#Mental skills for soccer players how to#
“They have to figure out how to work together when they can’t hear the coach’s voice.” Likewise, Dr.
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“I’ve worked with teams where we just pump in this chaotic music during practice,” Mr. Mental skills coaches might also devise “ pressure training” regimens that induce the anxiety athletes will face in competition. What will it feel like to stand on the podium? What kinds of sounds will you hear in the auditorium? Stress yourself out - on purpose. If you have an upcoming challenge, like giving a speech, you can use this strategy by imagining yourself reeling off the talk from start to finish, incorporating as many sensory details as you can. Regular practice of this type of sensory-based imagery technique, some studies suggest, can in some cases improve sport performance as much as a similar amount of physical practice - without putting any strain on the body. Hacker sometimes asked players to do it at the arena while wearing their uniforms, gripping onto their sticks, and inhaling the smell of the ice rink - but not necessarily moving their bodies. To make this mental rehearsal more realistic, Dr. Hacker worked with the 2018 women’s Olympic ice hockey team, she had them repeatedly imagine specific moves they’d need to perform in competition. One of the most popular mental skills techniques is imagery training, where athletes picture themselves executing key plays - driving a soccer ball toward a goal or reeling off a flawless dive - in the hours, days, weeks and months before a big competition while calling the sounds, smells and atmosphere of competition to mind. Here are some of the strategies mental skills trainers teach, and how to apply them to your own life. And many Olympic athletes have credited them for their success. Today, hundreds of elite-level athletes and teams - from swimmers to field hockey players to those in the N.F.L. But in recent years, the field has gained more recognition as scientific research has demonstrated its benefits.
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One of its pioneers, the sport psychologist Coleman Griffith, helped boost the mental readiness of the Chicago Cubs in the 1930s.
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Mental skills coaching has been around since the early 20th century. “But you also have to have the personality to be able to deliver them.” “You can have all the science, all the evidence-based tools in your arsenal,” said Jean Williams, an Arizona-based sport psychologist who has worked as a mental skills consultant. “It’s teaching the foundational skills that train your brain to perform under pressure.”Īnd many of the best are skilled translators, who cull the latest research for ideas and then convey them to clients in a direct, memorable way. Mental skills training is “a combination of counseling, support and coaching,” said Brian Alexander, a San Diego-based mental skills coach who is also working with Olympic athletes in Tokyo.
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While regular coaching might involve leading athletes in repetitive drills and scrimmages, mental skills coaches supply athletes with a suite of psychological tips and tricks to instill a winning mind-set, like sharpening on-field focus, brushing up confidence and winnowing distractions. From her home in Tacoma, Wa., she counsels them on things like how to avoid choking under pressure, how to tune out media chatter and how to quell stomach butterflies. team have added another routine to their pregame checklist - virtual or in-person check-ins with an on-call mental skills coach.Ĭolleen Hacker, a psychological consultant who has coached America’s top athletes for more than 25 years, fields rapid-fire inquiries via Zoom, text and email from her Olympic clients at all hours. When you imagine an Olympic athlete preparing for competition, you might picture them doing typical athlete things: running in place, stretching, making circles with their arms and wrists.