for the past two years, i've been injury plagued and have had the same speach from my coaches - and it always ends up at me not having the right 'mentality' or not being 'mentally prepared' , so basically there's something going on in my head that holds me back. sometimes there is - the first few times i got injured i was reluctant to go to 50 50 balls, and there are times when i get real nervous for no reason. but the coahes have told me something like i do well in tryouts in practice , but then gamtime comes and its like im a completely different player. my high school coach recently told me he's been waiting awhile for me to get it together... he said he's disappointed with how i've performed the last two years. it's been two years of tearing it up at tryouts and disappointing game time performances. and for my comp team, i was placed at forward because i scored a lot during tryouts(i even got a full scholarship), and then i was out for 8 months due to injuries. but the coach said when i played, it was as if my head was somewhere else. i'll admit that there are times i have no motivation to play, like as if the coaches sucked all the fun out of the game(and this happened at the same time the coaches said there's something wrong with my mentality.)i've had a lot of coaches recently ask what's wrong with me and what's holding me back. they say they expect me a lot out of me at first and then i end up disappointing them. it's not like i feel like quitting, but im real inconsistent, and the coaches always blame my 'mentality'. is there anything i can do?
The problem is definately in your mind, I'd suggest seeing a sports psychologist if you can find one or maybe you have a really good coach you can talk to...
I have the same problem sometimes. I run hot and cold and it gets really annoying that I can't be consistant at atleast one so I know if I should either quit or persue my dreams even further. It feels like a total waste of time when I'm in a bad streak.
Also check your diet. This can have a big effect on your performance. The fact that you are up-and-down, from game-to-game, is an indication. Even if you are not eating a lot of junk you may be missing something. Of course you want a balanced diet but, make sure you are getting enough protein during the week. Carbo-load before and after games and make sure that you are properly hydrating.
One's mental state has so much to do with football. Over the last couple of months I had hit a bad patch where I felt like I had no control over anything on the pitch; my touch was poor, I couldn't hit a downfield pass without shanking it, and none of my shots had any pace at all. I tried working on technique, but it didn't get any better...if anything it was getting worse. One day I simply wen't out to the pitch by myself, put my mp3 player on, and just ran around like a mad man, getting a ton of touches and playing the ball around quickly as I might have to in a game. Since I was allowing my mind to just focus on the task at hand as opposed to letting it go wild with analytical thoughts, all went as well as it had in a long time. The key is not letting your mind get in the way sometimes. If you've been in the game more than a couple of years, alot of what you have to do is almost instinct at this point, but as humans are creatures driven by logic, we have a hard time just letting go sometimes. Just release all of that tension in your head and give it a go. You know everything you need to do on the pitch, so don't make it any more difficult than you need to. Also, be as fluid as possible in everything you do, because if you can do that, then you're doing a good job of keeping the extra thoughts in check. I try to picture a river in my mind before I practice, as it symbolizes how I need to go about everything. It neither starts nor stops, because it is seemingly in a constant state of being. Play like that.
99% is mental but that 1% is your desire to really achieve greatness. working on your skills and doing the little things help you on your way. hard work pays off.
how much of the game is actually mental????? i directly anwserd the thread its 95% mental...you must use your head and think...you can get by without being physical...but theirs no way u can get by wihtout mentalness
i go into every game thinking that the team im playing against is stopping me to become a professional and i have to do everything to be the best player on the pitch. your first tackle should be your strongest. if your first tackle is strong you strike fear into the other team instead of them thinking your a pushover
That may be true on a very low level of competition. In high level it's the opposite. If you don't have a certain level of physical fitness, you can do nothing on the pitch because you can't keep up with the tempo, after 10 minutes you are dead and no mental ability is gonna help you if every on is faster and stronger and better with the ball than you. If your a really good athlete but have no understanding of the game, you still can do something running your ass off and going into every tackle, at list kill your opponents game if nothing else. I don't thing you can divide the game into mental and physical parts. There's 100% mental and 100% physical... If one of those is lacking, your whole game will suffer.
You just need to go out there and enjoy the game.... Just play like you are playing in th backyard with you friends..... It sounds like you are thinking to much, and I wouldn't be surprised if you are starting to be afraid to take some risk on the field. Especially if you are a striker...... Think of how many times a great striker misses a chance on goal. It's that fact that they keep taking chances, because all it takes is that one perfect shot to go in....... Keep your head up man.... It'll come together.
when I go out and play, I feel like most of my game is mental. Once I get mentally "in the game" it allows me to physically play to my ability. When I go out there knowing that I am the best on the field, or try to score a hat trick, whatever I get ready for, I feel like I can do anything out there. Don't get me wrong, you need to be in shape, eat properly and have some skill to be able to go out there and play well. I believe the game is very much mental, which in turn gets you on the field to play well. ...just my 2 cents...
this goes pretty well with what's going on with me... i mean when i play with my friends in a no-pressure situation, i do well. but come game time, i panic sometimes, or i duobt myslef - like, i get the ball and think ,'i should take it'and then instantly think 'no, no pass it.' sometimes it has to do with not angering the coach or my teammates, and i think that has a lot to do with me overthinking it. and here , i'm known for long runs and leaving behind several people -it's what i do best , and what i enjoy most(even more than scoring), and i didn't do it much this year. i guess maybe i should stop worrying so much abotu the coaches and other players and just play my game, what i play in my backyard, or at teh park...
This game is WAAAY more than 5% physical. Wait till you're 30 like me and see what you think about that You can break the individual game down into three main areas: skill, confidence, and fitness. Skill is mostly mental, but there is physical aspect to it: you have to have the grace, poise, and balance (which are physical) needed to be a good player, period. Confidence is almost entirely mental. There is not much you can do physically to increase your game-time confidence. It only comes with practice and/or your ego. It can, however provide you with an extra boost when you need it most, or when you're almost out of gas. Lastly, but definitely not least is fitness. I tend to have this problem: I've got lots of skill and confidence to spare, but as soon as the ol' legs or lungs decide it's time to quit, it doesn't matter how much I want to make that play...9 times out of 10 if your body isn't up for it....you've had it. Even the simplest of touches needs physical strength to pull off, let alone that sprint to the ball, or something as trivial as a long pass, clearance, or even just putting pressure on a dribbling goalie who's off his line, etc. You've gotta have the legs to really have a complete game. I readily admit to sometimes not having the legs to complete a game as effective as I started it...it happens, and it sucks! Fitness is a huge part of being a good player. Anyhow, I think I've blabbered enough, I'm saying that the game is only....50% mental.
u cant do without thinking as in the saying i think there for i am think there for i do. also if u think but do not do nothing will get done either. u can think about taking the shot but if you dont there is 100% chance of not scoring
Agree.. Don't worry about coach or your team mates. Your coach apparently thinks that you have the goods because he has you on his team, so you don't have to impress there. Let me ask you a couple of question. What year are you, and what level do you compete at?
well i'm 16, and im a junior in high school. high school wise, the varsity coach wanted to move me up as a freshman but said 'you're good enough, but i dont think you're mentally ready.' last year, it was a different coach, he said the same thing, but decided to risk it, because i had done really well in tryouts. i ended up starting , and then getting nervous in games, and then injuries came, and i got dropped to jayvee. even though i was out of shape, jayvee wasn't much of a challenge. this year, i did well at tryouts again, i started, and got demoted ot bench after getting lost. i was able to improve towards the end, btu the coach told me that he's still disappointed because he said he knew i could better. club-wise, i have no club at the moment. i played comp last year on a full scholarship, because of , once again, tryouts. but i was out for 8 months, and the team wasn't happy about that. then this year at tryouts, they told me to either pay what i would've paid if i had received the scholarship. there was no way i was going to pay about $1500. so i got cut. but what's getting to me is having every coach i've had ask me what's wrong and that i could so much better if i got it together. it's not like i'd be a superstar, but they all tell me i never play to my full potential.
if you put a really good thought into your head and have a happy attitude, u might play better. there is a cool trick to prove that--have a friend think of a sad or depressing time in their lives, have them hold out their arm horizontally and try to push down their hand, while they try to push up. do the same thing while they are thinking of a happy moment, and it is much harder to push down their arm, and much easier for them to push up. having a good attitude can definately improve ur game. good luck!
Football is more mental than physical. How often have you seen player who have all of the skill in the world fade away and retire early? Likewise, how often have you seen less skilled players make it and be successful? Everyone must have an appropriate level of physical condition to be a footballer, so that is not really an issue. Skill (etc) determines what level you can play at and is often the result of nature and early development, as opposed to training/learning. The deciding factor is in the head. Without the correct mental strength and attitude, you have no chance. Guado's case is a classic example of this. The talent is there, but the head is holding it back. Some questions: What do you think about before, during and after games? How does this differ from during practise? Do you feel scared of the other players, or scared of your own failure? At a fundamental level, you need to clear your head and concentrate on the game. When I have coached players like you, I often use a "battle" reference in an attempt to help them. ie, "this is your battle", "last chance to impress", "how do you want to be remembered" and "make sure you walk off the pitch with you head held high"... It tends to focus their mind on the task and also gets their competative streak and winning mentality back in sync. However, it really depends on the person, if you use it on the wrong type it just magnifies the problem. Worst case scenario for you is a sports psychologist, but that is the last option. Answer the questions above so that I can try to narrow down the problem.
honestly, i am scared of my own failure more than anything else. during practice i don't really think about much, i just go and play. but during games i constantly panic and try too hard not to mess up, and that's exactly what i do. i'm also known for panicing during games - i guess mayeb i should clear my head.
To an extent confidence does make your game, so I would say that there is a large percentage of your performance that is mental. I can tell when I'm playing well, because all I'm thinking about is where the ball is going next, and what I'm gonna do when I recieve it, being one step ahead. When I'm off my game all I can think about is how badly I'm playing, or what I've just done wrong, and then the rest of my game suffers because I'm not ahead of the play. So really it doesn't matter how fit I am, if I'm not focused then I play badly. Therefore, to finish my ramble, I'd say it's about 60% mental, cos u do need to be fit, cos otherwise you can't run to where you think the ball is going anyway!
This discussion is ridiculous, someone says it's 60% mental, some othe guy says it's 55% mental. Come on, that contains absolutely no information. It's like saying a red cotton shirt is 60% red and 40% cotton.