Mental Toughness When Playing in Bad Weather
Do you expect to lose or have an off day because of the less-than-optimal weather or field conditions? Most players may not like playing in the pouring rain or hot days.
However, competing in unfavorable conditions can give you a significant advantage if you develop a mentally tough mindset.
For example, when playing in hot temperatures, many players will focus on the heat and how much they hate playing in sweltering weather. These players won’t be excited to compete even before the game starts. As the game progresses, they will be focused on how tired they feel.
If you understand the mental impact adverse weather or subpar field conditions have on some players, you can take advantage of these opportunities.
There is an appropriate phrase that summarizes the best approach for these types of games, “Like it or not, learn to love it!” Instead of complaining about game time conditions, tell yourself, “I don’t mind playing in hot weather. This is my advantage. When they are tired, I will continue to be aggressive and hustle.”
The same is true of playing in the rain. While the opposing team is miserable, you will gain an edge if you approach the game with a mentally tough mindset.
When the other team is apprehensive, your mentality will allow you to be aggressive and exploit their negative mindset.
The USWNT advanced to the 2024 W Gold Cup final after beating Canada in torrential rain that made the pitch almost unplayable. The game ended 2-2 after extra time before the USWNT won in a penalty shootout.
Both teams questioned the decision to play in conditions where the weather and field conditions prevented the ball from rolling freely. USWNT captain Lindsey Horan hailed the team’s mentally tough mindset for overcoming the weather and Canada to win the semi-final match.
HORAN: “A little bit of frustration from me – it’s not a day that you can play football! It’s really unfortunate, but at the end of the day I think me and Jessie [Fleming] were like ‘ok, we’ve got to move forward and we’ve got to play’. It is what it is and we played on… That’s back to that U.S. mentality that we’ve been talking about that we needed, and it’s in us.”
The internal conversations soccer players have with themselves determine their mentality. Some players on the pitch were frustrated and adversely affected by the rain and field conditions.
However, the USWNT’s mentally tough thought process, which Horan summarized as “It is what it is; we’ve got to move forward,” paid off.
The key to competing in unfortunate conditions is to control what you can and stay mentally engaged in the task at hand.
A mentally tough mindset will always give you an advantage in any playing condition.
The key to competing in poor conditions is to talk yourself into playing mentally tough. Knowing that nothing will hold you back from competing gives you a significant mental edge over your competition.
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- How To Overcome The Fear Of Failure In Soccer
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