Mindset Coaching vs. Traditional Coaching: The Missing Piece in Elite Soccer Development

Over our careers, we’ve met plenty of young athletes who possess the physical requirements for success. They’re in fabulous shape, their technical skills are on point, and boy, do they work hard.

But physical prowess isn’t what separates good players from great players. It’s their mindset.  

Unfortunately, the traditional approach to coaching soccer gives little (if any) attention to mindset, and focuses almost entirely on physical training. In the past, the thought process was that if you make enough technically elite players, the ones with the right mindset will rise to the top.

While that can work with a large enough club, this doesn’t make sense because every single player has to make decisions and react to uncertain situations with lightning speed. If you’re unable to use your head, all of your physical advantages are essentially meaningless.

Thankfully, today’s young athletes have a solution to this lack of mental training: mindset coaching! A good mindset coach teaches players to stay focused and relaxed so they can continuously perform at their best and put those physical advantages to use.  

Here are three reasons mindset coaching is the missing piece of the puzzle in a soccer player’s development:

Mindset Coaching Teaches Resilience    

Soccer is a game of mistakes; they’re happening all the time in every game at every level. But even though they are inevitable in soccer, countless players continue to get frustrated and lose focus when things don’t go their way. Highly competitive athletes don’t like to fail as a general rule, and they tend to view mistakes as a sign of weakness or ineptitude.

Of course, this couldn’t be further from the truth. A good Mindset Coach teaches players to accept the inevitability of mistakes, and eradicate the notion that mistakes are something to fear. This mentality makes it much easier to control your emotions after a mistake so you can stay focused on the moment at hand.

Numerous iconic athletes have said that the ability to recover from setbacks is the literally the most important skill an athlete can possess. After all, you won’t be much help to your team if you fall apart every time your team loses momentum.

Mindset Coaching Shows You How to Build Confidence

Confidence is integral to success in any sport, but many talented players suffer from negative self-talk and get nervous before games. All the physical training in the world won’t cure the infamous pre-game jitters, which can paralyze a player’s focus.

Mindset coaching builds confidence in several ways, and one of them is helping players grow accustomed to taking smart, calculated risks during play. When you take a risk, you put your physical abilities to the test. Every test you pass - or every risk that pays off - gives your confidence a boost. Instead of worrying about how different situations will play out, you now have hard evidence that you can come out on top.

This allows athletes to take full advantage of their physical abilities by consistently challenging themselves and their opponents.

Mindset Coaching Helps You Maintain a Positive Attitude

When college coaches  or pro scouts are looking for players, they aren’t just looking for the most physically gifted players. They’re looking for players who know how to be great teammates, and great teammates are forces of positivity. Mindset coaching teaches players how to maintain a positive attitude during play while making sure their behavior is consistently contributing to the team’s success.

That means using exclusively positive body language and communication, even when things go wrong. Sure, mistakes are frustrating, but visibly showing your frustration doesn’t help the team or prevent the same thing from happening again.

Let’s say you make an amazing pass to your teammate, but they miss it. Rather than getting angry and chastising your teammate, a player with a positive mindset would eventually pull them aside, commend them for making an effort, and say something like, “Good effort, we’ll get them with the next one.”. Mindset coaching teaches players to envision positive outcomes for their team, since positivity is contagious and fosters better decision-making.

At Beyond Goals Mentoring, we know that staying focused and relaxed under pressure is the key to a successful soccer career. That’s why we’re dedicated to helping young players adopt the same winning mindsets as their favorite athletes to overcome adversity on and off the field.

So, if you could use some help with confidence, resilience, or just staying positive, let’s set up a mentoring session today.