| A confident player will always perform better than a player low on confidence. One of the most important elements in delivering a successful soccer performance is the player’s level of self-confidence.
There are many characteristics which reflect a player's confidence and this can be observed during training and games through their overall application, body language and verbal, hopefully encouraging comments towards team mates and coaching staff. The following points are key indicators to the coach / manager that a player is performing in a confident state:
- Self-belief – Strikers telling everyone that they are going to score, goalkeepers saying they are going to keep a clean sheet.
- Application. By projecting a positive image from when they first arrive at training or a match to when they leave, setting an example with good body language, encouragement to all, listening at all times, by discouraging miss-behaviour and negative talk.
- All players at any level, from local junior leagues to professional football must enjoy playing regardless of what is at stake. It is especially of paramount importance that young players have fun in competition and training. A confident player will have a smile on their face and be bubbly.
- Coaches and Managers must make it clear to the players at the earliest possible stage of development that they should not be worried about personal performances or losing matches. A confident player will ask for advice
- A confident player with have several mannerisms that a coach or manager should be able to identify, a confident player will act calm, composed, concentrated, dedicated, and have high self-control.
- Individual and group discussions are an important element in coach / player relations. Confidence building talks and small comments will always leave a lasting impression. Players will soon learn to accept themselves for the way they are whilst identifying and understanding their strengths and weaknesses as part of their development.
These characteristics may be gained through good coaching and management of players and are essential for a player to succeed in soccer.
Verbal encouragement and treating your team mates with equal respect can play an important part in attaining the right level of confidence. Players can also encourage themselves through positive self-talk. Research suggests that positive self-talk improves performance. Techniques for improving self-talk include thought stopping which involves identifying negative thoughts, stopping the thought and focusing on task-relevant thoughts. Changing negative self-talk to positive self-talk involves taking negative statements and replacing them with more positive statements.
Negative - “That should never have been a foul. It was a good tackle, the referee is against me”
Positive - “There’s nothing I can do about it. If we continue to play well I am going to win every tackle so we win the game.
Self-talk is a useful strategy for developing a player’s positive approach to the game. It needs to be practised and introduced in training before a player will be able to successfully transfer these skills to the match situation.
Another means of building up confidence is the observation and imitation of successful players. Ask the players to think about the player in the team they support who play in similar positions or roles. Mental Imagery may be employed as a means of mentally rehearsing correct technique, the old saying practice makes perfect is also important as a correctly prepared player will start a match knowing they are at the peak of their form and are ready for all situations that may occur.
Successful teams need to work well together to be successful. The social environment that players are involved in can affect training, matches and the performer’s social life. The coach or the manager needs to take into consideration several factors if the team are to work well together as a cohesive unit. For example, players need to be able to communicate with the manager and each other, work towards common goals and integrate new team members. The process of a team interacting closely with each other is called cohesion. A cohesive unit is highly desirable in football to ensure that a collective effort is channelled in the right direction.
If this kind of atmosphere can be created and maintained at training and matches then the confidence will spread throughout all personnel involved.
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See also:
- Soccer drills - dozens of FREE soccer drills to download and print.
- Soccer Injuries - common football injuries and how to avoid them.
- Defence - Learn what the scouts are looking for when picking defenders.
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