Has it ever crossed your mind how performance tags along the player’s and their coach’s attitude when discussing the topic, How to coach soccer
We have evaluated the significance of willpower and confidence in a player’s attitude already. One more ingredient of attitude is self-belief. This is the capacity of a player to focus full attention on just one part of performance for as much time as is required to be successful.
Such players who cannot focus attention on a single aspect have to deal with lot of other factors that can weaken a good performance. Loss of focus is one of them i.e. the incapacity to make out and handle changes taking place in the pattern of the game. Next is the loss of intensity i.e. a breakdown in the power of focus through exhaustion, choking, and complacency.
How many of us recognize that players today have to take care of both variation and speed in order to be able to conquer a string of problems. One of the important soccer skills for players to master is concentration, and it allows them to confront of an energetic game that offers many distractions.
The game of soccer today is a lot different from what it used to be. Every game has some key situations where either the moment defines the player or the player defines the moment. Improve your contribution in the discussion on the subject of how to coach soccer by preparing your players for such defining moments in a match.
In teaching soccer, train the players to focus attention on such situations that are within their control. Equally important is the fact that they must ignore the situations that are not worth mentioning or not within control.
It’s vital to teach your players the theory of concentration by switching on to a narrow focus with high intensity and then easily switching off to a wider outlook with low intensity. Do this by making them assess the pattern of the game, when they should switch on, and when they can safely switch off.
In the role of a coach, you must never devalue practice. Good practice should always form a part of soccer coaching so that players can relate to both training and completion.
The intellectual skills for focus and intensity are exactly the same as physical techniques. Due to repetition, they will automatically become habits. Such mental habits help players deal with stressful situations.
The ideal performance standard is denoted to be automatic. When the players practice, it helps them get rid of their physical and mental habits. This is the very purpose of training; to develop effective technical, tactical, and mental skills and habits.
Everything that players must do in the competition must first be seen in training. Always take this as a reply to anybody’s thought on how to coach soccer.
Some food for thought: Concentration is not a talent, it’s a habit and so it requires constant motivation and regular practice.
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Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: How to coach soccer.
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