Match between RB Leipzig and FC Erzgebirge Aue in October 2014

Soccer (Football)

5 mental training tips for soccer

You must have a short memory, thick skin, a growth mindset, resilience, and the ability to block out negativity.

By Michael Burgess II

5 min readPublished on 12/14/2022 · 6:05 PM UTC

Growing up, New York Red Bulls forward Serge Ngoma was a competitive wrestler. When he transitioned to playing soccer, there was one thing he took with him.

“I’d say the mental aspect. When I am wrestling, it’s me and the other person, so there is really nobody else that you can blame other than you, I take that in too… where I’m pretty hard on myself playing,” he said.

As Ngoma knows, soccer is full of adversity, like injuries and bad weather, that require players to be mentally tough. In addition to a positive outlook, they often turn to mental training techniques like meditation, self-talk, hypnotism, and visualization. But what mental training tips do they deploy on the field?

Mental Training Tips

Below we explore the mental side of soccer with five pro tips to improve your mental toughness.

Short Memory

Daniel Frahn and Tim Sebastian (RB Leipzig) celebrate after scoring
© GEPA pictures / Red Bull Content Pool

One of the hardest things for players to accept is that they will make mistakes on the field, regardless of how much they have trained. It’s why experts suggest players should adopt “selective attention.”

Simply put, relevant information, like the weather or the crowds, is filtered through short-term memory. Meanwhile, irrelevant information, like a mistake a player has made or a foul he or she believes to have been committed, is ignored. Everyone has negative voices in their head, but players with short memories are about to rebound quickly and protect themselves from self-doubt.

Experts suggest a physical cue after a mistake on the field to help reset your mind. For example, a deep breath or a set of fast feet, or even something you say to yourself like, “Reset.”

Thick Skin

The New York Red Bulls vs. D.C. United at the Red Bull Arena in 2012
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

There is a reason soccer players have calluses on their feet– it’s to protect the skin that’s constantly being irritated. Just like their feet, players need to protect their emotions, deflect trash talk and keep their cool to avoid drawing red and yellow cards. How do you do it in a high-stress situation? Some players rely on selective listening. To do this, they train themselves not to listen when another player is attacking them. Try singing or talking to drown the other person out. Another great technique is to use criticism as fuel. Instead of getting angry, use the negative energy to make you play harder.

Growth Mindset

An athlete with a growth mindset is a player that’s never comfortable with where they are. It’s a goalkeeper knowing they haven’t given up a goal in four games but still practicing daily. It’s a player who knows regardless of how good they are, they must continuously train to be better. The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset, and there are ways to distinguish the two. A person with a fixed mindset follows the same warm-up routine and runs the same drills. A person with a growth mindset is trying new routines, asking for feedback, and using positive language. Experts call this learned optimism and its integral to a growth mindset.

Stay Resilient

Jonatan Soriano (RBS) and Matt Miazga (RB Leipzig) in 2015
© GEPA pictures / Red Bull Content Pool

Staying resilient means having the ability to adapt to adverse situations. In soccer, that means a teammate being ejected unfairly, bad weather, or even an injury. One way to practice resilience is to recreate adverse conditions. For example, playing on a wet soccer field with a wet ball could change the trajectory and play dramatically. How will you respond? Practicing dribbling, passing, and shooting with a wet ball will help you on days when you can’t avoid the rain. Each game will have its own challenges. Focus on pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and making mistakes. As New York Red Bull Trent Alexander-Arnold says, “You are brought up to realize that there will always be tough times in football and that nothing is ever straightforward.”

Blocking Out Negativity

Blocking out negativity and staying positive are perhaps the most important ways to stay mentally tough. A great way to block out negativity is to meditate daily. Experts recommend 40-45 minutes, but short mindfulness sessions will calm the mind and body. In gameplay, even the best players can lose their self-confidence. Great tools to reset yourself include remembering great plays you had during a practice session, reflecting on words of encouragement, and setting a future goal for the next play. When your mind is at peace, you will naturally have more confidence.

Conclusion

For most players, conquering the mental aspect of soccer is just as hard, if not harder, than the physical one. You must have a short memory, thick skin, a growth mindset, resilience, and have the ability to block out negativity.

Whether you’re playing in competitions like Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five World Final or even the World Cup, practicing these habits will help you become mentally tougher. In the words of Neymar, “I am not the type of person who lets the pressure get to him. I try to see it as my friend. I align with it to calm me down.”