“I was more ready for it. I knew what parts of the rehab were going to be the most difficult. I knew where you were going to have the most pain, which is early on in the process. I know that every time you do a new exercise, it might not feel right the first time, but once you do it again, you get that confidence back.”
Washington Redskins Quarterback Robert Griffin III on ACL recovery

As the 2013 football season progresses the number of athletes dealing with injuries continues to grow as well. Suffering an injury often limits football confidence and can destroy mental toughness if the player isn’t surrounded by the positive support system.

Sports psychology for football promotes activities for mental recovery just as much as the physical rehabilitation from an injury. This allows the player to return from the injury to the football field with a strong mental focus and football confidence.

Frustration is just one of many added emotions an injured player experiences throughout the recovery process. Not being able to practice or play the game causes many an athlete to experience depression and a result, and often they feel they are “less” of an athlete. Mental focus is lost. Their self-worth deteriorates which crushes their confidence, both on the football field and in life.

The injured athlete must find positive affirmation both from others such as coaches, family and friends, but they should also develop positive thoughts from within. It may be impossible to completely eliminate a negative thought from entering your mind, but you do not have to allow it to take up residence and fuel it with constant attention. Instead, address you mental thoughts and replace any negativity with something that empowers and encourages you. Keep people around you that offer encouragement and positive feedback toward your journey to recovery.

Visualization is an extremely effective practice to speed recovery and achieve stronger mental toughness upon your return to the playing field. Imagine your injury actually “healing”, and gaining in strength by the minute. Concentrate your thoughts on a positive recovery process, and the length of time is typically shorter than if no visualization practices occur.

Also, the extra time you are not practicing can be spent visualizing your eventual return to the game along with success in all possible scenarios. Increase your mental focus and football confidence by visualizing constant success. The time of recovery is a great opportunity to analyze goals, and develop a strategic and calculated plan for the achievement of those goals. The successful athlete understands the importance of a strong mental game, and incorporates time and effort into the improvement of their overall focus and football confidence, even when they are hurt physically.

Most football athletes experience some sort of injury during their career. Their ability to deal with the emotions surrounding the injury along with the setbacks of a physical recovery determines their mental strength when they return to the game. Incorporating activities that support mental toughness during this recovery process is crucial to maintaining a strong football confidence and mental game.