I love going to youth soccer games and hearing them chant, “I believe that we will win, I believe that we will win.” I love hearing it, but I always wonder if they truly believe or are they just saying it to intimidate the opposing team. I would like to think the former. As a player, I was amped up for every game. I remember when I was really young I would dream about what I would do in the game, and on the way to the game, I would try to imagine what I would do in certain situations and run through options for those situations in mind. To this day, I mentally-visualize what I would do in upcoming games. Since I usually play forward, I still get goosebumps and my heart pace quickens when I score a goal in my mind.
I’m a big believer that soccer is 90% mental and 10% physical. There are plenty of players out there with great abilities, but if they don’t make the right decisions in practices and games, then their careers will be short-lived. Coaches should encourage their young players to walk/run through games in their mind, before and after games. If they imagine what they would do in certain situations before a game, then they can become mentally prepared for different possibilities that they could face during the game. For post-game mental analysis, players’ usually remember the things they could have done better. This practice could help them mentally-visualize what they could have done differently. I’m sure they will be presented with a similar situation in future games and will be prepared to address it. Performing a mental run-through pre-game can be a group exercise. Performing one post-game is mostly an individual exercise to understand what went right and what can be worked on to avoid errors/mistakes next time.
Coaches should take a chunk out of time in practice to perform a mental run through of the upcoming game(s). I believe this exercise can be performed with players 9 years old and older. Coaches should have their players sit in a tight circle in as quiet an area as possible and close their eyes to eliminate visual stimulation that might interfere with their concentration and focus. The coach should set the stage for the upcoming game. They will have to use storyteller skills and set the scene. They will have to be descriptive as possible; detailing the opponents uniform color, the weather, the field condition, and other factors. Once coaches have set the stage, they should describe a situation in the game were they know the team struggles. The entire game doesn’t have to be mentally visualized, but snapshots of the games. Soccer is a game of decisions and seconds, a culmination of snapshots.
Once the coach sets the scene/stage of the game situation, they should involve the players. The coach would be the moderator and describe what is happening, query players on what they would do depending on where the play is on the field. Players don’t even have to be near the ball in the mental picture, they could still describe where they would move and place themselves. Encourage players to chime on what they are doing at the time. If coaches focus on areas of weakness in the game and do it several times, players will be mentally prepared for those situations when faced with it in the game. One important note is to ensure that players are being realistic and honest in their mental visualizations.
Coaches should perform this mental-visualization exercise several times throughout the season. This would teach players to do it themselves and possibly visualize 2-3 plays ahead and what they would do. If players are mentally prepared to play a game then they start to believe in themselves and their team. They believe that they can win.
SoccerMist 