Jordan Spieth, Second Youngest Champion In Masters History
Soccer players & Golf players – what do they have in common? Both have to stay in control to win. When you kick off you have to have a focus on being the very best you that you can be, and the very best teammate that you can be. SoccerToday columnist Dan Abrahams shares his insights and advice for success on the soccer field for players of all ages. A global sport psychologist and author specializing in soccer, Abrahams is based in England and works with professional soccer players in the English Premier League (EPL). Abrahams shares his experience from helping hundreds of professional soccer players. I think many readers will know that as a sport psychologist my world is divided into two – soccer and golf. I’m a former professional golfer and currently lead psychologist for England Golf, so needless to say I was glued to the TV over the weekend as Jordan Spieth won his first Masters title in glorious fashion. I think there’s so much that both sports can learn from each other. Sure, soccer is a team sport while golf is individual based, but both can profit from paying attention to the training and competitive nuances of each other. Allow me to give you a few examples: Golfers could practice to the beat of the short sharp bursts that soccer players training experience daily. Equally, soccer players could strive to train with the same attention to detail that golfers have. I don’t know if you watched Spieth, but even if you’re not a golf fan, his performances were inspirational and useful for soccer players to learn from.
Present Minded And In Control On Saturday night Jordan enjoyed a substantial lead. With one round to play he was quite a few shots ahead of second place. He was asked in an interview what his main challenge would be the following day. He responded by saying that ‘scoreboard watching’ was his primary threat. What he meant by this was that it was important for him to ignore the current state of play – to ignore the fact that he was way in front, and to potentially ignore the progression of other players – this would only make him panic. It’s the same for soccer players. If you’re a goal up, who cares? Keep playing. Stay relentlessly determined within your role. Execute your responsibilities with confidence. If you go a goal down, who cares? Keep playing. Don’t give in to despondency or anxiety, keep working intelligently at 100%. If you make a couple of mistakes, keep playing. If your team mates are performing badly, keep playing. As Spieth said on the eve of his final round and on the cusp of sporting history “I have to stay focused on me. I have to stay in control”. This isn’t something he finds easy. He’s passionate about winning. He wants to perform well and be the best he can be. But he has to remind himself that stuff happens on the golf course. Bad breaks happen. He can’t afford to get down. He needs to stay in charge of his own mindset. I’m sure you want to play well and win soccer matches. I’m sure you want to standout and be the man of the match. But you can’t control all that. You can’t force a great performance. Like Spieth you can’t force a great result. So like Spieth, your goals should revolve around managing your mindset when you run onto the pitch. When you kick off you have to have a focus on being the very best you that you can be, and the very best team mate that you can be. You have to stay in control.
Staying in control and managing your mindset is a vital ingredient at the table of champions. My work with Premier League footballers consists of a recipe filled with mind and body management. It’s a critical essential and a non-negotiable. Are you like Jordan Spieth on the pitch? Do you manage your mentality and take charge of every thought, every feeling and every action you take? If not why not? If not I reckon you can be so much better. I reckon you can add another 5%, 10% maybe even 20% to your game. Self-control is the very essence of sport, of soccer, of competition and of life itself.
Dan Abrahams is a global sport psychologist specializing in soccer. He is based in England and has some of the leading turn-around stories and case studies in English Premier League history.
Abrahams is sought after by players, coaches and managers across Europe and his 2 soccer psychology books are international bestsellers.
He is formerly a professional golfer, is Lead Psychologist for England Golf and he holds a degree in psychology and masters degree in sport psychology.
