“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” Lou Holtz

Having a “right” attitude can help an athlete regain focus after mistakes, build football confidence, and keep their head in the game.

Although the association between positive attitude and performance has not been scientifically proven; sport psychology for football research has shown some positive effects of positive attitude on sport performance.

According to research, positive attitudes lead to enhanced confidence, which in turn, assists in skill execution and performance.

Why Develop a Positive Attitude?

Maintaining a positive attitude is a crucial football mental skill and is frequently employed by sport psychologists during training with athletes.

It is also evident that coaches want to recruit players with a positive attitude and good character so the focus can be on the team’s development instead of individual attitude development.

Your attitude is everything. And your attitude will profoundly shape your character.

A player with a positive attitude and average skill level will eventually outshine the player with more skills and a negative attitude.

Coaches prefer players who are motivated, coachable, hard-working, disciplined, and great teammate.

Those players realize that:
• Attitude is a choice.
• Attitude is predominately positive.
• Sport is an opportunity to compete against themselves.
• Sport is an opportunity to learn from their successes and failures.
• The game is about the pursuit of excellence, not perfection.
• They must respect the sport, other players, coaches, officials, and themselves.

Attitude, Habit, and Character

Here is a Point to Ponder.
***Your thoughts become words, your words become actions, your actions become habits, and your habits become your character. In the long run, your character becomes your destiny.

What truly shapes your character is your attitude.

Athletes with a positive attitude will go further because they know what to do in difficult situations. They will focus their mind and energy on the things they can control.

A positive attitude can be learned, but it takes preparation and training. When you have a positive attitude, you will have positive experiences.

Attitude just like effort, it’s a choice.

When athletes compete with a positive attitude, they are confident in the game and most importantly in themselves.

Mental Game Coaches can clearly define what a positive attitude is. They can teach skills to enhance it, and coaches should expect players to have it.

Having a positive attitude is not only for winning football games; it is also a skill that will make playing football a fun journey that will teach many life lessons.

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