Taking Practice Confidence To Games
Many athletes seek us out because they have difficulty taking their practice game performance to competition. They develop confidence from practice and training, but when they step onto to the soccer field, practice confidence dwindles fast.
Some athletes simply get trapped in a practice mindset—they over-analyze their skills.
They cannot let go of the practice mindset and forget the REAL purpose of training and practice.
This mindset is common for soccer players who are determined to be the best and are always working to improve their performance. They focus on improving their skills, but don’t know when to stop.
Here are a few common signs you may be stuck in a practice mindset:
- You play with confidence in practice, but fail to exhibit the same levels of performance in games.
- You enjoy practice more than you enjoy the thrill of a close competition.
- When competing, you try to hard to make the “right” decision, make the best pass, or shoot with perfect technique.
- You are overly focused on future improvement. You work too much on fixing what may be wrong so you can play better the next game rather than trying to get the most out of your game today.
- You become very analytical about mistakes and dwell on errors. You spend too much energy trying to fix your technique that you lose sight of the real objective. For example if you miss a shot, you dwell on how it could have been better.
- You simply can’t trust what you have practiced or trained. You are worried about mistakes and so you play safe.
World-class soccer players balance a training mindset with a competition mindset. They are dedicated to training and improving their skills AND have the utmost confidence in their ability when they compete.
During training they work on technique and how to improve, but come game time, they trust the skills they have—they stop analyzing and just play.
You now understand that having a balance of the practice and performance mindsets are necessary to achieve your potential in soccer. It’s fine to strive for perfection and want to improve each day, but when you take this mindset to an extreme, it can cause you to over-think your performance in competition.
Your soccer mental game tip is to let go of practicing your game when it’s time to play in a game.
Have confidence in your training, let go of mistakes, and don’t think about technique until after the game. A “gamer” is an athlete who trusts his or her skills and performs as well or better in competition. This should be any soccer player’s goal.
Performing with trust in competition is just one aspect of having a strong mental game.
Download our free eBook titled “7 ‘Costly’ Mental Game Mistakes That Block Soccer Players’ Success” to learn more.
Learn Mental Game Secrets to Soccer Confidence!
Does your confidence seem to disappear when you go from practice to games and don’t know why? Do you get nervous and anxious in big games or when you are under a ton of pressure? Do you get so frustrated when you make a bad pass which causes your confidence to sink?
Check out Soccer Confidence: Mental Toughness Strategies For a Competitive Edge
Learn proven strategies to improve focus, composure and confidence so you can perform at your peak in games!
Players: Get the mental edge by learning how to take control of your confidence, mentally prepare for games and perform with composure under pressure.
Trainers: Learn how to give your students the mental game advantage.
Coaches: Boost your team’s confidence using simple proven mental strategies.
Parents: Help boost your soccer player’s confidence. Don’t let their mind hold them back any longer.
Soccer Confidence: Mental Toughness Strategies For a Competitive Edge
What are soccer confidence customers saying?
“Our son plays academy level soccer. Jaki taught him how to focus on mini goals for each game and practice, how to lower his expectations and understand that mistakes are necessary to grow as a player, and helped his perfectionism. We saw a noticeable difference within one month with improvement each month thereafter. He was more confident, happy, and was having fun again at soccer. The confidence has helped him off the field as well to not have to be perfect in everything that he attempts. We can’t say enough about how grateful we are for Jaki!”
~Linda Black, Soccer Mom
Do You Make Any of These ‘Costly’ Mental Game Mistakes?
Download our FREE soccer psychology report and discover if you make any of these ‘costly’ mental game mistakes that can block your success.
You’ll discover:
- How your soccer mind can be your best or worst asset on the field.
- How frustration and dwelling are your worst enemy.
- If you are using your soccer mindset effectively before games.
- Learn the important mental game of soccer skills you need to master to boost your confidence and performance.
7 ‘Costly’ Mental Game Mistakes That Block Soccer Players’ Success
What are soccer psychology subscribers saying?
“Dr. Cohn, Michelle had the best weekend of soccer she has ever played. She was relaxed, did not get frustrated with herself or teammates, and never once ‘shut down.’ Numerous parents noticed a difference in her composure and attitude. Thanks again for EVERYTHING…Michelle is in a very good place right now!”
~Diana, Michelle’s Mother
Mental Game Coaching for Soccer Players
Master mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn can help you overcome your mental game issues with personal coaching.
You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
We look forward to helping you improve your mental toughness!
What are our mental coaching students saying?
“Jaki is amazingly talented. She has a pretty cool way of guiding you to find those issues that are holding you back in your game. Through some pretty clever questions she’s been guiding me to discover the real issues behind my doubts and lack of confidence. With the tools she’s been giving me, I can say with full confidence I am on my way of signing a better professional contract.”
~Lucas Gonzales, Professional Soccer Player in Australia
When players are perfectionists, a lot of times is because the coach can not identify on time this mental problem of the player. Or the coach doesn’t know how fix this problem.. as coaches we have to help our players to improve their mental, physical, and psychological aspects of their game. We have to teach our players that this is a game and they should have fun, it’s OK to make mistakes, and you don’t have to play perfect
thanks, COACH FABIAN