Total Soccer Psychology
Total Soccer Psychology
INTRODUCTION
Everyone whos played sport seriously knows the power of the mind. They've experienced their own incredible performances that come from being in "the zone". With abundant self-confidence nearly anything is possible. Without it you might as well hang up your boots. The techniques in this book are desgined to help you reach a state of peak performance a feeling of alertness, confidence and energy. In many cases, the nerves, aggression or even fear that debilitate performance have to be eliminated before more empowering states can be achieved. Many of the exercises below originate from the science of Neuro Linguistic Programming (or NLP for short). Developed in the early 1970s, NLP techniques are now used widely by business people, therapists and athletes alike. At the heart of NLP is the assumption that we all have our own unique view of the world based on our values, beliefs and past experiences. Even two people sharing or witnessing the same event can view and remember it very differently - just think about how opposing sports fans can have a very different perception of the same game. Imagine that two team mates play equally as well in a game of soccer. However, one player remembers only their mistakes, their misplaced passes and wayward shots. The other player, notorious for having a high selfopinion, recalls only their best moments. In their mind, they subconsciously exaggerate the number of well-timed tackles, a successful 30-yard pass is remembered as a 40-yard defence splitting through ball and their mistakes are dismissed entirely. Which player is more likely to feel confident and selfassured next time out? And which player is right in their assessment of their performance? The overly pessimistic player or the player with an exaggerated sense of selfconfidence? Or is the opinion of the coach, who watches objectively from the sidelines, the one that should be taken as gospel? In truth, no one is right or wrong and even the coach has his or her own unique perception of the game. From a sporting point of view the best strategy is to choose the perspective that helps to produce the best performance. NLP techniques allow you to do just that consciously choose your own perception of past and future events. Fortunately, you dont have to become egotistical and big headed to play with consistency and selfconfidence! The techniques in this book are not simply about positive thinking. Trying to affirm your own success from a state of fear or low self-esteem does little to bolster your self-confidence. Many of the activities will seem strange written
down. They may also seem a little time consuming as you read them word for word. However, when you apply them youll find that they are quick, fun and most of all, highly effective.
Specific Clearly state what you want in the positive (not what you dont want) and be as specific as possible. For example, its better to write I will score at least 20 goals this season and be my teams leading goal scorer than I want to score more often. Measurable How will you know when youve accomplished your goal? If you want to have the best season of your life how do you determine that? Write the evidence you will see, hear and feel that confirms you have reached your objective. By the same token, if you want to score at least 20 goals then a short term goal (for a single match) might be to have at least 6 shots with 4 or more on target something you can measure. Attainable The perfect goal should inspire you and allow you to believe that
its possible. It may be a stretch, it may require hard work and dedication but you must believe that if youre willing to pay the price you can achieve it. Only you can decide whether you are able and willing to do what it takes to get to where you want to be. A goal can be ambitious but still realistic as long as you truly believe its possible.
Relevant It can be easy to become fixated on a goal for the sheer sake of
achieving it. It may be something you identified as important in the past and its now become the end in itself rather than a means to a larger outcome. Ask yourself if your goal is really relevant to your long-term objectives. Is it the most efficient use of your time and energy?
Time-Based Set a time frame for your goals. Its good to have several
longer-term objectives, perhaps to play professionally or to secure a college scholarship. Set intermediate goals for the season maybe to win player of the year, be your teams leading goal scorer or play every game. Then set weekly goals for your training and for each match. These will be the most specific and also the most realistic. Dont try to conquer the world in 7 days! An example of a short-term goal (i.e. for an upcoming game) might be to feel confident and full of energy. You could make it more specific by using a scale of 1 to 10 I will feel confident and assured to at least a level 8 out of 10 where 10 is unshakeable self-confidence. Write how you will know that youve achieved that state. Will you have more shots at goal? Attempt intricate skills? What will hear from teammates or your coach? Will you have more possession of the ball because you go looking for it?
Next, jot down a series of actions you can take to help you achieve this goal. It could be to use some of the techniques below for 10 minutes every day this week. Another action step might be to ensure you have a suitable meal the night before and on the morning of the game. You might want to design a short pre-match routine that will help you get into a peak state.
6. You may want to stretch as you stand up as this will help to move the blood through your body. If you repeat the entire process (which takes 10 minutes) every day for a week, you will learn to associate the internal command Relax, Relax, Relax with a feeling of deep relaxation. When you feel stressed or anxious and youre not in a position to lie down for 10 minutes, you can simply breathe out and say Relax, Relax, Relax and you will find easy to slip back into that calming state.
mouths. See the ball travelling backwards quickly. Make it amusing. When you reach the start pause the movie again. Dont try to be perfect, the idea is to have fun with it. 4. This time run it forward at triple the speed but make the film black and white. See everyone moving quickly like they do in old movies. Listen to their high-pitched voices. Run it through until the end. 5. Now run it backwards. This time add all kinds of wonderful and weird colors into the mix. Put ballerina skirts on the opposition; make all the people around you tiny! Give them Mickey Mouse ears. And as you rewind back to the beginning play some fairground music in the background. 6. Repeat again, running it forwards. This time make it faster. If anyone said anything to upset you, shrink them down, pick them up in the palm of your hand, see them cowering and smile at them. Set them down and continue the movie. Run it backwards and forwards, over and over, getting faster and faster. Add in as many crazy images and events in as you can think of. 7. When youve finished stand up and open your eyes. Walk around for a moment then think back to that negative experience. Notice how you feel about it now. If you gone through the process correctly, chances are some Mickey Mouse ears will pop up or you just wont be able to picture the scenario properly. For particularly negative sporting experiences you may want to run this technique several times over a few days.
3. The key to making this exercise work is to repeat over and over until you can no longer perceive the person in the same way again. You may want to do this exercise a few times a day for 3 - 4 days. Some soccer players become very frustrated with referees and officials. They cant help but become agitated by decisions they feel are incorrect, especially if it costs their team a goal or even a match. The trouble is, when your energy and focus is on the referee and not on the game, you cant perform to the best of your ability. In fact, as you get angry at a poor decision so your performance is negatively affected, which leads to even more frustration and so the downward spiral continues. Use this technique to remove or lessen your response to referees 1. Imagine a referee (a specific person is not important) and see them giving a bad decision. You could also choose a past memory. 2. Now see yourself trying to reason with the official, pointing out their error. This referee is particularly obnoxious and arrogant someone who would normally cause a great deal of anger. 3. Now run that movie through the same process as in technique #3 until you can smile (or even giggle) at the thought. You might want to finish by imagining a referee giving a poor decision in a future game and then seeing yourself reacting coolly, even calming your team mates down.
Technique 5 Anchoring
Do you know the story of Pavlovs dogs? A Russian Scientist named Ivan Pavlov noticed that dogs salivated every time they were fed. This was a natural response to the stimulus of food. He then rang a bell every time the dogs were given food until after a short while, just by ringing the bell, he could trigger his dogs to salivate. The response of salivating, which characterized the feeling of hunger, had been linked or anchored to the sound of the bell. What is more interesting is that he could cause the dogs to salivate even after they had just been fed. Pavlov had conditioned his dogs to link a stimulus (the bell) and response (feeling hungry), which were not logically connected in any way. Humans are no different. Have you ever used a perfume or aftershave that maybe you havent used for a while and it suddenly reminds you of a specific holiday or event? Or maybe a piece of music reminds you of specific memories each time you hear it? Does the flag of your country or the kit of your favourite sports teams evoke a certain feeling each time you see it? These are all examples of anchors. You dont consciously think about what each of the stimuli means to you they just trigger certain emotions and memories.
You can use anchoring to literally feel confident or relaxed or motivated on cue. By getting yourself into a particular emotional state and then repeating a unique trigger over and over, the two become linked or anchored together. Heres the basic process for creating an anchor: 1. Identify the state you want to elicit on cue. It could be a feeling of confidence, motivation or relaxation. Well use confidence in this example. 2. Choose a trigger that will act as your anchor. It should be something unique that youre not likely to do out of habit. A good example is squeezing your thumb and middle finger together on each hand. Or you might make a fist as you say, Yes! in your mind. 3. Think back to a time when you felt really confident. In your minds eye relive that experience. Make the images big and bright. See it from the perspective of your own eyes (rather than watching yourself from a distance). Hear what you recall hearing at the time. Notice any smells or tastes if there are any. The more graphic you can make the mental experience, the easier it becomes to get back into the same mental state. It helps if you stand up and actually move your body in the same way. Perhaps stand with the same posture and gesture with the same certainty. 4. If you cant recall a suitable experience then think of someone you admire. See them performing with total self-confidence. See how they move. Notice their posture and facial expression. Now step into their body as if putting on a new suit of clothes. Notice what they hear and how they feel. In a sense, act as if you are them. 5. As you begin to feel more and more confident, right at the peak of the experience fire your anchor squeeze you thumb and middle fingers tighter for example as your say Yes! with a strength and certainty in your mind. 6. Now think of another time when you felt confident and performed exceptionally well. Relive that experience and right at the peak fire your anchor. 7. Repeat with the same or different memories 5 or 6 times every day for a week. Test your anchor by breaking out of your confident state (i.e. walk around, watch the TV etc.) and then fire your trigger. You should begin to feel confident or at least find it easy to get into state of confidence. 8. Use your anchor before and during a game or just before any dead ball situation like a free kick or penalty.
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ground. You might say to yourself eye on the ball as you watch it travel towards you. Feel the impact with your head a sweet contact. Then see the ball fly into the goal exactly where you aimed to place it. Have a goalkeeper at your mental session too and watch them desperately trying to reach your perfectly placed header. 5. DO NOT try and be perfect with this. Dont try to notice every single intricate detail. In real life the brain can only consciously perceive two or three things at once. When you play for real you dont notice every little detail only certain things stick in your memory. Take the same approach to mental rehearsal. Try to complete the skill in what you feel is real time rather than slow motion. 6. Now repeat the skill. This time vary it slightly. Perhaps the ball comes in from a different angle. Or maybe you start your run from a different position. Just as no two events would be identical in real life practice nor should they be in your mind. 7. Continue until you have completed about 10 perfect skills 10 perfect headers in our example. Next, you might want to imagine the ball being crossed in from the other wing and repeat the process. Similarly, if you are practising a certain type of shot, complete 10 with one foot and 10 with the other foot. 8. Finally, in your mind complete 10 skills in game situations. Imagine playing at different venues against different opposition. See what you would see. Hear what you would hear. Feel what you would feel. As you successfully complete the skill this time imagine the reaction of teammates, coaches and anyone else watching. Enjoy the sense of satisfaction and achievement as you imagine being successful. The brain is very good at generalizing and adapting. You dont have to practice in real life from every conceivable angle in every imaginable weather condition on all different pitch surfaces just to improve. Neither is that necessary when rehearsing mentally. Keep this exercise fun by changing the scenario or the conditions slightly each time.
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2. Next, think of someone whom you admire and who is considered one of the best in your chosen skill. If you can obtain some video footage of them it makes the technique even more effective. 3. Watch the video footage of the skill several times closely. It might be David Beckham taking one of his famous free kicks for example. 4. Now close your eyes, take a few deep breaths to relax and watch your role model perform the skill as though you are watching from a distance. Pay attention to the surroundings as well as the actual player you are modelling. Run this mini movie several times in your head 5. Now starting from the beginning of the skill, mentally pause the movie in your mind. Imagine stepping into their body like putting on a new suit of clothes. Look down at your hands and feet as you realise that you are inside the body of your role model. Repeat the skill from this new perspective and notice how it feels, what you see and hear. Run through this whole process (steps 1 to 5) about 10 times. The human brain is very good at picking up subtle changes in the body language of other people. Even if you are not consciously aware of it, you will be able to recognise the movement patterns and posture that are characteristic of your role model. Using this technique, you can transfer what you see on the outside to what it feels like internally and that will help you perform the skill just like them!
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mental cues to concentrate on during the game. One of the most effective ways is to ask yourself a series of questions throughout the match: Where is the ball right now? Where is the ball going next? Where is my marker? Where is the best position for me to be right now?
Write down a 3 - 4 questions and memorize them. Set a goal for one of your games just to notice your thoughts. If you find your mind wandering, if you start talking to yourself about something irrelevant, get your focus back on the game by asking your questions.
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I am right at the top of my game or This game is easy, I feel so fit and full of energy. The first key to affirmations is that they must mean something to you. Dont use perfect grammatical English if that isnt how you speak. Pick phrases that inspire you three or four is enough. Memorize them and then use them often during the course of a game. The second key point to making affirmations work is to say them to yourself with a strength and certainty. Dont just repeat them in a mundane, monotone voice. Put some enthusiasm and energy into it! Finally, one of the best affirmations is to say, I am and then add the name of someone you really admire that plays the game. As you say I am. adding the name of the player, act as if you are actually that player. Move the way they do, talk to teammates in the same way you think they would. Really try to mimic your role model.
Im no good with my left / right foot I always get nervous before a game Im not fit enough. Im not as fit as the others Im too old I always mess up in trials I never play to the best of my ability I cant play in that position Im really injury prone
2. Choose one belief to work on and then think of a positive belief that will support your game. It should be something you can at least accept. For example if you hold the belief Im too small rather than saying Im really tall which you wont accept, you might choose to believe Im good enough to play against any opposition or I use my physical strength and determination better than any player I know which is why I stand out. A good way to state a positive belief is to suggest improvement. So for example, instead of saying Im easily good enough to get a scholarship you might want to state Im good enough to get a scholarship right now and every day Im getting better and better. 3. Think of the evidence that backs up your old belief. What past experiences support the belief that you cant play in a particular position for example? Recreate that memory and scramble it as in technique #3. Now think of another piece of evidence and do the same. Once you have scrambled all the memories and evidence that supports your old belief you can replace it with a new, empowering belief. Sometimes a belief might be based on something other than personal experience. If you believe you are too old for example, it might be based on things youve read or heard rather than someone telling you, you were too old. In this situation just imagine a few scenarios that epitomizes your belief. Imagine being rejected because of your age. Imagine well-meaning friends telling you to give up and focus on something else because youre too old. Then scramble those thoughts. 4. Now think of some evidence that backs up your new belief. This can be based on specific memories or you might want to create new scenarios in your mind. State your new belief to yourself and then run through the evidence in your mind in vivid detail. For example, if your new belief is I always perform in pressure situations and I love the challenge of a trial then see yourself performing superbly well in a trial. If youve ever performed well in any kind of trial in the past, even when you were very young, recreate that memory in vivid detail. 5. Spend the next few days stating your new belief to yourself and then vividly imagining evidence that supports it.
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