I have to admit it. The reason why im not doing so good like I used to when I was younger is because I am too nervous to play. I dont know, when I play I feel as if I will do something wrong, how should touch the ball to pass it right, What if I miss this easy shot, Dont miss! And when I mess up, I get eaten up since I am seen as a good player. But NErvousness is my huge problem. When I dribble: I feel like im going to lose the ball immedeately and when a defender comes at mem I choke and just keep running until I lose the ball. When I kick the ball: Before I even kick the ball, sometimes I get thoughts rushing through my head and then kick the ball as it ends up somewhere else. How can I overcome it? Or at least use some techniques to do so in the best way possible. Or is this going to stay with me and I have to get used to it?
Before you receive the ball try to be aware of your surrounding defenders so you know just exactly who you have to avoid. Knowing where they are will let you move out of pressure and give you more time to pass the ball. Soccer is a simple game, you don't need to beat a defender every time you get the ball. When you kick the ball know where you want to put it and don't relax. You want to lean over it in most cases such as a shot and a pass. The only real time you want to lean back is a chip.
Thank you. As a Center attacking Midfielder, I make all the passes to the forwards and I kick from far away, but I also have the defence coming at me. I also do the free kicks so Ill keep trying your technique.
Vision: The more vision you have the more comfortable you will be. To have more vision you have to feel comfortable with the ball at your feet, so you can take your eyes off the ball for a quick second. Try to roll the ball like futsal, stop the ball with your foot on top of the ball (look at the defender's feet), then make your next move (change direction) according to the defender's reaction. Mental exercise: when you have the urge to play ball, like after watching a game. Imagine what you would do with the ball at your feet. How do you get a defender off balance? How would you turn if he recovers, and to get him off balance again? Remember your most perfect imagination, and also the rush that you feel. Bring up what you remembered 20 minutes before you get to the field. Nervousness is actually your friend. I like to be nervous before games. You will perform at your peak between feeling nervous and angry. Find a way to have both emotions at the same time. Think of something (someone) that makes you angry right when step on the field. Initiate a little body contact if you have to. Once you find your balance, you can blank everything out, and just playball. Please keep us updated on your progress.
I used to have the same problem. I just made sure the rest of my team helped me build my confidence and slowly i got away from the nervousness.
I have the same problem in everything I do, I feel like I need to do great and the second I screw up a pass or a trap I destroy myself inside. This is a good and a bad thing because it means no one can be harder on you than you and once you over come it you'll be nervous about nothing in the game. To get over it what I did was I'd go out to a field by myself and for 2 hours (or for you as much as you can) I'd just dribble juggle shoot and do everything so my confidence and skill was higher and I made less mistakes. Let your team know so they can positively reinforce you even when you mess up. My team could be 1 down with 1 minute left and choke on a shot but the last thing I'd do is get mad and I'd say something positive. It started with me then my whole team started. Attitude is a small thing that makes a big difference so if you can change your team none of you will be nervous. And finally what I did myself was positively reinforce myself during practice and games. If your team won't build your confidence take it into your hands and have an internal monologue. This will take your mind of the nervousness, for example I'd say in my head "pass is coming to me I'll trap it with my left foot bounce through my legs turn around and sprint" this monologue didn't give me a chance to be nervous. I'm also the first person on the pitch to warm up and the last off. That was tooooooooooo long but I thought I'd tell you what I did to overcome the same problem.
Stop caring about errors so much. Even the best players ******** up at times. You know what makes Kaka so great? The fact that, when he loses the ball, he doesn't worry and he tries again next time. If you're scared of making mistakes, it'll affect your play. One mistake doesn't kill you. And neither will two.
Like everyone says, play play play. I'm always nervous the first game of a season, and i just play rec leagues where no one is going anywhere. In the beginning of a game don't expect yourself to come out just blazing. do the simple things well. Control the ball, smart, firm and accurate short passes and build yourself early and the confidence to try more creativity should come naturally. And again, reinforcing what was said, watch the pro's. They give up the ball too, scuff crummy crosses or clear the crossbar with shots by 10 or 20 feet on occaision. Don't watch just the highlights, watch what they screw up and how they recover and what they do next.
sometimes i get this feeling 2 but before the game listen to music that pumps you up for me it is mas que nada think that you are the best (but don't under-estimate) and remember if you mess up always remeber the pros do too
Confidence son, confidence. If you think you'll play terribly then more often than not you will. Now I'll put a disclaimer because if you're lacking fundamentally and are being outplayed then confidence won't do you much good... But if you're properly prepared it'll do wonders. I used to be a kicker for our football teams and it was more stressful than any situation I've ever been in as a soccer player, shootouts included. Having a 50 yard kick to try and send the game to overtime with the entire stadium screaming for me to miss was always a little higher up in stress than dealing with the 100 or so tops that would come to see soccer. Aaaaannyways, the book that helped make me the best kicker in the entire northern region of the state that year was "Mental Game of Baseball". Now yes, it's baseball, but the book does wonders for you're mental state and preparation.
it seems that you are thinking too much while you play, and you are thinking about negative things. if you are worried about what your parents think of you, what the people watching think of you, etc. you are thinking about the other people too much. you cannot be afraid to make a mistake. fear of making a mistake will just put more pressure on yourself resulting in more mistakes. relax and have confidence in your game. its normal to be nervous and get jitters before matches, but when the game starts try to get into the zone. during warmups if you feel nervous, try to relax but concentrate on eliminating mistakes. put yourself in a mindset where even if you make a mistake, you will be able to just brush it off and keep going at it. during training sessions, try to put yourself under situations where you will probably break under pressure. training is the best time to find a solution to your problem. if you are having difficulty ask your coach or teammates. they can give you insight and support you because you are part of the team.
THANK YOU! For the past months, I have been following a method called "Stay deaf and Mute". It works alot. When I mess up or play how I want at that moment, it keeps me from lsitening or thinking of negative thoughts and I am playing alot more better. I am mentally fit but I must train throughout the summer before tryouts. Thank you once again.
A good book you might want to read is Soccer: The Mind Game http://www.amazon.com/Soccer-Mind-Game-Steve-Bull/dp/1591640954 Its a good book that talks about preparation and mental toughness