In coaching high school soccer, it’s a fact that similar to confidence; self-control too is a choice players need to make. Self-control strategies in soccer coaching depend upon the relationship between emotions and thoughts. All of us know our mental state influences our passions that accordingly enhance our performance.
I’ll explain to you a 12 step strategy that’ll allow you to assist your players in learning the discipline of self-control. But make sure that your player’s only take these steps when they are sure of its value to them.
What’s more, the players should also be prepared to take full responsibility for the actions they take. The 12 steps are explained below.
1. Awareness: Help the players figure out their weak points during the course of coaching youth soccer. Help your players evaluate the reasons how, where and when they lost control on the ground in their past.
2. Understanding: Allow the players to make out the reason that affected their thinking in such a way that they lost their emotional stability.
3. Differences: Give them time to recollect situations when they did lose control and when they did not. Have them decide the differences in their attitudes, behaviors, and emotions.
4. Problem: Make an attempt to identify the exact problem in coaching high school soccer. For example: Is it the guilt of letting the whole team down because of their performance?
5. Belief: The players should manage to raise their expectations from them including self-control as one of the behaviors. Persuade them that they can change.
6. Reinforcement: Reinforcement encourages a change in behavior. To make the improved skills of players as their permanent skills, you, being a coach, must reward them.
7. Goals: To guide the players through skill upgradation process, set a series of small goals for them. You need to make the players understand the link between actions, thoughts, and feelings.
8. Techniques: Build a series of behavioral techniques for maintaining confidence. For example: Course of action must be clear in the minds of players when a certain situation arises.
9. Plan: In football coaching, train the players to systematically and considerably follow their goals.
10. Progress: Tell them to be patient. Let them know that improvement always comes in a series of ups and downs.
11. Setbacks: Train the players to accept that setbacks are bound to happen from time to time. Therefore, try to learn something new from every setback.
12. Remembrance: Last but an important point is to let the players identify the good reason behind the change. The players must always know that why and what are they doing. How important the change is for their future?
We all agree that a perfect performance state for a soccer player is that of a relaxed promptness. It signifies the ability to use energy without any fear.
You must not make any mistake about it. You must include relaxation techniques in coaching high school soccer and train the players on how to control the thought process so that they can keep themselves stress-free.
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Andre Botelho is a recognized authority in youth soccer coaching and has already helped thousands of youth coaches to dramatically improve their coaching skills. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make training fun by downloading your free ebook at: Soccer Practice Drills.
