“Sport Psychology helps us practice on the relevant aspects of our performance and to reinforce our competence in these areas.

Confidence is learned and trained, like a skill, and it has massive implications on success”- Philip Lahm.

In the last 20 years, the football psychologist or football mental coach has become an important part of the coaching process. The football players need confidence, concentration, control and commitment to perform at their best.

When one of these mental skills is missing or not managed well, the performance is affected.

One big mental trap that football players fall into is the inability to deal with the fear of failure.

It is a constant source of stress or anxiety that sabotages the athlete’s mental game and performance.

If you can’t quickly let go of these negative thoughts, it will mentally take yourself right out of the game and eventually, will hurt you and your team success.

If you think your downturn is mental, the next step is to determine the challenges that are blocking your performance.

Here are some common mental challenges that can prevent you from performing your best and destroy your football confidence:
1. Low self-confidence
2. Expecting perfection
3. Low Self-esteem
4. Trying too hard to perform well
5. Overly focused on results
6. Fear of failure
7. Anxiety and tension under pressure

How can you learn to use failure to your advantage, rather than dreading it?

Here are five strategies to move through your fear of failure:
1. Collaboration – Each player has the responsibility to contribute actively to the team cohesion. It’s essential that everyone in the team has a well-defined responsibility and specific goals. You must accept your position and be committed and engaged.
2. Fighting spirit and toughness – In every game, there are positive and negative moments; you have to find the positive in the difficulties and then to behave in the combative and tenacious way. You should have your impulse under control on the field to moderate the excesses of aggressive behavior that can result in unwanted and violent behaviors.
3. Concentration – It means to do the right thing at the right time. It concerns to follow the guidelines coming by the coach not only after a mistake but also after scoring a goal you should not relax but stay focused.
4. Competitive stress management – Emotions are difficult to manage effectively, and this is why so often limit the performances. You should identify what are the emotions that allow you to play well and those which hinder you, working to consolidate what it’s good.
5. Self-Esteem – It takes courage and humility to be a champion. Courage to think that you can achieve great things with the team, so have confidence in you, and then have the humility to commit yourself every day to achieve this dream. In a team confidence, it’s not just a personal issue but it’s also a collective factor to build and to keep growing.

Football mental toughness and strength can be achieved by nurturing your football mind with the help of a psychologist or a mental game coach. You can’t achieve these skills overnight .You need a lot of practice until it becomes imprinted in your subconscious mind.

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