Mental Strength: The Mindset of a Champion
SoccerToday columnist Dan Abrahams is a sports psychologist who works with professional soccer players, teams, coaches, and organizations globally.
Sports psychologist Dan Abrahams on the importance of mental strength and asks the Most Important Question in Soccer … “What will you do if it’s going wrong?”
This is one of the most important questions I can ask a player who’s a few days away from a game. At first glance, it appears negative, but it is, in fact, positive, adaptive, and powerful. It’s one that is imperative for all players to be asked or to ask themselves. 
I often find the question can be greeted with a fearful expression, an uncertainty. “I’m not sure I can think about that, Dan … I mean, I don’t want the game to go wrong.”
THE CAPACITY TO DEAL WITH FAILURE IS ESSENTIAL
Well, let me tell you, if there’s a sure thing in sports, it’s this: you’re going to make a mistake at some point. Your opponent will get the better of you at some point. You will engage in moments of poor play. Adversity is inevitable.
In a sport like soccer, where seconds count and where inner feelings of failure can take hold and deplete confidence in milliseconds, the capacity to deal with failure is a critical essential skill.
“WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IF IT’S GOING WRONG?”
That capacity, that capability, starts by answering the question I’ve posed (along with some others) – “What are you going to do if it goes wrong? What are you going to do if you make mistakes and experience failure? What are you going to do if your team mates fail? What are you going to do if your opposition is on fire?”
I asked a defender this question, and she was open to answering. She got it! She told me that she would maintain strong body language no matter what happened on the field. She had a few keywords that she’d be able to persuade herself with, and she’d retain her focus on the striker she was marking…no matter what!
A neat combination of controllable tasks and specific mental strategies. Nice!
For her Saturday game, I asked her this important question on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I requested that she affirm her techniques and strategies. On Thursday, she texted me off her own back and reinforced her answer. Then, on Friday, I asked her again.
The competitive brain indeed does require some priming.
And so what happened during the game on Saturday? Early in the first half, the striker she was defending against latched onto a through ball and on the half volley rifled the ball into the roof of the net. The defender (my client) hadn’t done much wrong, but she’d just let the striker get half a yard (maybe even less) ahead of her. It was a disappointing goal to concede, but what happened next counted…
A wave to teammates to acknowledge the situation, head up, standing tall, and a few mouthed words to settle. From kick-off she was back into the game. Commanding and demanding her backline, for the next 80 minutes she had the same striker in her pocket. A strong defensive display signed, sealed and delivered.
The game finished one-all, and sure she’d made a slight error early, but that’s sport and that’s soccer. She’d shown the mental flexibility to play the remainder of the game with on-task attention, optimal intensity and a confident, positive intent.
How come?
Many reasons, but not least because she had primed her brain to be ready for any of the ugly ‘stuff’ that can happen during a game. She was open to the most challenging question of all:
“What are you going to do if it’s going wrong?”
Are you open to that question? Do you have an answer you can use come game day? If not, start brainstorming. Grab a pen and paper and start thinking about how you’d like to respond to adversity. What will that look like? What will others see? What’s the ideal response for you?
By becoming a student of your mindset, you’ll give yourself a better chance to deal with the small moments of error and failure when they inevitably come.
That will help you become a more complete player …
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.
