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Tips for Mental Soccer Training
Joey Bilotta
It's common knowledge that soccer is just as much a mental
game as it is a physical game. Even if players have the best
grasp of fundamentals and the best soccer training, it's worth
nothing if they crack under pressure, or if they have mental,
emotional and lifestyle issues outside of soccer that mess
with their head in-game.
Bouncing back from a poor performance or handling negative
emotions is something that comes from having your head on
right, not just practicing drills up and down the field. If
you want to get ahead of the game, you should spend as much
time training your mind as you do your body.
By learning to manage stress, anxiety and other psychological
aspects of the game, you can excel faster than your peers
who just focus on the mechanics of soccer. Here are a few
soccer training tips to help you do just that.
Soccer tip #1: Visualize the ball
Sure, you kick the ball around every day. But do you imagine
yourself doing it, or do you just do it? Even when you're
not on the field, use mental imagery to "practice" your soccer
training. There are two ways you can do it: external visualization,
where you imagine watching a movie of yourself playing soccer,
or internal visualization, where you imagine playing as though
you are actually doing it. This concept will help familiarize
you with your task until you could do it half-asleep, with
both hands tied behind your back.
Soccer tip #2: Relax, chill out, and calm down
Everybody gets nervous before something like a game or a performance.
Unfortunately, anxiety can also muddle your thinking, which
can cause you to make bad judgments on the field. If you're
alert, but relaxed, you can make decisions better and faster
when you're under pressure. Controlling your anxiety will
go a long way to making you feel more confident in your game,
because you'll know that it won't affect your performance.
Take some time to relax before each game, and you'll find
yourself a lot less stressed.
Soccer tip #3: Focus on your goals
Having both short-term and long-term goals for your soccer
training will motivate you and give you something to strive
for. If things don't seem to be improving and you don't have
any goals, it's easy to get discouraged and consider quitting.
The goals shouldn't be impossible, but they should definitely
challenge you and force you to step up your game. Challenging
yourself is the only way to consistently improve.
Soccer tip #4: Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate
Yes, it's easy to get distracted during a game. However, part
of being a good player is overcoming that. Concentration drills
can help you to improve your concentration and focus completely
on the game. Not every drill works the same for everybody
else. Some people are visual learners, some are audial learners.
Find a drill or a pre-game ritual that works best for you.
By mastering your mental game, you can reduce your anxiety,
overcome negative emotions, bounce back from a bad mistake,
and make playing soccer a more enjoyable experience all around.
The mental soccer training is just as important as the physical,
so don't neglect it. You may be surprised at how you improve.
Joey Bilotta is the vice president of EduKick, a cultural
immersion soccer training program. Every EduKick soccer training
program puts an emphasis on sports psychology to help their
players get the most out of their camps. For more information
on EduKick programs and how a top-notch mental game can help
you, visit http://www.EduKick.com today.
Article Source: ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joey_Bilotta
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