Mental Strength: The Mindset of a Champion
Soccer Players – Football is feeling. Not Sure? Read on.
Soccer Players: Football is emotion – a sensation that rips through your body. It is a vibe, an air, a bodily instinct.
“Learn to think, train and play like the best soccer players in the world, from the man who works with them.”
Dan Abrahams – The Fragility of Feelings
WHAT IMPACTS A PLAYER’S PERFORMANCE?
The Coach’s Confidence.
Your external sensations – the speed of your boots, the sharpness in your movement, the penetration of the runs you make, your ability to find and use that space – are heavily influenced by how you feel going into the game.
Remember, lacking confidence can lead to hesitation, missed opportunities, and reduced overall effectiveness.
Take a little time to reflect back on a game when you played at your best, or close to your best. No doubt you were confident, but where did that confidence come from? Where did you experience that sensation of confidence?
WHEN YOU REMEMBER BACK TO THOSE MOMENTS ON THE PITCH, I THINK YOU WILL REALIZE THAT THE CONFIDENCE WAS SPREAD THROUGHOUT YOUR BODY.
Confidence flows and surges through your muscles and joints from head to toe.
- The feeling of confidence flows through your feet — lightness — like you are treading on hot coals and don’t want to burn yourself.
- The feeling of confidence through your head – focus – eyes quickly shifting between the ball, your teammates, the opposition and the space.
- The feeling of confidence in your chest – strength – desire, determination and discipline.
- The feeling of confidence impacts every motion executed and every thought perceived.
Just like confidence, energy is also a feeling. Being relentless is a feeling. Urging yourself on is a feeling. Pushing yourself forward in that last lung-busting ten minutes is driven by a feeling …
A FOOTBALLER FEELS DYNAMIC, FEELS STRONG, FEELS VIGOROUS, FEELS CONFIDENT – OR NOT.
Energy may be built from fitness, but it is reinforced by thoughts and actions on a moment-by-moment and hour-by-hour basis.
Get little sleep, and you will find yourself de-energized. Eat the wrong foods, and you will feel a lack of energy as well.
Confidence and energy are feelings that are collected from many sources. They are influenced by how you direct your attention and the actions you display to the outside world.
It is an intentional balancing act.
This article is an excerpt from Soccer Tough II
A global sports psychologist and author specializing in soccer, Dan Abrahams is based in England and works with professional soccer players in the English Premier League (EPL). Abrahams has worked with hundreds of soccer players – many who play in the English Premier League (EPL). From working with players at Crystal Palace, QPR, Fulham, and West Ham among others, Abrahams counsels players on how to play at peak performance. Abrahams has authored several books and has a Soccer Academy as well.
