Mental Preparation for Soccer, England vrs Slovenia World Cup 2010
England needed to improve their game to make it through to the final sixteen in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The disappointing results of their previous first-round matches had led to supporters booing them off the pitch and as a team, they appeared to be buckling under pressure. So, with the pressure of everything riding on their final first-round match, where did their winning performance come from? Was it just a simple case of things coming good on the day or was something different about their physical and mental preparation that helped them to pull together as a team and then pull a great performance out of the bag?
Much has been made in the press of England’s “pre-match beer” and manager Fabio Capello’s relaxation of his alcohol ban. Capello said, “They were allowed to drink beer before the game, you can ask them. It’s true. I changed something and used my imagination.” From a sports psychology point of view, the key word in Capello’s statement is “changed.”
Ringing the changes
If you want things to be different; if you want your circumstances to change, you have to do something different, you have to make changes. If you continue to do the same things, you continue to get the same results. Clearly, England’s results were below expectation so something had to change. Capello said he used his “imagination” and that demonstrates beautifully the importance of not only doing things differently but also of thinking about things differently. Pre-match preparation is not just physical, mental preparation is equally important and in England’s case, it proved crucial.
Capello’s managing style is described as “strict.” In interviews, the players have commented on his insistence that rules must be adhered to and his inflexibility was rumoured to be causing friction in the England camp. But, Capello himself commented that the team he saw out on the pitch in England’s first two matches was not the team he knew. He said the players in that team had “no spirit” but after their winning third match performance he said, “I have my team back.” As manager, he recognised the need for change. He recognised that continuing to do things the same way would cause the players to think and therefore perform the same way: a way that was holding the team back from achieving its true potential.
“The ability to summon positive human emotions during periods of intense stress lies at the heart of effective leadership” - Jim Loehr
Jim Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist. He believes the key to team success lies in ensuring every player is “fully engaged.” Players who are fully engaged bring their best energy to the team. He says, “Full engagement is the pathway to extraordinary performance.” Players who are not fully engaged bring negative energy to the team, they become “disengaged” and in sports psychology terms, the end result is a team without team spirit. Familiar?
Taking control
Breaking the routine by relaxing the “rules” appears to have been the “change” the England team players needed. In fact, whether the players chose to down a shandy or two is immaterial, as I believe it was simply having the option that made the difference. In terms of mental preparation, relaxing the rules gave back ‘freedom of choice.’ Up until that point, the players appeared to have forgotten that the only person who could choose whether they should be fully engaged or disengaged on the pitch was themselves. Maybe it was the beer that boosted their performance but I suspect it was the change in Capello’s approach that prompted the return of England’s team spirit. Makes me wonder what rules might be relaxed next?
“It’s not the sex which tires out young players, it’s the staying up all night looking for it”
- Clemens Westerhof, Nigeria manager 1994 World Cup
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World Cup 2010, Who would be a Goalie ? Dealing with mistakes.
Even if you have no interest in soccer, there’s every chance you’ve heard of Robert Green. But, in case you’ve been hiding out in a cave to escape the 2010 FIFA World Cup football frenzy, Robert Green is the England goalkeeper who fumbled the ball pretty spectacularly, allowing a run of the mill shot at goal by Clint Dempsey of the USA to hit the back of the net. The result was a 1 - 1 draw in a match that England could have won. So how do you put a mistake you’ve made in front of the whole world behind you; how do you move on when the world’s press are having a field day at your expense, and you’re now the butt of every global text and email joke in circulation? In this case, mental preparation will be key.
Robert Green didn’t let his mistake upset the rest of his game. His mental preparation allowed him to put it instantly behind him and to focus on the job in hand. He said, “I didn’t let it affect my performance. It’s about mental strength and worse things have happened to people. You go through mental preparation the night before a game and prepare for moments of trauma in a game when it happens.” His ability to pick up the pieces and perform well for the rest of the game clearly demonstrated his strength of character and the effectiveness of his mental skill training. But what happens next?
Could the negative press surrounding Green’s performance have an effect on his next performance? Mistakes are only ever mistakes if we can’t learn from them and move on. Judging by his post-match statements, he’s already there: “It was my mistake and I’m responsible. I’ve made errors before and I’ve been big enough to get over them, and I will this one.” One thing is for sure, his mental preparation for the next match will be absolutely crucial to his performance.
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World Cup 2010: Mental Skills Matters
It takes physical and mental skills to cope with the intense pressures created by top level international competition, so only those in peak physical and mental condition will survive. England have not won the World Cup since 1966 - that’s 44 years ago - yet every English team in every World Cup tournament ever since has continued to carry the hopes and dreams of every loyal English fan who believes the team of that year will be THE team to bring the World Cup trophy home gain. That’s a lot of added pressure in an already high pressure environment.
The game of football has changed since 1966 so there seems little value in making any sort of comparison between then and now but in the build up to every World Cup tournament, that’s precisely what every newspaper, website, and TV show will do. In 1966 the England team manager was Alf Ramsey, a man described at the time as “urbane and stubborn.” Every England manager since 1966 has been compared to and judged by Ramsey’s standards - remember, that’s 44 years ago! - so the legacy of the big win lives on, but is it a good thing for the England team today?
Today, it takes considerable mental skill to remain “stubborn” and to have unwavering courage in your convictions when an entire nation are at liberty to tell you you’re doing it wrong. Current England manager Fabio Capello clearly understands the power of mental skills training. He says, “In my career as a manager, I’ve built teams, worked with teams, worked with players, and always I’ve been focused to win. That’s all that matters to me…in my mind we play to win.” Mental skills training matters. It takes self-belief and a positive mental attitude to maintain a winning mentality in the face of constant criticism.
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Sport Psychology Essential Elements
The Best Team Won
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” Pele
The ‘healthy mind, healthy body’ philosophy dates back to ancient Greek and Chinese civilisations. The study of sport psychology and how the mind affects a sportsperson’s body has developed in much more recent times but, even without such deep historical roots, it has grown quickly into a recognised and significant part of the science of sports performance.
In its widest sense, sport psychology encompasses all areas of exercise, fitness and leisure, not just competitive sport, but in terms of competition results, what are the factors that lead us to the conclusion that the best team won on the day?
The team holding the trophy are undoubtedly the winners but there’s much more to getting your hands on the prize than simply turning up on the day and hoping you play better than the other team. Without appropriate levels of fitness and physical preparation, the chances of playing well are instantly limited but equal emphasis must also be placed upon mental fitness and preparation if a top performance is to be realised.
Here are some frequently heard comments made by sports commentators:
“He seems to be struggling to find his form today.”
The winner, “…just wanted it more.”
“They’re all over the place; there doesn’t seem to be any spirit in the team.”
“There’s no sparkle; she seems to be just going through the motions.”
“His focus would appear to be on picking fights with officials rather than on his game.”
“That missed shot seems to have shaken his confidence; he’s struggled to regain concentration since then.”
Now here’s a list of proven sport psychology, or mental skill, techniques that can help to ensure those comments are never true of your own or your team’s performance:
Goal Setting
Setting a course towards the ‘big event’ and progressively working through a series of lesser events, or smaller goals strategically placed in a training schedule, will ensure you achieve your peak performance when it really counts.
Understanding Motivation
By learning what motivates you, you can prepare a training schedule that will keep you going even when the going gets tougher! Understanding motivation is an important part of the goal setting process.
Understanding ‘Mindset’
In a nutshell, the term ‘Mindset’ describes an individual’s view of who and what they are. A person with a ‘fixed mindset’ holds the belief that they are what they are and nothing will change that. A person with a ‘growth mindset’ holds the belief that change is always possible and that nothing is set in stone. In a sports environment, a fixed mindset leaves no room for learning new skills or improving performance through making changes. It could also lead to a successful athlete resting on their laurels in the mistaken belief that they don’t need to work at their skills - as they’re a given! Promoting a growth mindset is therefore of vital importance if athletes are to thrive through continued learning and the mastering of new skills.
Developing Team Spirit
‘There’s no I in team,’ or so the saying goes. There’s also a great comedy come-back to that line that goes, ‘But there are four in platitude quoting idiot.’ It goes without saying that an effective team must devote a large proportion of training time to the actual physical practise of perfecting their skills as a unit. However, an effective coach will also recognise the need to utilise the learned skills of goal setting and understanding motivation for each individual player if a winning team is to be formed.
Visualisation
Learning how to visualise a positive outcome under any set of circumstances is key to preparing any sportsperson in any sport for the pressures of competition. A vision of exactly what it takes to create a winning performance must be clear in the athlete’s mind’s-eye and there should be no surprises on the day! Negative external factors such as poor weather or noisy crowds will no longer have the power to break concentration or focus when visualisation techniques, along with the ability to use positive self-talk, have been mastered.
Here’s the question, “Why are some athletes able to rise to the occasion and perform well under pressure when others seem to lose the plot?”
The answer? Ask a sports psychologist!
© Don MacNaughton 2009
What You See Is What You Get
Visualisation One of the 7 Keys to Peak Performance
Usain Bolt, gold medal winner in the 100 metres at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has just confirmed his status as the fastest man on earth by sprinting to victory at the 2009 Athletics World Championships in a new world record time of 9.58 seconds.
In a track side interview, he said of his seemingly effortless performance, “I just visualised and then executed my plan.”
Visualisation is a technique used by many top class athletes and could be described as skill training for the mind. Basically, you get to relax in a comfortable position and just think about your sport - sounds easy! Obviously to be effective, visualisation must be practised alongside a physical training programme for the rest of the body.
Also known as mental rehearsal or imagery, thinking about an activity stimulates the brain to send electrical signals to the muscles involved just as if the action was really taking place but without any actual movement. We all know the saying, ‘practise makes perfect,’ so one of the major benefits of using visualisation is that the pattern of movements needed to create a successful action can be practised without the muscles suffering physical fatigue in the process.
As in all areas of life, the key to success is combining thinking positive thoughts with powerful actions. Competitive athletes use visualisation to prepare themselves for every eventuality at an event so that nothing on the day can throw a spanner in the works! They can prepare for noisy crowds, poor weather, and even for their performance not being up to scratch by creating a positive outcome for every situation. British javelin thrower Steve Backley is reported to have prepared by imagining himself to be in the last round of a major competition, in a losing position and with only one throw left. This could be viewed as a fairly negative situation but visualisation allowed him to ‘see’ his final throw being technically perfect and winning him the medal.
Another benefit of learning this technique is that ‘training’ can continue throughout the year. Most sports have a season but visualisation can be practised at any time and is particularly useful during periods when physical training may be less intensive. Athletes tapering for a major competition can reduce the risk of over-training by using mental imagery to remain focussed and injured athletes can keep ‘muscle memory’ active by continuing to train through their minds. Champion golfer Jack Nicklaus has often said that he never takes a shot, in training or in competition, without first of all seeing that shot through his mind’s eye and there are many other top players in a variety of sports who all agree that their winning performances are ‘seen’ many times before they become realities.
Visualising yourself crossing the finish line ahead of Usain Bolt may not be entirely realistic but it’s not impossible: train appropriately, think positively and what you see is what you get!
New Course…The Winning Edge
The Winning Edge - How to Play to Win
A one-day course for all athletes and coaches exploring the edge that separates great performance from good performance; Masters from Apprentices and that makes the difference between participating and competing. So often, the difference in sporting excellence is the mental edge. In this one-day course, you will be given cutting edge NLP skills, techniques and models that will raise your performance to the next level, in a way which will show you how to learn, develop and succeed in a competitive environment.
The course will cover:
• Visualisation for performance success
• Managing your emotions to enter “the zone”
• Greater confidence and self-belief to blast through limitations
• How to overcome performance anxiety
• The secrets to setting and achieving goals
Course to be led by Donald MacNaughton and co-trainer Robbie Steinhouse with Tony Felix
Robbie Steinhouse’s take on NLP and the human dimension of performance stems from his career creating and running businesses in recruitment, property and insurance - now run by an independent management team. A dynamic entrepreneur and motivator, he is an NLP University Certified Trainer and an ICF Certified Coach.
Tony Felix - 33 years of martial arts training and 20 years teaching the arts led to him represent the UK in Kung Fu and Tai Chi. Tony attributes his success to using modern sports performance coaching techniques to enhance traditional martial practices.
Donald MacNaughton
Donald’s’ approach utilising group work and one-to-one sessions supports teams and individuals to perform at their absolute best and unleashes potential to achieve powerful and lasting results. His own personal energy, humour and ability to empower sports coaches and players from youth through to 1st teams has won him work with some of the UK’s top sports organisations including the Scottish Football Association, Rugby Football League, Loughborough College and Snowsport GB. As well as world and national class athletes in sports such as football, skiing, golf, sailing, rock-climbing, snowboarding, rugby and football
Eric Black - First team coach with Sunderland AFC. Explains what Donald MacNaughton was able to do for him.
“Working with Donald MacNaughton of Zoned In Performance has added another dimension to my football coaching. The feedback model has given me a tool to use which allows players to take self-responsibility for their performance. Zoned In Performance takes Sport Psychology theory and turns it into usable and effective skills for any coach.”
“I met Donald in July 2005 when I was in the most crucial stages of getting back onto the slopes and qualifying for the Olympics after severely damaging my left knee. I had talked to other sports psychologists and not found them very helpful so I was not convinced Donald could help me either. However, from the first meeting, I knew this would be different. By putting a system to my thoughts and making me realise why I was thinking or feeling how I was, he made me incredibly stronger mentally. This, together with a range of techniques to help me focus before and during my race; he has definitely been a deciding factor that helped me get to the Olympic Winter Games 2006. Thank You!”
Roger Cruickshank Team GB Turin Olympics 2006 Downhill and Super G
“The redesigned BASI theory module for International standard ski instructors and coaches was a resounding success. Completing the week, Donald gave an inspiring, interactive presentation on mental skills for performers and teachers that was pitched perfectly.”
Dave Murrie - British Association of Ski Instructors (B.A.S.I.)
I met Donald 6 years ago and his psychology session on competition preparation really impacted me. He is responsible for me helping to produce 5 British Champions.
Ruaridh MacKenzie Rock-Climbing coach
Date 19th September 2009
Time: 9.30am -5pm
Location: Regents College London
Cost: £95 (Inc vat)
Early Bird discount book by 31st August £74.75(Inc vat)
For more details: e-mail Donald@zonedinperformance.com
Phone: 020 7428 7915.
Web: www.nlpschool.com or www.zonedinperformance.com
Managing and leading soccer teams !
“A manager has to be a coach and psychiatrist, and I like doing both” Gordon Strachan Manager Glasgow Celtic F.C.
Have the skills needed to successfully managing a soccer team changed since the 60/70s ?
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