“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as IMPOSSIBLE.” Vince Lombardi
Football players today spend a vast number of hours honing their craft, working on various physical techniques hoping it pays performance dividends in competitions.
Though there are many reasons why some athletes have difficulty transferring their physical skills training to competition, overthinking is one of them.
Here’s how to simplify things and get the result you want.
Causes of overthinking:
Getting ready for a game through physical and mental preparation is crucial, but some athletes overdo it and become perfectionists with their preparation.
This can result in the opposite of what the athlete intended because they end up giving more importance to the minute details instead of what matters.This is an example of how overthinking can affect your performance negatively.
Football psychologists have acknowledged that a major reason for freezing on the field is because of overthinking from all the pressure.
Athletes are stacked with pressure to be the best, and that is why they feel the need to overthink. They think it is the best way to make sure they perform as planned.
The truth is, things never go exactly as planned and that is why it is important to open your mind to adversity.
A weak football confidence can also be the cause of overthinking during a game. You will be preoccupied with the fear that everything you do, you will question yourself first.“Is this correct?”, “Will this strategy work for us?”
It is better to just go with your instinct at the moment than to overthink and let the opportunity slip. To make this possible, you need to get in the zone where your performance is at its peak. Don’t disrupt your mental game with unnecessary thoughts.
How can you overcome overthinking?
It is easy to go into analysis-paralysis by worrying too much. Analysis paralysis will cause you to over analyze something that you do not know how to react to, and you just freeze. Remember just to take a deep breath and breathe.
Relaxing your mind before and during the game is vital to uphold your mental toughness. Create a pre-game routine that involves relaxation methods to keep your mind composed and positive words to boost your confidence.
By mastering the football mental game, you can learn that players who have a routine are less likely to over analyze plays on the field. They rely on the strategies in their routines and don’t have to think, they just perform.
Even when you know a skill, if you overthink it, it messes up the process, and your mind might forget it momentarily.
Your mental toughness must constantly be exercised to learn to restrain yourself from overthinking.
Train your football mind to focus on only on tasks relevant cues, so you do not wander to other thoughts not relevant to the game.
Sometimes, there might be a specific thing that is bothering you and causing you to be stressed. You have to try and pinpoint the underlying problem and address it so you can be free from the tension of it. It may be something football related or just a personal matter but must still be dealt with before the game to keep your mind on track.
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