Comparative study of the concentration of attention in boxers, before and after psychological intervention/Estudio comparativo de la concentración de la atención en boxeadores, antes y después de la intervención psicológica

Introduction: The concentration of attention is essential in boxing, an activity where the athlete faces an opponent at close range, in a fight that takes place in a limited time, placing high demands on the attention process. Objective: The present study aimed to compare the concentration of attention in boxers category 15 - 16 years of the Sport Initiation School (Eide in Spanish) "Mártires de Barbados" in Havana, before and after the psychological intervention of the process. Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 20 athletes of competitive interest. The evaluation was carried out at two moments during the special preparation stage; the first before carrying out psychological intervention actions of the process and the second after eight weeks carrying them out. For the initial diagnosis, the following techniques were used: Landolt Ring Test, self-assessment scale for athletes, external assessment scale for coaches, interviews with athletes, and structured observation of training and competitions. In the retest, the first three techniques mentioned were repeated. Results: The main results initially obtained were a concentration evaluated as bad and regular in 50 % and 40 % of the sample, respectively, expressed mainly in the repetition of errors already corrected by the coaches and in difficulty in maintaining focus. Post-intervention, an improvement in attention concentration was verified, obtaining a diagnosis of good, very good and excellent in 35 %, 20 % and 20 % of the sample, respectively. Conclusions: It is concluded that the proposed intervention contributed to an improvement in the diagnosis of the process.