NLP Sports Training and Coaching Tips for Performance Coaching

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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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.

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.

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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