“From an intangible standpoint, it’s about things like effort, mental toughness, the ability to stay focused and execute and be a little relentless in the way you try to go about your work. We’re gladiators out there. We’re modern-day gladiators and that mental toughness has got to permeate your team”. Coach Nick Saban

Getting into the zone is the result of mental preparation as well as physical and game ready preparation.

It is not just one thing. Some think that players get themselves in the zone by only preparing themselves physically or by knowing the plays. Quite the contrary, getting in the zone requires being mentally tough as well as many other variables.

Often you will see athletes listening to their iPods before a game. Why are they doing this? It is helping them get prepared. This preparation will give them a laser-like focus that will help them get in the zone.

Players sometimes are unable to put into words how they were able to get into the zone after a spectacular performance in a game. They may say something like “I don’t know. Everything just fell into place, and I can’t explain it.”

This is usually the result of a great mental game and physical preparation.

Football is a game of talent, physical strength, and ability, but it is also a mental game.

Football mental toughness takes time to build, and it can be done with consistent preparation both physically as well as mentally. To omit the mental part of the game will hinder your chance of getting into the zone.

Players that find themselves often playing in the zone are players who understand football psychology, the importance of a strong mental game and they are mentally tough.

Visualization is one-way players prepare themselves mentally for a game. This is when a player will visualize himself playing in the zone. The eyes are closed, and you visualize each play as it occurs on the field.

This is just one form of mental preparation that players can use that is simple yet powerful.

Getting in the zone is a result of consistent mental and physical preparation.

When you see a player playing in the zone, you can rest assured he has put in the necessary hard work to have such extreme success on the field.

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