centering
A procedure adopted by athletes to help them focus on relevant stimuli, ignore irrelevant stimuli, and control physiological arousal. Centring involves consciously directing thoughts inwards, altering breathing and tension levels so that body weight coincides as closely as possible to centre of mass (e.g. by breathing from the abdomen instead of the chest, and relaxing neck and shoulder muscles). The performance of a centring breath can be timed to coincide with an important action that requires total concentration (e.g. serving at tennis). See also refocusing, thought stopping.
