An Introduction to Football Psychology

So, I thought my first blog for Baller Performance should be an insight into what Sport Psychology is, especially as you will be working with me across the season. You might already have some knowledge and understanding of Psychology or even your own experience of working with a Sport Psychologist but for those that do not already know, all it is, is the study of human behaviour and any psychological factors (e.g., confidence, motivation) that can help to improve your wellbeing, participation, and performance levels in football. Yes, at first, psychology can seem quite “daunting” and a very complex term to understand but my aim as a qualified Sport and Exercise Psychologist is to simplify psychology in a way that is beneficial and accessible to you. By simplifying psychology this will help you improve your wellbeing, happiness, enjoyment with football and performance whilst creating an open, psychologically safe, and confidential space to work collaboratively on what you require support with.

We all have unique experiences and backgrounds that shape who we are and who we have become today. Some of us might have low confidence, are passionate and enjoy football or struggle to deal well with pressure from big competitive games because we want to show our skill and talent. These are just a few of the many areas that a psychologist can help you with. Other psychological and emotional factors include: motivation, finding inner happiness, building a strong and resilient mindset, coping with setbacks, dealing with comparisons with others, regulating our emotions, dealing with criticism and many more. Now, you should be reflecting on what your strengths are, where you currently are and what you wish to work on. This is exactly what a Sport Psychologist does, helps you get from where you currently are to where you want to be and helps you to excel in your performance to stand above from the rest.

Let’s try and put things into perspective and think about this famous football examples. Do you remember in the 2008 Champions League final when John Terry slipped during the penalty? 

This is an example of a professional, knowledgeable, and high ability player who could have benefitted from support with his psychology mind! From the lead up to the penalty you could tell that he was nervous just walking up to the penalty spot, he had thousands (potentially millions) of people watching him and he was expected to score. Pressure from the crowd, the staff, his teammates, millions of people watching at home and most importantly from himself.

The reality is that John Terry still thinks to this day about missing his penalty in that final as he had the chance to win Chelsea’s first ever Champions League title. When discussing how a long defeat would stay with him, he said that “I suppose a good thing with football is that nine times out of ten, you’ve got a game two or three days after, which is good”.

“You’re thinking, I’m not sure we’ll get another chance at this. You just carry that weight with you completely”. He spoke about how he was feeling embarrassed, like he let down his family, teammates and fans. “You evidently think the worst. People don’t see that side of it, they see the glamour and it’s a great life don’t get me wrong, but there are ups and downs along the way as well”. Chelsea eventually won the Champions league for the first time ever in 2012 beating Bayern Munich but that doesn’t mean the 2008 slip doesn’t go away.

This example is so important because not only does it show us the importance of working hard on and off the pitch, but it also shows us that life does not always go the way that we expect. The way we deal with our thoughts and feelings can play a huge role on our behaviours. Our unhelpful thoughts can not only affect our future performances and relationship with others but these can make us sick and affect our wellbeing too. Working with a psychologist can help make this process easier by providing a safe and open space to work through these unhelpful thoughts and discover coping strategies to accept and learn from these types of situations. We are all human and make mistakes. It is all about how we bounce back from them. 

Spend some time reflecting on a previous game where you came away and thought “damn, that mistake I made really cost us the game” or “I’m frustrated because I know that I could have played better”. How did you deal with those mistakes? Where did you notice that your mind went? Would you deal with it differently if you were faced with the same situation?

Feeling low in self-confidence and finding that it is having a negative impact on your performance? Cannot find a way to move on from that mistake you made 3 weeks ago in a game? Comparing yourself to your teammates or opponents? Working with a psychologist, will open your mind to new ways of thinking, feeling and ultimately living. You will be asked questions and be guided on a journey of self-discovery to not only work on what you would like to improve but build upon your existing strengths that will help separate you from the rest to achieve optimum wellbeing and performance. 

Thinking of working with me? Watch the introductory video and complete the initial form to see how I can help you excel psychologically, personally and professionally excel on and off the pitch.

Look forward to working with you all at Baller Performance!