I came across a Football Club in the USA called the Schuylkill County Youth Soccer Association
The preparation time near to the start of the game is very important to a coach and players. It's always important to get the players focussed on the game. Players should develop routines to get them in the best state of mind for the game and some certainly have their particular routine before match start.
I found this this Club's website contained a very useful summary of the techniques I have observed used by players over the years. It doesn't include a couple of serious young players I dealt with as Manager of a PL Pathways team, who immediately come to mind:
- the Premier League player who discovered to his horror that he had left his lucky jocks at home. To be precise, this turned out to be Speedo swimming costumes. He had stopped changing into his playing strip. He looked around the dressing room. This was serious stuff. I could see the question coming and said "just ask yourself, who in our club is likely to have a pair of jocks that you would classify as "lucky". That deeped his despair and the coach said to me _ 'well that's stuffed it mate". I thought so too, but then, we had no idea whether he had arrived with his best game in mind or not and nor did he, lucky jocks or no lucky bloody jocks. He played in something under the shorts and yes he had a rubbish game! The player blamed everyone else, the coach blamed me (which was not entirely unreasonable, as my comments to the player were calculated to bring the impending disaster to a head earlier than kickoff), and I blamed Speedo!
- Or the player that had to wear three sets of football strip in order to play. He used to ask for three club jersies. I made him wear two of the alternate strip tops underneath, which he wasn't entirely happy about, but I explained the match card I had to fill out only had space for one number. That seemed to satisy him. He complained that it was too hot! Took him three years and careful management to get down to just the playing strip. He still wears two sets of socks. Same lad got a sprained ankle and arrived at training, saying that he had got on the interenet and found a picture of how to tape his ankle. I looked at him and thought it was marvel he hadn't hung himself. He went on complaining that he had to use an entire roll of strapping tape and now he couldn't fit his foot into his boot. Same player had trouble telling you whether he was left or right footed., because he was as good with one as the other. It gave him no comfort. All that said, a terrific young fellow and he can really play, when mood takes him or Jupiter passed Venus or whatever?. Ah well!
PSYCHING UP - Pre-Game Psychological Preparation
All great athletes prepare psychologically for competition. They Psych-Up.
Why?
Psyching up clearly marks the change from daily routine to the game situation. It fosters the important process of focusing on playing and heightens concentration for doing so. Psyching does not always mean getting pumped; it can also mean getting relaxed to get in a flow or zone.
Athletes Psych-Up in many different ways.
PHYSICAL WARM-UPS certainly can begin to focus your mind and especially if you pay attention to mental focus as well during them..
MUSIC is another common way to psych. If you need to calm down and relax before playing, then you need mellow music. If you need to get pumped, then listen to rap, heavy metal or other hard-driving music. It is best to make a pre-game tape so that the music you listen to is stuff you like and that moves you; either pumping or relaxing.
CUE WORDS are single words you say to yourself that suggest readiness, confidence and skill: Words like power, speed, touch, smooth, fly, strong, focused, teamwork.
CUE IMAGES are mental pictures that suggest readiness, confidence and skill. Imaging yourself executing your skills, scoring a goal, making a block, executing a cross or assist.Images may also be anatomical; like seeing your muscles bulge with strength or power, or feeling the wind as you speed down the sideline.
LIKE-PSYCHS means hanging out with teammates who have the level of energy you need to play your best. If you need to relax, hang out with the quiet guys, the thinkers or contemplators. If you need pump, hang out with the back-slappers and jokers.
CONFIDENCE STATEMENTS are sentences you tell yourself which convey readiness, confidence, skills. Such as I’m ready. I’m feeling good. I’ve worked hard and I’m prepared. I can nail this.
Does psyching work? A study compared weightlifters on a strength task where one group psyched and the other didn’t. The non-psyching group averaged 49.12 kg in strength and the psyching group averaged 54.98 kg.
Doesn’t matter how you Psych - Just Do It!
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