in the final over can ruin not only your day but that of the players. Players resent the fact you were not "with it" on a vital decision. Strangely, most umpires are forgiven on a mistake at the start and it is quickly forgotten but the opposite happens at the business end of a game.

One pitfall that brings a lot of umpires undone is a relaxation together with the rhythm of a smooth game and he loses the edge that is necessary in a tight situation. A good golden rule to apply is to always use a smooth match as a reason to step up your concentration and focus, thus eliminating the possibility of being caught by surprise in a tough situation.

Another (and possibly the most common) reason for loss of concentration and focus starts with a small-scale lapse with far reaching consequences. For instance, your mind wanders for a moment causing you to be out of position for a run out. It's a direct hit and the fielders are adamant it was out. You say not out and you may have got the call right. Reality tells you that you only had a 50/50 chance of being right, as you know you were out of position. This causes you to think too much about your lapse that leads to a loss of focus when the next appeal is made which could be as early as the next ball. The bottom line is not to allow anything that has occurred in the past affect your concentration and focus in the future.

The 3 + 3 effect
There are 3 main reasons why umpires lose focus and it affects 3 different types of umpire. It depends solely on the personality of the umpire. Understand which type of umpire you are and be willing to make changes.

(1) Querying decisions
A player or captain constantly querying decisions might distract the over assertive umpire. Protracted discussions take place with the umpire trying to get back "control" of the situation when in fact the source of the distraction was out of his control anyway. He is distracted in his concentration and focus thereby opening the door to the possibility of a poor decision.

(2) The missed call
The perfectionist umpire will dwell on a missed call. Even the best umpires are not perfect so don't feel you should be. Your pride may be dented but accept the mistake and get the rhythm back quickly.

(3) Doesn't want to upset anyone
The 'social umpire' might be too concerned with being like by everyone and lose sight of the task at hand. Excessive appealing and constant pressure will rattle the social umpire and all he wants to do is get things over with resulting in a rash of poor decisions. It is essential that you begin to understand what personality type you are and what goals and aspirations you have. It is important that you realise and understand what buttons get pushed in certain situations.