“To me, football is so much about mental toughness; its digging deep, it’s doing whatever you need to do to help a team win and that comes in a lot of shapes and forms”. Tom Brady

The great thing about mental toughness is you can learn the skills and strategies – implement them and be the best on the field.

Football mental toughness comes simply from the decision to consistently apply the four keys below. You can start today and reach levels of your game that you never thought possible.

Control: A sense of control of yourself and what happens to you; that is, a sense of being able to shape your destiny rather than passively accepting events as fated.

If you are high on control you have a good sense of who you are and what you stand for and are “comfortable in your own skin”.

You are also better able to control your emotions meaning you are able to keep your anxieties in check and are less likely to be distracted by the emotions of others or reveal your emotional state to other people. Conversely, if you are at the other end of the scale, low on control, you will feel that events happen to you and are outside your personal control or influence.

Commitment: A strong sense of being committed to yourself and your work. That is, being fully involved in the game, giving it your best.

Being high on commitment means that you are able to effectively set goals and targets and consistently achieve them without being distracted. Conversely, if you are at the other end of the scale, low on commitment, you will sometimes fail or find it difficult to set goals and targets and then prioritize them .You may also find it difficult to focus and be easily distracted by other people and competing priorities.

Challenge: A tendency to see life’s downs and obstacles a challenges to be met rather than as threats.

Being high on challenge means that you are driven to be as good as you can be and to achieve your personal best. You see challenges, change, and adversity, as opportunities rather than threats. You are likely to be adaptable and agile. Conversely, if you are at the other end of the scale, low on challenge, you view change as a threat and so avoid new and challenging situations for fear of failure or wishing not to expend what you perceive will be a wasted effort.

Confidence: A belief in yourself and your ability to meet your goals.

Being high on confidence means that you have the self-belief to successfully complete on tasks that other individuals with similar ability but lower confidence would think is beyond them. You will keep your head high and maintain your routine.

However if you are low on confidence you can easily be unsettled by the setback and feel undermined. Your head could drop. Your internal voice’s positive commentary is vital here to counteract this loss of football confidence and negativity.

*Download the free mental game assessment and get started on Improving your Mental Game in Football.