Everything’s not going to go perfect. You’re going to have some losses that you’re going to have to bounce back from and some things that are a little unforeseen that you’re going to have to deal with.
Tony Dungy

The football athlete who finds success on the field must be mentally tough to withstand the physicality of the game. Developing a football mind and confidence requires mental preparation and analysis of mindset and focus, both during practice and game situations. Sports psychology for football emphasizes the importance that confidence plays in the physical ability of any player, and mental preparation is just as critical to success as strength and conditioning.

One facet to developing a strong football confidence is to analyze any thought processes that causes a negative mindset and therefore weakens mental toughness. Perfectionism occurs when an athlete sets their goals on attaining “perfect” play. This causes unrealistic demands with goals that are completely unachievable and results in a feeling of disappointment and failure. Once a player determines they will play “perfect”, they unconsciously set themselves up for an impossibility resulting in diminished mental focus and football confidence.

Coaches often say to “practice perfect”, and even the word is easily thrown around a locker room and on the field. Setting high goals are great aspirations, but problems arise when players aren’t concerned with growth or their ability to handle adversity, but rather they gauge their personal self esteem on their playing with absolutely no mistakes, which of course is unachievable. Even the very best players in the NFL drop passes, miss tackles, and commit penalties. Perfection is a ghost that truly cannot be caught and haunts mental focus while destroying confidence.

Sports psychology in football uses several criteria to determine a player that struggles with perfectionism which causes a diminished mental game of football. The following are some of the behaviors exhibited by a player striving perfection but with a weakened football confidence.

• Never feeling good enough. An athlete who struggles with perfectionism constantly focuses on what they do wrong, and gain nothing from what they do well. These players shrink from any compliments and maintain focus on any shortcomings no matter how small.

• Feelings that every mistake carries a grave consequence. The body language of these athletes shows great reaction to any mistakes. The weight is magnified, and their focus grows on their feelings of failure and inadequacy, not on improvement and growth.

• Not enjoying the game. Players who deal with perfectionism lose their joy in playing the game, as there is never a true feeling of accomplishment, but rather many opportunities for failure.

• Nervous. Most athletes feel nervous or anxious during pressure situations, but the perfectionist is ruled by nerves. They fear their mistakes, focus on poor play, and do not mentally recover from any failure or shortcoming.

The first thing a player can do to assess if they deal with perfectionist thoughts is to assess their goals. Are they realistic and fit a growth improvement for their current football ability? Are they attainable?

Next, ask people surrounding you if you attitudes and behavior fall under any of the perfectionist tendencies. This is important to analyze both during practice, game situations, and even away from the football field. A mentally tough player maintains football confidence throughout their day, every day.

Developing confidence is work, but it is also a lifestyle that creates a greater opportunity for success on the football field. Understand that perfection is impossible, but effective goals are based on an individual’s current ability and consistent growth and improvement.