How Your Body Language Impacts Your Game

When college coaches are asked how they identify high-level players, most of them agree that a tell-tale sign is a positive attitude. Why? Because things go wrong left and right in soccer, and maintaining a positive attitude in such an uncertain environment isn’t easy.

Positivity is also the most effective temperament for moving your team forward. It gives your teammates confidence and helps them relax, putting them in the right mindset to perform.

Okay, so what does a positive attitude look like? It’s the way the player communicates to their teammates, both physically and verbally.

Positive vs. Negative Communication

Let’s say you give a great ball to your teammate, and your teammate makes an effort but doesn’t get there. This is undeniably frustrating. But would getting angry and chastising your teammate help them stay focused and move on? Would this response make the same outcome any less likely to happen again?

If anything, it would do the complete opposite.

What coaches want to see in this situation is a player who commends their teammate for making an effort and gives them a supportive pat on the back. When the opportunity comes, you could even pull your teammate aside for a few seconds and say something like, “You’ll get it next time.” If you are the one that missed the ball, thank your teammate for the great ball and tell them that you’ll get it next time.

How Positive Body Language Influences Your Teammates

High-level players continuously lift their teammates up with positive body language and communication, regardless of what the scoreboard says. They clap for their teammates when they take smart risks, even if they don’t pan out.

Positive body language also has a significant impact on your team’s playing style. If you are visibly disinterested, frustrated, or fatigued, your teammates are likely to feel the same. Attitude is infectious, and it would likely rub off on your teammates if it’s positive or negative, so make it positive.

Better Body Language = Better Technique

As former pros, we both learned very early in our careers that positive body language is conducive to an elite mindset. If you continue to display positive body language when something goes wrong, it’s much easier to regain your focus. It’s as if your body is telling your mind, “Everything’s okay.”

Lastly, positive body language is even beneficial for your technique. When you move with more confidence and passion, you’ll kick with more confidence and passion. Soccer is full of uncertain situations, and you can’t go into them with an uncertain mindset. It’s much more sensible to enter uncertain situations with the genuine belief that you’ll come out on top, and your body language should show it.

At Beyond Goals Mentoring, we know that staying focused and relaxed when adversity strikes isn’t easy. That’s why we’re dedicated to helping young athletes develop the mental tools to regulate their emotions, learn from their mistakes, and continue performing in high-pressure moments. An elite mindset puts the team first, and nothing shows this more clearly than positive body language and communication.

So, if your athlete could use some help with the mental aspect of soccer, let’s set up a mentoring session today.