How to use the latest in sports psychology to improve your soccer game

A varsity soccer player heads the ball toward the goal to put his team ahead by one. With more than 20 minutes to go, the players on the team behind start to lower their heads. Their body language, sloping shoulders, slow walking, and frustrated and angry expressions convey their temporary lack of resilience. The speed with which they can recover from this setback is the key to their success. Do they give in to their disappointment, let it turn into resignation, and slow down ever so slightly? Or do they use their anger to stoke the fires of the competition and redouble their efforts to score and tie the game?

Psychology is beginning to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding sports performance in general and soccer in particular. This article looks at three recent findings in sport psychology and how they can best be applied to soccer.

Focus on playing to potential, not winning

For example, players who make predictions about who will win the next game enjoy the game less than those who do not. By predicting the outcome of the game, you create the possibility of being wrong and thus lead to the anticipation of regret. This anticipation of being wrong puts more pressure on the player to perform. As we know, too much pressure can take a player out of the zone (where performance is maximized) and lead to mediocre performance.

A better approach is detachment, where players don’t get too attached to the idea of ​​winning or losing. Soccer players can control one thing: their own game. By focusing the team on playing to their best individual and team potential, and lessening the focus on winning, the team plays more relaxed and effective football.

Know your players for better penalty kicks

Another finding shows that some people are looking for potential earnings in general and on the soccer field. Other people spend their efforts trying to thwart the negative results. So, one group seeks to maximize profits, while the other group seeks to minimize losses. Soccer coaches can identify this tendency in individual players and use it to develop their players’ potential. For example, when preparing players for penalty shootouts, coaches can talk to players looking to maximize gains (usually forwards and some midfielders) and tell them to focus on scoring. On the other hand, coaches can prepare those looking to minimize turnovers (usually full-backs) by telling them to focus on not missing the shot. These are individualized messages that can go through the shooter’s head as he prepares to take the PK, which will increase the chance of success during the firefight.

Use mirror neurons to your advantage

Ultimately, soccer players become better simply by watching world-class players. There is a ‘mirror system’ in the human brain that responds to actions we observe, such as Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a goal with a heel kick or scissoring. This system in the brain has been shown in brain scan studies to be activated when the individual is watching a sport or activity in which he participates. However, the mirror system does not activate for a dancer looking at a soccer player. The mirror system is only activated for people who have been trained in the particular sport being viewed. We have known for over 50 years that visualization is useful for improving sports performance (starting with slalom skiing in the 1950s). Science is discovering that the brain also learns by observing the experts. Although no muscle movement occurs in the observer, the brain acts as if the body is replicating the movements that are made while watching Ronaldo. The same pattern of neurons fires when Ronaldo is seen executing a bicycle kick as it is when the player himself kicks it. There is a chance that players can hone their skills during injuries by watching professional soccer matches, YouTube highlights of their favorite players, and attending live matches.

There are a number of things that psychology can contribute to sport in general and football in particular. Try incorporating some of these suggestions into your game or training and see the results. Above all, have fun. Football is above all a game!