“Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” Vince Lombardi
Positive self-talk is considered one of the primary mental skill techniques for developing a better game in football.
Self-talk can be used in several forms: positive (motivational), instructional and negative.
The Effect of Self-Talk on Performance
Positive self-talk is designed to increase motivation, energy, effort and positive attitude.
You can use positive self-talk in different parts of your training and competitions to channel your energy so you can endure and perform at a higher level.
Negative self-talk is a significant contributing factor to experiencing stress, anxiety and ultimately, poor performance. Thoughts like, “I can’t do this,” “I’m not fast enough or strong enough” or worse “I’m not good enough” are only going to increase the amount of pressure you feel when you need to perform your best.
Develop Your Own Statements
For self-talk to be effective, it is important to develop personal statements that you can identify with when you need some encouragement. Saying the “right” things at the “right” time to yourself can help you perform better and reach your full potential in the game.
Positive self-talk is designed to increase motivation, energy, effort and positive attitude.
However, it does not have a clear instructional message, e.g., “Work hard,” “Stay positive,” “I got this.” “I’m the best.
Instructional self-talk focuses more on making the individual pay attention to technical and specific tasks which help the athlete perform better and with a higher standard of execution (Weinberg & Gould, 2003). The use of this strategy could be interpreted as “being your own coach” – with self-messages as: “Stay in balance,” “Eyes on the ball,” “Look before passing the ball.” These short words you can use for maximizing development and technical quality for staying focused.
Optimize Performance through Self-Talk
In order to make using positive self-talk become second nature to you, it is crucial to practice affirmations every day. Once you start using positive self-talk regularly, it can begin to influence your football mind.
How do you go about changing the scripts you use?
It can be as simple as changing your phrasing from “I can’t,” which is limiting, to “I will” which puts you in charge of your thoughts and behavior.
Notice the difference in how it feels when you say “I can’t run very fast” to “I will train so I can run faster,” or “I can’t focus” to “I will use imagery to help me focus better.” The subtle linguistic change of using “I will” is much more empowering and encouraging.
The thoughts and words that you use are so powerful. It is important to mindfully and pay attention to how you talk to yourself and understand how what you say affects your overall performance.
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