Football is a Mental Game
During my 20 years in football there is nothing that upsets me more than a technical player with no confidence. This player is usually an extremely doubtful ectomorph.
I was this Player
I was one too. So I know the biggest issue with this type of player is that they think they are ineffective because the majority of other players are far more physically advanced. They know they may be more technical, but what use is that if they’re too scared to play? These players would argue that they do know how to play. I certainly did. I was wrong. I thought I could play because I knew what to do. However, knowing and doing are separate entities.
Focus on Doing over Knowing
Life is represented in football. Philosopher and Lecturer Alan Watts was a big believer that everything we did without thinking were our greatest skills, as if we are not thinking, we are acting as our unique selves. Obviously, this advice is to be taken with moderation. However, it’s highly applicable in football. You must focus on your goal (e.g. being a rock solid defender) and take action (do everything that aligns with this). This advice is often seen as simplistic. Seeing advice as simplistic is just another way to showcase impatience. The truest wisdom is simple and effective, but takes years to come into effect.
No Explanation for what comes easy
So how does this connect to doing over knowing? Football is a game of instinct, not knowledge. Alan Watts believed the things we did best were done without thinking because we do not know ourselves how we do them. Try it yourself. Pick any skill you can perform well with astonishing consistency, and see if you can describe the process of performing this skill. You may come to some logical explanation, but that’s not what goes through your head when you do it. If it was, others would be able to learn instantly via logical explanations.
We learn through experience. It’s best to perform a skill until we can do so without thinking about the consequence of our actions. However, as mentioned above, to get to this point takes years. And the extremely doubtful ectomorph lacks the confidence to accept this reality. They’re too focused on their insecurities (e.g. being physically disadvantaged). Once again, I certainly was. This distracted me from building a skillset suited to my body type.
Doubts Prevent Progress
Doubts prevent clarity. Clarity is needed to perform the skills we do best, as we need to do them without thinking. So how can we prevent doubts from decreasing our footballing ability?
Focus on Solutions - Solutions over what we did wrong or what we can’t do. Look for what works to combat our weaknesses (e.g. a stronger player is playing directly against us. Keep our body between them and the ball, and look to find spaces away from the player to collect the ball).
Repeat Solutions - Repeat solutions in our head when opportunities arise to silence the doubts (e.g. instead of “I missed the last chance, I need to hit the ball differently” use, “hit the ball through the middle with my laces”).
Block out Worry-Inducing Comments - Any comments from anyone else that cause more worries in your head should be ignored during the game and analysed after. Ignore because analysing it will only distract you from your game. Know your game and stick to it, unless your manager is providing constructive criticism. Analyse after the game because football is constantly moving. Any time wasted analysing whilst playing could result in missing an opportunity you could have taken if you were looking for a solution.
The advice given here is advice I wish I had learned sooner, but I am now grateful for knowing. Playing now feels fun and engaging rather than a stressful mental battle. Don’t let your worries block out your ability regardless of your physical build or technical ability.
Have Questions?
Email me at ah@intentionalfootball.com
