Dan Abrahams - Soccer Tough 2: Advanced Psychology Techniques for Footballers

Soccer Tough II: Advanced Psychology Techniques for Footballers

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by Dan Abrahams

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[Smashwords Edition]

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Published in 2015 by Bennion Kearny Limited.

Copyright Bennion Kearny Ltd 2015

Dan Abrahams has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this book.

ISBN: 978-1-909125-49-0

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that it which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Bennion Kearny has endeavoured to provide trademark information about all the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Bennion Kearny cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Published by Bennion Kearny Limited, 6 Woodside, Churnet View Road, Oakamoor, Staffordshire, ST10 3AE

www.BennionKearny.com

Table of Contents

Dedication

For all those in sport striving to be the very best they can be.

Acknowledgements

Firstly, Id like to thank my publisher James at Bennion Kearny for all his support and advice over the past four years. Id also like to thank my family Mum, Dad and Zoe for their unwavering support.

Thanks to footballers Yannick Bolasie, Kelly Smith, Rachel Yankey, Marley Watkins, and strength and conditioning coach Rayan Wilson for supporting this project and for allowing me to tell the world about their soccer mindset.

A big thanks to all those players and coaches who enjoy and support my work. I learn from you all every day and appreciate the time you take to praise and challenge my work.

Finally, the biggest thanks of all to my amazing wife Heidi, without whose unfailing support there would be no book. Thank you for being the best editor, the most helpful critic, the most enthusiastic fan, and the most caring and loving wife.

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Rayan Wilson, strength & conditioning coach at Back2action can be contacted at rayanwilson@back2action.co.uk (www.back2action.co.uk)

About the Author

Dan Abrahams is a registered sport psychologist specialising in soccer. He works with players, coaches, clubs and soccer organisations globally and is passionate about de-mystifying sport psychology for everyone involved in the beautiful game.

His soccer tools and techniques have been used by some of the leading coaches in the game, and he has become the go-to guy for elite professional players who want to improve the mental side of their game.

As a former professional golfer, Dan holds a First Class Honours Degree in psychology and a Masters Degree in sport psychology. He is a speaker in demand at universities and colleges, and has delivered his positive, practical and upbeat messages at conferences and to governing bodies around the world.

Dan has spread his soccer psychology philosophies across the soccer globe by using social media and his mindset techniques are now used across Europe, the USA, the Middle East, the Far East and Australasia.

Follow Dan at @DanAbrahams77

Also follow Dan on Instagram: danabrahamssport

Introduction

I hope youre sitting comfortably. Were going to have a conversation. Were going to have a chat about your favourite thing in the world. Were going to talk about your soccer.

This is going to be an honest discussion I need to know plenty about your game if Im going to be able to help you. I need to be able to see your soccer through your eyes.

So, I want you to open up to me. I want you tell me about the thoughts and feelings you experience when you train. I want you to tell me how youre preparing for an upcoming game. And I want to discuss what youre trying to achieve going into a match. Tell me in detail the more I know about your game the greater I can impact your soccer.

By the time were finished talking, youre going to see soccer in a completely different way. Im probably going to bust some myths you might have about how you should train and what great pre-match preparation looks like. And Im confident Im going to give you some aha! moments some great answers to some of the long term challenges youve faced on the football pitch.

I must warn you, however, that this isnt always going to be a comfortable ride or an easy journey. For as long as you are working with me I need you to understand that comfort is the enemy of improvement. Perhaps the most impressive thing about champions in all sports is their ability to slide the scale of relaxation as they learn and compete. They know when to turn up the volume of intensity and stretch their comfort zone, but they equally know when they should slow down and loosen up. The knowledge and application of this balancing act is central to their development and their play.

Despite my tough stance on your soccer, at the heart of this book is enjoyment. I want you to enjoy your football. I want you to play freely and express yourself. I want you to experience the thrill of seeing yourself get better, seeing yourself become more skilful, and experience the sense of fulfilment that will accompany the small successes that follow effective learning.

A Mental Structure

Over the past decade Ive noticed a consistent pattern to the challenges my soccer clients face. During that crucial first session my questions, more often than not, uncover a lack of direction in their game. They want to get better, but they dont necessarily know how to. Most players struggle to tell me what their individual development programme is. They dont always have specific training goals that will help them be the very best they can be. They go into training focused on being good but they find it difficult to define what good looks like. There is seldom a plan. There is rarely a structure to their training session.

This word structure is important. A common thread across the mentality of many of the soccer players I meet is the lack of a mental structure they have on a daily basis. And just as theyre not as organised as they could be with their training thoughts, so they lack this mental structure on the pitch.

How do you prepare for a game mentally? Do you have a mental structure when you step onto the pitch? Do you have a routine on matchday that helps you find your high performance mindset? Do you know how to manage yourself from the first whistle to the last?

And what about after the match? Do you analyse your game while its fresh in your mind so you can learn from what went well and understand what you need to work on? Do you know how to be tough on yourself and kind on yourself at the same time?

If the answer is no to most of these questions then this book will provide you with some answers. This book will help you fashion a mental structure to complement the work you will be doing technically, tactically and physically.

Practice

The attitude that accompanies you when you arrive at the training pitch will heavily determine how good you get at soccer. That sounds obvious, right? Come to training with a good attitude and youll improve. But I dont think a footballers practice attitude is obvious at all. I think many soccer players (and many soccer coaches for that matter) define training attitude in highly simplistic terms.