Summer Training Schedule to Increase Your Resilience

Adversity is an inevitability of high-level sports, both on and off the field. Lots of players can perform when their team has the momentum and their life is going great, but very few can continue performing at this same level when adversity strikes. What happens when you make a mistake? What happens when you get cut from your team?

The ability to stay focused and relaxed when things aren’t going your way is the most important ability an athlete can possess. Countless iconic athletes have cited resilience as the number one reason for their success. 

If you’re pursuing a higher level of competition this try-out season, we don’t mean to scare you, but…adversity is almost certainly on the horizon. That’s why - in addition to your fitness, technique, and soccer IQ - you should spend your summer building your resilience, and we’re happy to give you a few pointers. 

Changing Your Perspective Towards Adversity

High-level athletes don’t like to come up short. When you want to be great, it’s only natural to view mistakes and setbacks as “wrong,” or things that “shouldn’t” happen to you.

But if you watch enough soccer, you’ll see high-level players making mistakes and suffering personal setbacks all the time. A resilient player recovers at a faster rate because they’ve accepted adversity as an ongoing part of their life, as opposed to something that should be feared, or a sign of weakness.

The next time you watch a professional soccer match, keep your eye on the first player you see make a big mistake in a high-pressure situation. Watch how this player carries themself afterwards, and how the mistake affects their performance and overall behavior throughout the rest of the match. Are they performing better, worse, or the same?

If the answer is better, that’s what high-level resilience looks like. Recovering from mistakes isn’t easy, but as you can see, it can be done. If this player can do it, so can you.

Practicing Positive Thinking

Resilient players can often be distinguished by their positive attitude. They continue pushing themselves and displaying positive body language, even after they make a mistake or the other team scores.

The point is, a big part of resilience is envisioning positive outcomes for yourself and your team. In our careers, we found that certain activities can encourage positive self-talk, which is very helpful if your mind doesn’t do this naturally (like lots of people).

One very popular example is writing your goals for next season on paper. You’ll be surprised by how much more attainable your goals become once you’ve physically written them down, along with how you’re going to reach these goals, and why you deserve to reach them. It may seem simple, but it can only be done with a positive mindset.

Identifying Your “Why”

In addition to resilience, all successful soccer players share one thing in common. They all love playing soccer, or more specifically, there’s something about soccer they love.

This is another useful aspect of journaling: Identifying and writing down your “why.”  What is it about soccer that you love?  Is it the camaraderie with your teammates? The freedom of movement? Pushing yourself physically during training?

When you know exactly why you play soccer in the first place, you can find this same element of soccer in every match and every practice. If you don’t want to wake up for practice in the morning, or your team is losing badly and you just want to go home, just remember your “why.”

The Four Components of a Complete Player

Speaking of adversity, a player who’s pursuing a higher of level competition needs to be complete, and not just physically. Coaches will also be looking at your soccer IQ. That’s why we’ve created a summer packet for improving the four components of a high-level soccer player: fitness, technique, soccer IQ, and resilience. Trust us, coaches will consider all four components when evaluating potential recruits during try-outs.