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Meditation for Soccer Players: A Simple Guide to Help You Get Started

Published: April 1, 2022
Updated: February 23, 2023
By: Jenn Ireland

Category: Growth-Mindset, Meditation, Mental Wellness, Performing under Pressure

In recent years, the practice of meditation for soccer players has become pretty normalized. When it comes to maintaining mental health and helping players manage the pressure and anxiety that come with high expectations and constant striving for peak performance, meditation consistently gets brought into the conversation.

But even though it gets talked about a lot, how many players are actually taking the time to explore meditation? How many are working to create new habits and add the benefits of this practice to their game? Not many. Let’s change that today.

Starting a meditation practice is something that many soccer players express interest in and acknowledge that they would like to try, but just haven’t. There’s a joke among athletes about the ‘dreaded meditation’ – that thing you KNOW you should be doing but you don’t really want to? Well, now’s the perfect time to go for it. Why? Because you’re reading this article and we’re going to make it easy for you.

Meditation for soccer players can be hard because, often, players simply don’t really know where to start. Or they aren’t able to prioritize the time. Or they think meditation is weird, or that it’s a waste of time because they tried it once and it didn’t work.

Whatever the reason may be, we know that simply STARTING is usually one of the biggest hurdles. That is why we’ve put together this beginner’s guide on meditation for soccer players to help you get moving forward once and for all. (A heads up – this post is not for seasoned meditators, it’s for soccer players that have little-to-no meditation experience).

The benefits of meditation for soccer players

Over recent years, an abundance of scientific studies have come out proving that meditation is indeed beneficial to athletes (and human beings in general). Beyond that, many renowned ‘footballers’ around the world have been open about their use of mediation and the positive effects it has had on their soccer game.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Gareth Bale and closer to home, the USWNT’s Christen Press, have all used meditation as a part of their mental skills training and game preparation. So not only does science say that meditation works, but so do all these fine folks. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to argue with Press or Ronaldo, etc., their achievements on the soccer field are proof enough for me.

So, what ARE the benefits of meditation for soccer players? Why are all these elite players doing it?

According to The Daily Meditation, a blog about all things meditation, meditation is good for soccer players because it improves coordination, helps your body perform at peak condition, reduces healing time, improves reaction times, helps with your overall mentality and reduces stress ahead of big games. Phew! Good list right? Let’s dig in a little further.

Resting & refreshing

Meditation helps soccer players rest, recover and refresh. 15 minutes of meditation is equal to about an hour of rest and can help reduce exhaustion the same as sleep does, just at an accelerated rate.

While this doesn’t mean that you should try and get away with less sleep, it DOES provide a great option for a mid-day or pre-training reset for your mind and body so that you are more prepared to come out with the mental & physical energy needed to engage with your team and work hard.

Managing stress

Meditation for soccer players is a foundation for managing stress. It helps with anxiety, pregame nerves and staying calm and composed in game play. It helps you be more patient and less reactive.

Being able to self-regulate your behaviors and emotions is helpful to soccer players both when it comes to decision making in live play and when dealing with difficult situations throughout the course of the game. Meditation will not make stress and anxiety completely go away, but it will help you cope with both internal and external stressors and keep things more manageable and within your control.

Reducing recovery time

Meditation helps soccer players reduce healing and recovery time. When you hold tension in your body, and in your muscles in particular, you stay tight and sore and your muscles stay fatigued for longer. When soccer players meditate regularly, it helps their muscles relax and let go of some of that tension buildup. This results in quicker recovery and muscles that aren’t as sore for as long.

Increasing focus and discipline

Meditation for soccer players helps develop focus and discipline; it helps with concentration and regulating attention.

And we are not just talking about outward focus (aka – paying attention to the game environment, seeing opportunities, being able to anticipate, etc.), we are also talking about INWARD focus and the ability to push away those self-defeating thoughts that impede your focus and concentration. The things that distract you on the field and take your head out of the game.

Creating a healthy mindset

Meditation is a great tool for developing a overall healthy striving mentality in soccer players. With a dedicated, consistent meditation practice, you might find yourself feeling more positive and being more supportive, kind and encouraging to yourself (aka more motivational self-talk).

Meditation can also help soccer players be more growth-minded and become a better student of the game. It can also help you boost your confidence, because increased confidence is what happens when you do good things for yourself (you start to believe in yourself more). You might also find that your mental toughness is better, as you’re better able to handle hard things and rethink certain obstacles as places to grow instead of roadblocks.

SO – With so many benefits, why aren’t more soccer players meditating? Why aren’t YOU meditating?

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How to meditate as a soccer player: Your questions answered

For soccer players that are brand new to meditation, there can be a lot of questions. Here we’ll dive into some of the most common ones and give you the advice we think is most beneficial for beginning meditators. Keep in mind – meditation looks different for everyone, and there are also are many different types of meditation to choose from. Here we are not going to focus on any one type though, we are simply going to focus on helping you get started.

As you develop a practice and learn more about it, you’ll discover what works best for you and create a practice that serves your needs. This advice here is simply a STARTING POINT for meditation for soccer players, after you get this down and have a routine going you’ll be more comfortable and able to push yourself further and try different things.

When should I meditate?

You should meditate at the time of the day that feels right for you. It can be first thing in the morning, before team training, or after a run or an individual practice session. It can be anytime that works for you. The most important thing is that you schedule in a time and keep it consistent, don’t bounce around.

How long should I meditate for?

When you are brand new to meditation, it’s best to start slow and build up. Don’t try to go for 30 minute sessions right off the bat because it’ll be hard and you might get frustrated and give up. Start with something small, 5-10 minutes usually works well, and build up from there as your practice gets more consistent.

Where is the best place to meditate?

Most people prefer to meditate in a quiet place with little to no distractions. This is probably the best option when you are just starting out because it’s easiest. A quiet, calm location is not a REQUIREMENT though, as learning to sit still and focus in the midst of distraction is actually an extremely important part of the process.

How should I sit when meditating?

Sit in an upright posture – this allows you to breathe better and triggers the release of feel good hormones. You can sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground or cross legged against a wall. Alternatively, sit on the ground using a cushion to lift your hips off the floor and shift your knees forward, off the cushion. This supports the spine’s natural curve and takes the pressure off your lower back – making the whole experience easier and more comfortable for extended periods of time.

HOW do I meditate? What do I do?

There are many different ways to meditate for soccer players, but for beginners it is best to start simple by closing your eyes and focusing on your breath. Breathe normally and use it as a cue, a thing to concentrate on and direct your attention to. Try and get really curious about each breath and how it feels in your body, investigate everything about each inhale and each exhale.

You can also use ‘noting’ to help you focus – a simple example is saying to yourself in your head “in” on the inhale and “out” on the exhale. ‘Noting’ helps you follow your breath easier and keep your attention on it.

What if I can't clear my mind when I'm meditating?

This is one of the most asked questions when it comes to beginning meditation for soccer players: what do I do when my thoughts are all over the place and I can’t focus on my breath for more than a second?

This is the most important piece of advice in this entire blog post, so internalize it. When you notice that your thoughts have wandered away and you are no longer focused on your breath, do this: acknowledge that you’ve wandered and gotten lost in your thoughts, and then simply reset and start again.

The big thing here is that you don’t criticize yourself or get upset with yourself. Because here’s the truth, and not just with beginners but with all meditators – you WILL get lost in your thoughts and your mind WILL wander. The magic happens when you NOTICE that you’ve gotten lost and you pull yourself back. This is the space where self-awareness grows and your focus & discipline start to expand. So instead of getting upset with yourself for letting your thoughts carry you away, try to CONGRATULATE yourself for noticing, coming back and starting again.

How do I know if I'm doing it 'right'?

If you are sitting quietly with your eyes closed, you are meditating. And you are doing it right.

If your mind is all over the place like described above (which it will be, don’t worry) and you are doing your best to notice when your thoughts wander and bring your attention back and start over WITHOUT beating yourself up – then you’re doing EXACTLY what you need to be doing in order to get the most our of your meditation session.

It most likely will not feel like you are doing it right to start out because it will be really hard, but dealing with difficult, challenging situations is part of the growth.

How I do know if it's working?

At first you won’t know. Actually for awhile you wont’ know, you’ll just have to trust and have patience to pursue. According to this article in Forceful Tranquility, “how long you will need to persevere depends on how long your sessions are and how often you meditate. With daily practice of 10-20 minutes, you should see positive results from within a few weeks to a couple months.”

Some of the results you can expect to see on the soccer field and in life in general include being more responsive and less reactive. You might see more creative play and find yourself getting into the ‘zone’ more often (you know, that special space when time slows down and you just have immense clarity in regards to the things going on around you?)

And lastly, can I listen to music while I'm meditating?

Unfortunately no. Not if you want to fully reap the benefits listed above. While resting and sitting quietly listening to music is a great way to have some quiet time and rest prior to a big game, silent meditation is what you need to be doing if you really want to get max benefits from this mental skills practice. The same goes for guided mediation – it is great in its own right, even providing its own unique benefits, but it doesn’t train your brain in the same way that silent, focused mediation for soccer players does.

Useful tips when starting a meditation practice

When learning how to meditate as a soccer player, there are going to be some ups and downs. All that you can do it try your best, and KEEP DOING IT. I came across this great video full of useful tips and tricks to starting meditation for soccer players from professional player & content creator Eric Friedlander. Here are some of them:

Embrace and enjoy the stillness, let what comes up just come up
If you want to get the benefits, schedule a daily time to meditate and keep it consistent. Period. Consistency is the biggest key to seeing results with meditation for soccer players.
Don’t look at meditation as a TASK or something you HAVE to do. It’s something you GET to do, something you CHOOSE to do. Something that you might even enjoy over time.
If silent mediation is just too difficult at the beginning, use a guided meditation app. Any type of mediation is better than no meditation. Apps are great for holding you accountable as well.

And one last tip. Use a manual timer or a watch instead of your phone. Or put your phone on silent and leave it out of your reach. You want to keep distractions to a minimum to set yourself up for success, and hearing your phone buzz from a notification, and desperately needing to check it, is not going to help.

Challenge yourself TODAY

Whatever the specific reason may be, the biggest hurdle to forming a new habit of meditation for soccer players is simply to START. That goes pretty much the same for any sort of new thing that’s outside of your comfort zone. So, this week I challenge you to START. Start working towards a new habit that you’ve wanted to try for awhile now, start transforming your game TODAY, whether it’s meditation or something completely different. Do this for yourself because you deserve it and you’re worth it.

Hi everyone! I’m Jenn and I create content to help female soccer players and coaches maximize individual and team potential by developing healthy mindset skills. Join other subscribers and sign up for the newsletter for all my best tips and advice!

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Hi everyone!

I'm Jenn, a USSF C-licensed youth soccer coach, mental skills coach & founder here at Expand Your Game. I created this site because it is the site I needed when I was a soccer player.

About me: I am a former newspaper photojournalist who loves downtempo electronic music, guacamole and books of every sort. And of course soccer! On days off you can find me researching tiny farms in Portugal , tossing a frisbee for my dog, or tending to my growing collection of indoor plants.