As soccer players, sometimes we find ourselves in a place where we are just not motivated to train. We KNOW that we need to be working out on our own, beyond team practice, if we want to get better at soccer – but we just can’t seem to get ourselves moving or establish a routine. We WANT to be driven to do that extra ball work, go for a run or practice our crosses and shooting technique, but the motivation just isn’t there.
Motivation is a tricky thing to create for oneself, especially on a consistent basis. Sure, some weeks it comes easy and we are naturally motivated and just crushing through things left and right. Other times, things are much harder and require a strategic approach to unleash that authentic drive. So – where does this type of true drive & motivation for soccer players come from and how the heck do we get more of it?
Let’s dive into that and also give you some motivational soccer tips and advice that player’s can use to PUSH THEMSELVES through those hard moments of getting started. The tips below are all extremely useful and will help you get a good individual training routine going and begin to take control of your game and your development – and feel more confident, more productive, and happier.
This Post Contains:
Authentic drive & motivation for soccer players
Authentic (true, real and deep) motivation lasts for a long time and becomes a passion and a drive because it comes from WITHIN. This happens when we REALLY want something and we go full in all out and get super invested.
Soccer motivation is something that you need to have if you want to consistently improve, progress and grow your game. The best way to create motivation for soccer players is to tap into and harness your love and passion for the game and really stay connected to your purpose. This is called intrinsic motivation and it is the ONLY way to stay motivated and driven over long periods of time.
On the opposite side of things is extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is when you are motivated to do something for an external reason; either you are getting something out of it (a prize or reward) or you do it because someone else wants you do it. It can also be because you think that you SHOULD be doing it, even if you don’t feel that way on the inside. This works for short stints of time but is not the key to long-lasting motivation for soccer players.
Routine + DRIVE = greatness
These two things together: a good routine PLUS the drive and motivation to stick with it, is what makes good players great and great players ELITE.
The wonderful thing about starting a good routine is that once soccer players get going, individual training can quickly become extremely rewarding and fun as you start to see your hard work paying off on the field. Let’s dive into these 5 tips to help you get motivated to individually train and level up your game.
Soccer Motivation Tip #1 - look forward
Create Purpose by Keeping Your Eyes On The Prize
Envision that future version of yourself, your state of mind and state of physical preparedness. And then use this mental image of your future self as motivation to do the work NOW. This is where motivation for soccer players is created.
Always keep your mind focused towards the future, even if it’s just onto the next season. If you don’t, your drive and focus can slip and you can become complacent and stagnate as a player and put yourself in a position where you are just getting by but not progressing.
Grow your confidence through preparedness.
Subscribe to our email list to
Get your FREE Weekly Soccer Planner!
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
Soccer Motivation Tip #2 - make things competitive
Create Healthy Competition with yourself and your teammates
Competing with yourself
{Related read: 7 game-changing tips for dealing with PERFECTIONISM in soccer}
Competing with teammates
You’ll know you truly have a great, healthy striving mentality as a soccer player when you notice a teammate looking super sharp and you actually get EXCITED that she’s doing so well – because it means that YOU are going to have to work harder and step up your game in order to keep up with her. Now that is great soccer motivation.
soccer Is 90% Mental
So what are you doing to train that part of your game?
Introducing the Mindset Mastery Academy
A 10-week 1:1 mental skills mentorship experience for female soccer players
Soccer Motivation Tip #3 - cross train
Tailor Your Fitness training to your Interests and Likes
You are more likely to take part in an activity that you get enjoyment and satisfaction from, more-so than if you were just told to do something because it would be good for you.
When you engage in different sports or types of exercise in order to improve fitness or performance for your main sport, you are cross-training – and it is EXCELLENT for you. In addition to helping keep you motivated and focused, participating in other types of activities besides your main sport of soccer helps prevents injuries by strengthening different muscle groups.
Choose activities that benefit you in soccer: for example, improving your core strength with yoga is great as it gives you more stability and balance on the pitch. Other options for cross-training include biking, kayaking, yoga, boxing, hiking, dance, swimming, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Soccer Motivation Tip #4 - educate yourself
Work to Fill your Knowledge Gaps
Things that are already very familiar to you (such as soccer for example) take on a new energy when you suddenly realize how much there is still left to learn and add to your game. Exposing yourself to new things and then eagerly and relentlessly pursuing information is where passions are sparked.
Without growth mindset, there is very little chance that you will reach the top of your sport because innovation and lifelong learning are necessary components of achieving that level of success. The best players, coaches and teams understand this. They know that they need to constantly be learning, adjusting and adding to their toolbox in order to be the best. They know that they need to a student of the game.
Soccer Motivation Tip #5 - reflection & goal setting
Evaluate Where you Are Now and Set specific goals
This requires a lot of self-awareness and the maturity to not project your weaknesses onto anything or anyone else, instead taking ownership of them and then taking responsibility for putting a plan of action into place. Being able to objectively evaluate yourself as a player, a teammate and a leader is a key part of the process if you want to be successful. Ignoring weaknesses and pretending they don’t exist leaves you stuck in an endless cycle of stagnation and unable to level up and reach your potential.
Reflection and goal-setting requires a bit of self-exploration and soul-searching. This is where bravery, honesty, accountability and integrity all collide and you start to take ownership of your development. Don’t be afraid to dream big though – big, motivational soccer goals is what this is all about! (and if you need a place to start, we’ve got this great self-reflection worksheet bundle that you can download for free!)
Establish a routine & stick with it
Don’t forget to block out time for cross-training, education, and reflection & goal setting. Sit down and actually schedule out your week (download our free weekly planner here!) And remember to include your purpose and your long term goals to come back to when you feel motivation start slipping. Staying connected to your authentic passion and drive is how you are going to be able to stick with your plan for longer than a few days or weeks.
Players can feel even more motivated and gain confidence in soccer when they start to realize that THEY are in control of their development. This happens when they create a solid individual training routine and follow through with it. While it may be hard at first to remain consistent, once players start to see results they get a huge boost and their soccer motivation becomes much easier to sustain.
Which MENTAL SKILL is Your Strongest?!
Accountability?
Resilience?
Confidence?
Situational Awareness?
Self-regulation?
More great motivational soccer advice
Every single tip on this list, you can do. They might be hard, true. But guess what? YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS. You just have to decide to do it and then adapt a mindset of accountability and self-discipline.
Personal accountability means that you take responsibility for your own development and you show up for yourself by doing what you say you are going to do. Discipline is the ability to self-regulate your behavior in order to pursue something for the sake of improvement even when you are tempted to abandon it. These are hard things but you can do them both.
Today is a fresh start, a chance for you to be productive, push ahead and progress pieces of your game that you’ve wanted to pay attention to for awhile now. This is your chance to recommit to yourself and to your game, to come out on the other end fitter, stronger and more resilient. This is your chance to make yourself a priority.
My top motivational soccer tip is that YOU HAVE GOT THIS! Be brave, dig deep, do the hard things, and you will not regret it. Now go harness that power and get motivated, and have fun doing 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!
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
It’s true, nothing makes you feel more determined than when you form a goal in sight. Every setback feels nothing when you are trying to work for something.
Working towards goals is what creates drive and motivation for sure. The challenge is being able to balance that with acceptance and change course or rework your goals when things don’t go as planned instead of just breaking down and giving up. Both of these things together (goals + balance and acceptance for what is) is what will take you far!