Dan Abrahams on Vital Mental Skills for an Incredible 2015 Soccer Season
SoccerToday’s columnist Dan Abrahams shares his insights and advice for success on the soccer field for players of all ages. A global sport psychologist and author specializing in soccer, Abrahams is based in England and works with professional soccer players in the English Premier League (EPL). Abrahams has helped hundreds of soccer players – many of them who play in the English Premier League (EPL) and others who play across Europe. A recent example of his work includes helping Yannick Bolasie make an enormous impact on the EPL for Crystal Palace. Abrahams has held contracts with QPR, Fulham, and West Ham among other clubs and works quietly, behind the scenes with many coaches from top clubs across Europe.
Here are New Year’s Resolutions for Soccer:
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A new year – 2015 – and a time to dwell on excellence for your soccer in the 365 days to come. What does this excellence look like? What can you improve upon? Here are some ideas.
Just as your psychology affects your physiology, so your physiology affects your psychology.
In 2015 use your body to help you sustain high performance. When you run onto the pitch with the goal of keeping great body language you are essentially managing yourself. You are dictating the type of hormones you will release as you compete. Great body language – staying tall, upbeat, on your toes, strong and powerful helps you release dopamine, adrenaline and testosterone. These are your high performance hormones. The release of these chemicals helps you experience a performance high. They help you feel great – and feeling great is half the battle won in soccer.
Feeling great helps ignite the front part of your brain – the part that dictates how intelligently you play. Feeling great helps you sustain effort and focus and confidence. Feeling great helps you play as an effective team mate.
In 2015 strive to keep incredible body language every second of every game. Ask your coach or one o your parents to watch out for how you hold yourself as you play. If you make a mistake do you hold great body language? If you go a goal down do you hold great body language? Put keeping superior body language at the forefront of your mind as you play, and your performance will take care of itself.
Be Relentless with Confident Self-Talk
Champions don’t listen to themselves, they talk to themselves. I often say to my clients – talk through your game. Your self-talk is as important as your feet in soccer. Constantly talk back to any negatives you may experience on the pitch. Make your inner voice loud and energised. Use it to stay focused and confident. Use it to help you relax and use it to help you compete at the right intensity. Use it to self-instruct and use it to problem solve.
>SPOT the bad thoughts and squash them dead by talking confidently to yourself. Be relentless with this. Be non stop. Make your inner voice your best and biggest fan. Make your inner voice your own personal coach. Make 2015 all about your self-talk Become World class at using this mental skill to help you play with confidence, with intelligence, with passion and with an eye on being the very best player you can be every second of every game.
Watch The Ball Less
I was recently having a conversation at a football conference with one of the leading coaches on the plnet, a German coach called Bodo Menze. Bodo has produced many players for the German National Team within his role as Head of Academy at Schalke Football Club.
I talked to Bodo about one of my many theories on the development of footballers. I told him that I thought the ball was a distraction for players – the brain is attracted to the most important thing in its environment and, when you’re on the pitch that tends to be the ball. Bodo was fascinated with this piece of neuroscience and agreed, that ball watching is one of the big problems that hold soccer players back.
In 2015 strive to stop focusing so much on the ball. Remember, 99% of the time you are on the pitch you won’;t be in contact with the ball. It’s your movement, the movement of the opposition, the space around you – those are the important elements of the game.
Watch The Players More
Watch more soccer on TV and on the internet. Go to soccer school everyday – just for 5 or 10 minutes a day – to learn from the soccer greats.
The key here is to watch the players and not the ball. As difficult as it is ignore the ball – forget the game. Focus on the behaviours and actions of the players. Focus on their movement, the runs they make, their body shape. Focus on their decision making. Think about their thinking.
Enjoy the process of learning from them. Put yourself in their boots., Imagine yourself on the pitch playing in front of thousands of people. Run the kilometres with them. Make the decisions they make. Make your inner images big and bold and bright. Play with freedom in your mind and store the intelligent plays you are watching.
In 2015 strive to become a student of the game. Watch your favorite players – don’t just look – REALLY watch! Stare! Think about them! Think about their game and let it settle deep in your mind. Be them to become them….
Dan Abrahams is a global sport psychologist specializing in soccer. He is based in England and has some of the leading turn-around stories and case studies in English Premier League history.
Abrahams is sought after by players, coaches and managers across Europe and his 2 soccer psychology books are international bestsellers. He is formerly a professional golfer, is Lead Psychologist for England Golf and he holds a degree in psychology and masters degree in sport psychology. Abrahams books be purchased from Amazon.com or from his website.
