“Mentally, the only players who survive in the pros are the ones that are able to manage all their responsibilities” – Tom Brady

Most athletes, even the greats, are not born with an endless stack of football confidence or a superior football mind in their back pocket. In fact, most athletes are predisposed to a negative mindset. In other words, the chances of any athlete belonging to this group are not only high but are also normal; there is absolutely nothing wrong with the mind generating these, so called, “negatives”.

It is human nature to experience fear, anxiety and worry; even the greatest athletes have talked about how their football psychology often leads to them having these negative feelings and thought prior or during a game.

What differentiates the greats from the mere mortals is their tough football mental game. This ability allows them to cope with what they are experiencing mentally and even allowing them to learn how to flourish under these perceived negative conditions.

Some stress, or pre game jitters, is essential in preparing the body to engage in the physical demands it is about to face and should not be interpreted as something being wrong with an athlete’s. Prolonged periods of stress however, can have many negative impacts on an athlete’s mind and their body.

Athletes with very high levels of motivation, or those predisposed to the fear of failure, are at a greater risk of experiencing prolonged periods of stress; which ultimately may lead to them becoming tense and anxious during competition. Furthermore, the fear of failure, worry and anxiety are all the usual culprits to harming the possibilities of achieving a relaxed and poised state of mind.

Being able to relax (i.e. stop stressing) is an important skill in succeeding in sport, especially at the highest level. By learning to focus on the things that an athlete can control they will stop the mind from wondering and becoming distracted by the things that they cannot control.

Football mental toughness is something that every athlete can work towards with the aid of a knowledgeable mental game coach. A mental game coach can identify each athlete’s personal triggers and signs of stress or over excitement. This is the first stage, and often the biggest hurdle to overcome, in the process to achieving a relaxed state of mind.

Some of the signs of stress or overexcitement can include:

1. Mental changes, such as mental apprehension (e.g. anxiety, worry, fear, etc.)
2. Physical changes, such as when an athlete feels an increase in adrenaline, which then leads to physical signs of tension (e.g. tight muscles, rapid breathing, increase in heart rate, sweating, shaking, etc.)
3. Behavioral changes, such as an increase in mental errors
4. Unproductive pre game jitters, which do not dissipate quickly; these unwanted jitters stay with an athlete during the entire competition or for a good portion of the time.

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