If you don’t know where you are going,
you’ll end up someplace else.
Yogi Berra

Developing a strong football confidence involves the ability to establish many goals on your road to improvement and growth. Understanding what you want to accomplish is the first step, but afterwards it is imperative to establish realistic and periodic goals along the journey. The athlete with a solid football mind appreciates the importance of developing their mental toughness alongside their physical strength and speed. Sports psychology in football plays a critical role for both the coach as well as the athlete in reaching both individual goals and wins on the scoreboard.

The first task an athlete must complete for their football mental preparation is deciding what some long term goals they desire. This could be playing on the professional level, or kicking ten field goals during their senior high school season. After looking at long term goals, it is important to break down several milestones along that all assist with the achievement of the first initial long term goal. Continue to break down each goal into a smaller, more attainable, short term goal.

Football psychology states the athlete must see achievement along the journey to maintain interest and excitement, as well as a positive frame of mind. If the example is to bench press 300 pounds and the player is currently lifting 175 pounds, then a time line incorporating five pound increments should be created. The short term goals must challenge, but must also be attainable or you will be overwhelmed or bored and lose interest. Determining your long term goals, and then the break down into shorter, more attainable goals should take some time for reflection. This is not a short activity to complete and then forget. It is an exercise of your inner beliefs, thoughts and dreams, and then stating those dreams aloud and on paper, and it should build your football mind and football confidence throughout the process. The practice of goal setting is powerful to the success of achievement.

You should seek the advice of others such as trainers and coaches when determining if your goal is realistic. Your football confidence grows with each goal attained, but if you do not set goals that are realistic, then you suffer from the negative energy and feelings of failure. The physical and mental preparation in football allows for greater success on game day. Achieving goals also strengthens your football mind and motivates you to accomplish more the next day.

Lou Holtz stated, “If you’re bored with life—you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things—you don’t have enough goals.”

Psychology in football shows greater results from athletes who set attainable goals, and feel the strengthening of their football confidence from the achievement of these goals. Using a realistic timeline also allows the football mind to feel confidence from advancement, and not failure from unrealistic expectations. Growth does not appear overnight, but is accomplished from consistent and deliberate work. When effort is directly focused on a specific goal, then energy is not wasted. It allows for goal achievement on a faster timeframe. The practice of goal setting gives the football player a concentrated effort at improvement, which greatly affects their performance and future.