The importance of sport psychology in soccer is becoming increasingly well recognised with many professional clubs employing psychologists. Sport psychology is sometimes called mental preparation or training, mind games, or mind over matter. The aim is for the team to play soccer at peak performance in every match.
Mental training or sport psychology is no substitute for skills, and it is vital to emphasise the importance of skills, particularly when coaching youth Soccer. Since the main aim of psychological training is to attain peak performance, it will not help much if your peak performance is poor!
The first step is to decide what you want to achieve. Do you have a dream that you wish to make a reality? It's important to discover what motivates you, and to write down a mission statement or creed to provide motivation.
Goals should be set for the long term, short term, and daily. A simple example of a goal is to obtain a regular place in the school team, or the town or county team. A daily goal might be to run an extra quarter mile, or to learn a new skill. A short term goal might be to run an extra five miles, score a certain number of goals, or master a set of new skills. It is important to set realistic goals. Becoming a professional soccer player is a wish of many young soccer players, but few are successful. It is better to set challenging, but achievable short-term goals.
After setting goals and finding out what motivates you, there are several perfomance-enhancing techniques to help achieve those goals:
Sport psychology preformance-enhancing techniques in soccer are increasingly well recognised for their value. Having discovered what motivates you ( volition ), found a mission or creed, and set goals, there are several perfomance-enhancing techniques to help achieve these goals. These include relaxation and breathing techniques, mental imagery, concentration and focus, positive self-talk, and confidence building.
Better Breathing increases blood flow, improves the circulation, reduces risk of injury, and decreases the recovery time after a match or training session. Two useful techniques are circle breathing and progressive relaxation. Clear the mind of all distractions, and relax. Then, breathe slowly in through the nose from the centre of the body, which is behind the belly button, drawing air upwards to fill the lungs. Breathe in for about four seconds, hold for about two seconds, and then breathe slowly out for four seconds. Repeat 5-10 times. |
