Slump Busting in Soccer
A loss of confidence and performance, commonly referred to as a slump is a difficult situation for a soccer player to deal with. It can be especially difficult for young players who are experiencing adversity and frustration for the first time. As a player you must develop the mental ability to play through tough times if you wish to truly excel. Whether it is moving up one step on the competitive ladder, a large jump in ability to high school or college you need to follow simple steps to clear your mind and compete at your highest level.
Coaching can use this guide to coach their players to overcome slumps.
Focus
While it seems simple to say focus on the task at hand, emotional ups and downs can make it difficult. Circumstances outside of your control can also start to dictate your mentality if you allow them to do so. To keep focus you should set out clearly what your focus is, this way you can monitor progress during a slump and set targets to recover your level of performance. Begin each season by setting a range of short term and long term goals. Make goals both results oriented and task oriented. A slump in performance will often result in a down turn in results, task oriented goals allow you to gage improvement without obsessing over statistics. Examples or results oriented goals are;
- Score 10 goals in a season.
- Win 10 games in a season.
- Provide 10 assists in a season.
- Win at least 1 drill in practice every week.
- Complete 90% of passes every practice or game.
Both short term and long term goals exist on the list above. Examples of task oriented goals are;
- Improve left foot in practice every day.
- Improve stamina during season.
- Be confident and let shots go when in range.
The goals include short and long term, and focus on the task making them easier to achieve. The beauty of task oriented goals is they allow you to monitor progress without the pressure of scoring X number of goals. If you are in a goal scoring slump, consistently improving and meeting task oriented goals can stop you focusing on failure and help you turn your form around.
Take Responsibility
The only surefire way to never improve is to tell yourself you have already made it. Playing sports is not about what you have done, succeeding at sports is about focusing on what you are going to do. If you are not playing well avoid making excuses. Typical excuses used by players include;
- I never get the ball.
- It is hard to adjust coming off the bench.
- I play the wrong position.
- Coach does not motivate me.
All of these thought processes may soften any pain, but in the long run you cripple your own chances of success by adopting them. You may find those who love you agree and tell you what you want to hear, but this does not mean you are right. If you truly want to break out of a slump you must accept things are not good enough, and redouble your efforts to improve your performance. Here are examples of positive mindsets to adopt;
- “I never get the ball” – Go and get it! Communicate more and move more. Even if you receive no passes, win tackles and interceptions. The only reason for never getting the ball is poor performance by you. Analyze what is going wrong, ask for feedback and work at improvements.
- “It’s hard to adjust coming off the bench” – Deal with it! If your ego cannot deal with not starting, humble yourself and work at contributing to the team. Sulking will only make things worse. The argument of it being hard to adjust is no more true than the fact that starters will be more tired and you are fresh.
- “I play the wrong position” – Certain skills are consistent in soccer regardless of position. Win tackles, move and keep possession for your team. If you focus on and do these things, it is unlikely you will find yourself in a slump.
- “Coach does not motivate me” – Look in the mirror! You will receive many coaches during your career, and some you will like more than others. The fact is you must want to play the game and succeed. If you point the finger you doom yourself to poor performance and accept it.
ACTION PLAN
- Recognize and acknowledge a slump.
- Set long and short term goals focused on task and results. Monitor progress using all goals, not only a select few. Take confidence from small successes, they build up.
- Keep a journal. Tracking your good and bad games can be cathartic. Also, reading back on your words when you were playing better can be a source of confidence.
- Take responsibility for your own performance and be honest in self evaluation.
- Plan ahead, work on game away from team practices and schedule what topics to cover.
