“When I’m out on the football field, I have so much confidence in what I’m doing”— Tom Brady

While sports psychologists for football have been around for years, we’re talking about more than just game-like visualizations and positive affirmations.

Increasingly, elite athletes and sports programs are incorporating mindfulness, meditation, yoga and other practices into their training regimen.

By learning to stay focused on the present moment and strengthen the mind-body connection, they aim to unlock a new edge on the competition.

Is mindfulness and football mental toughness training really the key to peak performance?

In any competitive situation, it’s only natural that your adrenaline starts to pump. Your heart beats faster. Your palms get sweaty.

You feel butterflies in your stomach. But when the heat is on and the pressure of winning is in a play you are involved in are you able to stay connected with the present moment? Or, does your football mind flood with thoughts of previous errors or jump ahead to the outcome?

“When our brains get caught up in thoughts from the past or thoughts of the future creates a stress response, and we can’t use the part of the brain that keeps us engaged in the moment. This mental chatter can make it difficult to maintain perspective and focus. “If we’re too stressed about performance, we can’t make good decisions and solve problems and stay composed.

Not only can our thoughts and internal dialogue create a stress response, it also impacts our behavior.

Recent studies on football psychology by researchers at Coventry University and Staffordshire University found that increased stress and anxiety, including fear of failure, does affect athletic performance in competitive situations.

While some degree of stress is normal in athletics, you need a way to moderate that stress.

You also need to be able to resist internal and external distractions like anxiety, fear, a loud crowd, or even a distracting teammate; so that you can make good decisions in the moment.

While this field of research is still young, there have been some promising signs that football mental toughness training can help us short-circuit the body’s stress response and create a stronger mind-body connection.

In order to prevent your confidence from being destroyed you first need to learn how limiting beliefs are formed and how to get rid of them.

Secondly you need to fix your incorrect thinking patterns that always put you down and destroy your confidence. “An Athlete’s

Guide to Peak Performance Series– Building Confidence will help you do this.

Learn everything you can about your game, your goals and what drives you towards a better football confidence is important.

Don’t try to accomplish too much at once. Break complex tasks up into small goals.

If you have patience and perseverance, you are only steps away from building confidence.

To build your confidence you must change the way you think.

A 100% of the time it is 90% mental.

Confidence is a mind-set skill that doesn’t just happen by chance. You must work at it.

To build your confidence, specific strategies are required. These strategies can be found in my workbook – An Athlete’s Guide to Peak Performance Series– Building Confidence

Go to sportspsychologyfootball.com. Click products and get started on Building Your Confidence with Sports Performance Top Mental Game Coach.