Never stop trying. Never stop believing. Never give up. Your day will come. – Unknown

According to sports psychology, the art of positive self-talk can make a difference in the performance of a football player.

Making affirmations involves replacing negative self-talk with positive self-talk.

Affirmations can help improve the football confidence of athletes. It is essential to ensure that you learn the art of speaking affirmations to yourself.

Below, the article explores how affirmations enhance performance and improve the mindset of football players and how the reticular activating system works when you say affirmations.

How do Affirmations Enhance Performance?

Understanding how affirmations work is simple. Take an instance in which a football player tells himself, “I will not get to the end zone.” Chances are, the player will not make it to the end zone, even if they try.

However, if a player declares that he will reach the end zone, there is a likelihood that he will.

Affirmations are a part of football psychology and work to the advantage of a player.

What makes a good affirmation?

• It is repetitive. A good affirmation is likely to be said more than once over a long period. This means that a good affirmation is repeated as it helps to reinforce self-belief. Football psychologists advise that for you to develop a skill or to succeed as a result of the affirmations you make, you should say them preferably every day and at a specific time.
• It utilizes the first person. A truly effective affirmation puts the person saying it at the center of the action. As such, it is important to utilize the connection between you and the words you speak. “I am well, healthy and strong” is an affirmation that will improve the morale of a player who may have been injured and has been cleared to play.

The Role of the Reticular Activating System (RAS)

For your affirmations to work effectively, sport psychology suggests that you understand how the mind works when you speak positive words.

The reticular activating system is the information filter on the brain. When you think and declare what you want, the brain filters it.

The RAS takes what you focus on, create a filter for it and then only present the information that is important to you.

The RAS will always send information to the brain when you say the same affirmation, and the brain will automatically begin to help you find opportunities to support your goals as relayed by the RAS.

By blocking out the negativity in the brain, the RAS helps athletes improve their performance.

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