Growing your confidence in soccer WILL require you to put in a lot of work though – some of which might be out of your comfort zone. Just remember to keep telling yourself that it is OK though, because getting out of that comfort zone is the ONLY way to elevate your game. Ready? Let’s dive in.
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Confidence in soccer Is a mentality you can build
Confidence in soccer is a mentality, one that YOU CAN CREATE FOR YOURSELF. Actually, one that you HAVE to create for yourself because nobody else is going to do it for you. Others can give you advice (such as this blog post I’m writing here), but the ball is ultimately in your court.
Every soccer player’s journey toward a more self-confident mentality will be unique, as we are all different people with different strengths and struggles. That being said, there are two main parts to gaining confidence in soccer that EVERY soccer player will benefit from: To grow your confidence in soccer, you need to #1 – properly prepare (both physically and mentally) and #2 – regulate your thoughts/feelings/emotions in the direction of the desired outcome (in this case, confidence in soccer).
Deciding to fully invest and work on both of these aspects of your soccer game will ultimately have many additional benefits to your game beyond building your confidence in soccer. Your self-efficacy, your self-integrity, and your self-worth will all get all get a nice bonus boost as well. Sounds pretty great right? I mean, who doesn’t want to feel this awesome?
Preparedness breeds confidence
Every extra touch you put on that ball, every extra minute you spend working on the small details of your game, will make you more prepared. The more physically prepared you are for something, the more you will trust in your ability to perform. And the more confidence in soccer you will have. Why? Because you will know that YOU CAN EXECUTE because YOU’VE DONE IT hundreds if not thousands of times before and are absolutely ready.
Prioritize time for mental preparation before matches
In order for this to work, and help you grow your confidence in soccer, you need to do this over and over and over again. Before every match if you can. Once you do it enough, your body will start to associate the routine with heading into a game – and the regularity of the comforting, familiar activity will be what helps keep you calm and composed, confident and focused.
Grow your confidence through preparedness.
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Self-Regulating your thoughts
You want to make sure you are self-regulating your thoughts to achieve your desired outcome (which in this case is playing with more confidence in soccer). Self-talk is powerful, thoughts are powerful, words are powerful. Remember, “you are what you think“, and a negative, self-defeating mindset will only leave you in a negative, self-defeated place.
Try visualization to gain confidence in soccer
Another great reason to use visualization is that it can help keep those detrimental, negative thoughts at bay. Here’s a great quote from pro player Michael Lewis Cunningham of 7mlc soccer:
"Visualization is a real game changer. Sometimes, even when we are feeling calm, and we've done all the necessary preparation, we still let negative thoughts creep into our minds. If this happens, it's your responsibility to fight against them with positive thoughts. If you start imagining failures on the pitch, instantly start thinking in great detail about some of your most successful moments on the pitch. Really focus on this, close your eyes if you have to, to block of distractions. Think of how that felt, think of the buzz you got when you scored that goal, how it felt when the ball struck cleanly off your foot and almost broke the net, replay it over and over again. Your mind can't differentiate between imagination, and reality, so by replaying these moments, your mind thinks they are actually happening and you build confidence."
Playing with confidence in soccer
When you spend time working on things for yourself, you start to trust yourself more because you are following through on something you told yourself you would do. When you take responsibility for your development, you grow your faith in yourself because you are standing up for yourself. And as you grow your self-integrity, YOU GROW YOUR CONFIDENCE in soccer.
Growing your confidence in soccer will elevate EVERY PIECE OF YOUR GAME, maximizing your potential in ways you never thought possible. Get excited, you’re about to experience your own greatness.
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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