Concentration

This attention and concentrate in training does not produce fatigue, rather, it is refreshing and invigorating. It permits us to release the stress of the day and to be one with our body. This ability to reject stress and concentrate on the task at hand then carries over into our daily lives when we leave the dojang.

Attention to detail is the essence of concentration. When you are seeking perfection, practicing a pattern over and over is not boring. Christopher Fremantle once wrote, "Boredom is simply a lack of attention." Concentration is not thinking of the one just completed or the one to come but paying close attention to the one being performed. The past is past and the future will come, and we will be prepared for it only by paying attention to the present.

Problems with Concentration

Research at the University College London, published in the September 2005 issue of Cerebral Cortex, has shown that we often do not notice major changes in our surroundings when we concentrate on one thing because it can push our processing capacity to its limits, a phenomena is called “change blindness.”

The brain’s parietal cortex, located just above and behind the right ear, is the area responsible for concentration. The problem is that this is also the area used to detect changes. Concentrating on one object, such as an opponents' face, hands, or feet, may cause you to miss a secondary attack. This is why people concentrating on a cell phone conversation while driving and miss seeing a red traffic light. This where a person fails to notice large changes within his or her visual field.