By Gene Coleman, Ed.D., RSCC*E, FACSM

Cell phones are part of everyday life. Athletes use them to communicate, check schedules, review video, listen to music, and stay connected with teammates, coaches, family, and friends.

The problem is not the phone. The problem begins when the phone competes for attention at a time when attention should be directed toward preparation or performance.

A text between sets. A notification during a meeting. A social-media check during practice. A few minutes of scrolling before competition. Each moment can seem harmless. But each can redirect attention away from what the athlete is supposed to be doing.

The useful question is not, “Are cell phones bad?” It is: “Is this where my attention should be right now?”

Why Cell Phones Can Disrupt an Athlete’s Focus

More than 50 years ago, before smartphones, text messages and social media, economist and cognitive scientist Herbert Simon identified a problem created by information abundance. In 1971, he observed that “a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”

That idea is even more relevant for today’s athletes. Information is virtually unlimited. Human attention is not. Every text, email, notification, and social update becomes another possible target for a limited resource.

Research supports the basic concern. In laboratory attention tasks, cell-phone notifications have disrupted performance even when participants did not pick up the device. Other studies have reported slower responses following smartphone notification sounds and lower attention performance when a phone was simply present. These findings do not prove that every phone glance causes a missed shot, slower sprint, or poor play. They do show that phones and their alerts can consume cognitive resources that a demanding sport environment also requires.

The Brain Does Not Truly Multitask

We often call it multitasking when someone texts while watching practice, checks email during a meeting, or scrolls between sets. But when two activities require conscious attention, the brain generally does not perform both at full quality at the same time. Attention shifts back and forth.

Each switch requires the athlete to disengage from one task, orient to another, and then rebuild the mental context of the original task. The practical sequence is simple:

Where Smartphone Distraction Matters Most in Sports

In the weight room: focus on the next set

Rest between sets is part of training. Athletes can use it to recover, regulate breathing, hydrate, review technique, listen to coaching cues, and prepare for the next effort. When the phone comes out after every set, attention moves elsewhere. The athlete may complete every prescribed repetition, but completing the workout is not necessarily the same as being fully engaged in training.

When it is time to train, train.

During practice: watch, listen and learn

Athletes do not learn only when they are performing a drill. They learn by watching teammates, listening to coaches, recognizing patterns and anticipating what comes next. A player standing outside a drill may still receive valuable information about positioning, technique, strategy, or communication.

A phone can remove an athlete from that learning environment without the athlete physically leaving it. The body can be at practice while the attention is somewhere else.

During team meetings: give full attention

Meetings transfer information. Coaches may be discussing strategy, scouting reports, schedules, responsibilities, or corrections from previous competition. Missing one detail can create confusion later. A notification feels urgent because it appears now. That does not make it important. Athletes must learn the difference between what demands attention and what deserves it.

Before competition: make the transition to performance

Pregame preparation is a transition from everyday life to competition. Warm-up, visualization, scouting information, communication with teammates, and established routines all help move attention toward the upcoming performance. Constant phone checking can pull attention in the opposite direction.

This does not mean every athlete must follow the same pregame routine. Music, video, and communication can be useful when used intentionally. The test is whether the device supports the routine or fragments it.

How Coaches Can Create Phone-Free Performance Zones

The solution does not have to be a total phone ban. Phones are useful tools, and emergencies or team logistics may require access. The goal is to create clear boundaries so athletes know when devices serve performance and when they interfere with it

• Phone-free training sets: Use rest intervals for recovery, feedback, and preparation. If you need a phone to record a lift or access the program, use it for that purpose and put it away.
• Phone-free practice: Keep devices stored unless the coach has assigned a specific use, such as video review or timing.
• Phone-free meetings: Silence notifications and keep phones out of sight so athletes can listen, ask questions, and retain instructions.
• Phone-free pregame windows: Establish a defined period before competition when unnecessary scrolling and messaging stop.
• Emergency access: Identify how families can reach an athlete or staff member when phones are stored.

Explain these boundaries as performance habits, not punishments. Athletes are more likely to follow a standard when they understand what it protects.

Coaches and Parents Must Model the Standard

Athletes are not the only people who need to manage attention. Coaches do, too. If a coach checks a phone while an athlete is talking, looks at messages throughout a meeting, or appears distracted during training, athletes notice. Parents also shape the norm when they expect immediate replies during practices or games.

Adults can reinforce the standard by limiting nonessential messages during team activities, respecting phone-free windows and giving athletes their full attention in return. Coaches teach through what they repeatedly notice, ignore and prioritize.

A Simple Team Phone Policy

A useful policy can fit in five lines

• Phones stay stored during training, practice and meetings unless a coach authorizes their use.
• Notifications are silenced during designated performance windows.
• Video, music and training apps are used intentionally, not as a gateway to unrelated scrolling.
• Athletes know the emergency-contact procedure.
• The same attention standard applies to coaches and staff.

Teams should adapt these expectations to athlete age, setting and genuine safety needs. Consistency matters more than severity.

Attention Is Part of Athletic Preparation

Strength and conditioning professionals teach athletes to manage training load, nutrition, hydration, sleep and recovery because each can influence performance. Attention belongs on that list.

An athlete can be physically present in the weight room, meeting room, dugout or practice field while mentally being somewhere else. Today’s athletes have access to more information than any previous generation. That makes protecting attention a competitive skill and a life skill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should athletes be banned from using cell phones?

Usually, no blanket ban is necessary. Clear phone-free periods are often more practical because they teach athletes when a device is useful and when it competes with preparation. Teams should preserve emergency access and accommodate legitimate training uses.

Can a phone notification affect focus even if the athlete ignores it?

Yes. Controlled studies have found that notification sounds alone can disrupt attention-task performance. The effect varies by person and situation, but ignoring an alert does not guarantee that it consumed no attention.

Is listening to music before competition a problem?

Not necessarily. Music may be part of an effective pregame routine. The issue is whether the phone is being used deliberately for music or becomes a pathway into messages, social media and repeated task switching.

When can phones help athletic performance?

Phones can support training through video analysis, timing, workout delivery, communication and music. The key is purposeful use: open the tool needed for the task, complete the task and return attention to the sport environment.

What is a phone-free performance zone?

It is a clearly defined time or place, such as a team meeting, weight-room set, practice block or pregame period, when nonessential phone use stops so athletes and coaches can focus fully.

Evidence and Further Reading

·        Simon, H. A. (1971). Designing Organizations for an Information-Rich World.

·        Stothart, C., Mitchum, A., & Yehnert, C. (2015). The attentional cost of receiving a cell phone notification. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 41(4), 893–897.

·        Upshaw, J. D. et al. (2022). The hidden cost of a smartphone: The effects of smartphone notifications on cognitive control. PLOS ONE, 17(11), e0277220.

·        Skowronek, J., Seifert, A., & Lindberg, S. (2023). The mere presence of a smartphone reduces basal attentional performance. Scientific Reports, 13, 9363.

·        Shelton, J. T. et al. (2021). Notification alert! Effects of auditory text alerts on attention across three developmental periods. Human Factors.