How To Perform Best When Playing in A Soccer Tournament – Play With Focus and Have Fun
When you want to be your best, it takes training, proper preparation, nutrition and hydration to make an impact in any soccer tournament. There is a lot that goes into to performing at an athlete’s peak level. A global sport psychologist and author specializing in soccer, Abrahams is based in England and has helped hundreds of professional soccer players – many of them who play in the English Premier League (EPL). Abrahams knows what it takes and gives pro players advice – the importance of playing with focus.
Recently helping a Crystal Palace player succeed on the field, Abrahams has held contracts with QPR, Fulham, and West Ham United among other clubs and works quietly, behind the scenes with many coaches from top clubs across the Atlantic. Here is Abrahams’ advice for playing in a youth soccer tournament.
Playing tournament soccer can be challenging. Games can be back to back making it a physically and mentally demanding. It can be easy to dwell on poor play and it a player can get carried away on a wave of emotion related to success or failure.
Here are a few simple ideas to help you manage your tournament play.
Fun, freedom and focus
I always ask my players to consider three words that I think are vital for any game of soccer. I want every player, no matter their level, no matter their age to play with fun.
Excellence starts with fun. A man-of-the-match performance starts with a fun mindset.
Being determined and being disciplined starts with a mind attuned to having fun on the pitch. So aim to go have fun.
Fun is a building block to playing with freedom – without tension, worry and doubt.
What does playing freedom look like to you? What does it feel like?
I hope your coach gives you permission to play with freedom – when I say freedom I mean two things. I mean being on your toes, being ready for the next play, being sharp, alert, alive and lively. I mean not weighed down by the burden of fear. Secondly, I mean being given permission to make mistakes.
All soccer players make mistakes – even Ronaldo, even Messi.
If your coach hasn’t mentioned this then I ask you to give yourself permission to make mistakes. Because when you do (and it’s a case of when rather than if), you will have a mindset to simply carry on. Free players carry on no matter what happens. They don’t dwell on the a past mistake. They don’t dwell on going a goal down. They pay with fun and freedom.
Of course you need to be focused as well. A great competitor is focused on each play at hand. Having fun and being free gives you a great platform to play with focus. To further build your soccer stage I want you to pick one or two things you can focus on accomplishing during th game. Make these things controllable.
For example, “Complete my passes” isn’t controllable. “Keeping great body language no matter what” is controllable.
Reaching for the Gold –To perform well in a soccer tournament, you have to play with fun, freedom and focus.
Take One at a Time
A soccer tournament may comprise of a series of game close together or there may be a day’s gap between matches. Either way it’s important to keep your mind resting on the present moment.
When matches are so close together it’s easy to let a poor performance or a loss affect your confidence. Similarly, a soccer player can let great form build an air of complacency.
Stay in the present moment. Take each game as it comes. Commit to
To help you do this embark on a five minute self-review process. Ask yourself “What did I do well that I want to continue? What went poor that I need to stop? What can I start doing?” Just simple, quick questions are all you need and five minutes is plenty of time.
It is likely your coach will add his or her own coaching points to your game. If so, listen, take them on board and use them to compare with your own reflections on the game.
By going through this self-review process you can put the previous game to bed and start afresh on the next match. It’s now gone and your attention needs to be turned towards your next challenge.
But before you shift your focus of attention forward it’s time to get some rest and recuperation. It’s time to take your mind away from soccer.
Soccer tournaments are tough because games come thick and fast. The glucose and sugars that your brain stores to help you concentrate can deplete pretty quickly. This is why it can be tougher to focus and concentrate during the latter games in a tournament. You’re can easily get burnt out
Once you’ve done your 5 minute review process try as best you can to get away from the game. Spend time with your friends talking about other things than soccer. Take a nap. If the tournament is over a few days and games aren’t back to back give yourself a real break from the game. If however games are close together, don’t be scared to have a ‘no soccer thinking’ period. That could be ten minutes or it could be several hours. The rules are simple – no thinking or talking about soccer with teammates, family or coaching staff.
In this way you conserve the energy in your brain – energy needed for the matches. Energy needed for focus, for concentration, for game intelligence.
So remember this formula – review then relax. The when you do take to the pitch, play with fun, freedom and focus.
Once you’ve done your 5 minute review process try as best you can to get away from the game. Spend time with your friends talking about other things than soccer. Take a nap. If the tournament is over a few days and games aren’t back to back give yourself a real break from the game. If however games are close together, don’t be scared to have a ‘no soccer thinking’ period. That could be ten minutes or it could be several hours. The rules are simple – no thinking or talking about soccer with team mates or family or coaching staff.
In this way you conserve the energy in your brain – energy needed for the matches. Energy needed for focus, for concentration, for game intelligence.
So remember this formula – review then relax. The when you do take to the pitch, play with fun, freedom and focus.
Related Articles: Dan Abrahams on SoccerToday
