the tuesday transition - issue 34
November 29, 2022: Do you sometimes feel like your team is THEIR OWN WORST ENEMY on the soccer field?! Do they put themselves in a spot by showing up to difficult games thinking that they’ve already lost, or showing up to easy ones acting like it’s in the bag?
In both cases, these teams and players are experiencing self-defeating mentalities and are GETTING IN THEIR OWN WAY. These are not unique situations either, these are shared experiences that worm their way into the mindset of many teams across all levels of competition, age groups and genders.
Let’s examine this further. Say you are going into a game against the last place team that’s been losing to everyone. You beat them BIG last time so in your head you are thinking that you’ve already won this. THIS IS SOOOOO DANGEROUS.
When teams have this mindset, they come into the game with complacency and overconfidence because they believe it's already a done deal, already a sure thing.
News flash, it’s never a sure thing. Coming into the game this way causes teams to be loose and unfocused with their play. They are not operating from their optimal performance zone and this results in sloppy soccer and sometimes a loss.
On the other end, let’s say you’re headed into a game against a strong opponent that is sitting at the top of the division. When you have it in your mind beforehand that you are already going to lose and that you don’t have a chance, you do lose. Basically because you already see this as a loss, there’s no reason to try.
When teams get into either of these pre-game mindsets, they self-defeat before even stepping on the field. Without even knowing these teams, I can tell you that ALL OF THIS can be attributed to fact that these players are fully identified with results and hold themselves to outcome-based expectations. How do I know this? Well, these ways of thinking only pop up when the ONLY THING THAT MATTERS is winning.
See, the thing is, each of these games actually possess the unique opportunity for growth, improvement and the chance to GET BETTER AT SOCCER.
Example, that hard game could actually be reframed as the best thing that could ever happen to you if you want to grow, because it gives you the opportunity to really get a clear picture and a roadmap for specific areas you have space to grow in. The easy game gives you more space and a slower speed-of-play, the PERFECT place to push yourself to the edge of your ability and try more challenging things that you wouldn’t be able to do in a more difficult environment.
In both games, you want to keep your eyes on the prize. And the prize is NOT ALWAYS THE WIN. Sometimes the prize is the opportunity to squeeze the situation and get everything out of it that you can. Sometimes the prize is to get 1% better today at a new skill. Sometimes the prize is to learn that you have a hard time reading the trajectory of the ball on a deep to wide early-cross. Whatever it is, there’s always a prize to be found when it comes to learning, growth and self-improvement, IN EVERY SINGLE GAME.
Let’s keep having these conversations, I like them! Coaches, players, parents – tell me, what are the biggest mental challenges your team faces?
Cheers for now,
💎 What I’m digging: USA vs England set a record for viewership of men’s soccer in the US! (but the USWNT still holds the record! Know what it is?)
👩🏽💻 What I’m reading: Read this, 6 questions to ask yourself the next time you are having a great day; take care of your mental health EVERYDAY!
🎧 What I’m listening to: Love me some LoFi Chillhop Christmas, aka mellow holiday chill beats! The holiday music for holiday music haters 🙂
Grow your confidence through preparedness.
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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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