Speaking of coaching high school soccer, the outlook and behavior of the coach are the most important influences affecting a player’s performance. The coach can build a mentally tough team only when he has devised a plan that supports a positive attitude aimed at winning.
The coach plays an influential and a key authority figure in the player’s career. The body language, experiences, and attitude of the coach are key attributes that can shape, reinforce, or damage the player’s sense of worth and confidence.
In coaching youth soccer, mental toughness is about meeting challenges with positive self control. Therefore, the coach must be the starting point in both practice and competition.
The coach will find that a disciplined post-match routine is helpful in ensuring that he or she does not get either too high or too low. A competent coach will draw on ideas, narrative, and symbols, videos, and like that to shape the collective outlook of the team and ready them to be mentally strong on the playing field.
In football coaching, the coach who wants a mentally tough team must demonstrate a controlled way to deal with emotional setbacks despite personal feelings.
If the coach shows an unwavering belief in the team’s ability to achieve despite the obstacles, then the team has a framework for building the same mind-set and will become increasingly motivated.
Dealing with mistakes and failure is another area in coaching high school soccer, for which the coach is solely responsible. How strong the players feels motivated to correct the mistakes made is largely dependent upon the coach’s reaction to failure. There are two option for the coach to choose from.
To give a response to the players in order to improve them, their failures can be used as an opportunity to correct them. Convince them to recommit themselves to the endeavor with renewed enthusiasm.
The failure can be used as substantiation of the player’s insufficiency and evidence that he cannot meet the prospects. Players will get de-motivated because of this emotional overreaction.
Players can be made psychologically strong by accommodating the accountability for their judgment, stances, and actions and rejecting all probable excuses. In soccer coaching, players can be questioned and listened by the coaches rather than always being accused of their mistakes. The players can be motivated by having a one-to-one conversation with them and discussing with them about what they could have done better.
Such an exercise is called self-reference. The coach can encourage the players by encouraging the players to self reference. Asking the players of their reaction for the situation is a better option for a coach than giving his own view points or definition on it. Take an example: “How do you feel you played?” or “Why do you feel you behaved that way?”
It is important for the players to think deeply and thoroughly and then account for their reactions which are very critical part of the learning process.
Whatever methods that you’ve just learnt, go ahead and start applying in coaching high school soccer.
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Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Kids Soccer Drills.
Tags: Coaching high school soccer, coaching youth soccer, football coaching, soccer coaching