Why is Soccer Known as a Mental Game?
Soccer is a unique sport for many reasons, one of which is the level of intelligence and resilience a successful player must possess. While American Football, basketball, and most other sports have set plays or routines, soccer is free flowing. You need to anticipate what will happen next or you will be a step behind. And so many mistakes are made – in every game, from the pros down to five year olds – you have to be mentally resilient to not let the mistakes get to you. This is why soccer is famously known as a mental game.
During our careers, we learned very quickly that mental strength - not speed nor technical skill - is often the difference between an average player and a great player.
What Makes Soccer a Mental Game?
In other sports, only certain players have to proactively make decisions and communicate with their teammates. In soccer, every single player has to do these things.
For every second you are on the pitch, you are making decisions. Yes, even when you’re not touching the ball. Should you make a run or sit back to defend? Are you in position if the other team starts a quick counter? There’s no rules saying you have to behave or move a certain way. No one decides but you.
Since soccer players are constantly making decisions very quickly, the match can go in all sorts of directions. Something is always happening, giving players more and more decisions to make.
Soccer is a Game of Mistakes
One of our founding mentors, Greg Garza, lists this as one of favorite sayings because it is one of the most truthful statements about soccer. The tremendous importance of recovering from mistakes is another reason soccer is known as a mental game.
In a game where decisions are made with lightning speed, it’s just not possible to make the right decision every single time. Mistakes are an inevitability in soccer, which is why resilience is such an integral asset in this sport. You have to learn how to recover and grow from mistakes, simply because you’re bound to make so many of them.
Resilience stems from accepting this reality. If you view mistakes as a natural part of the game - as opposed to a sign of weakness or ineptitude - it’s much easier to look at them objectively without getting angry at yourself. When you do that, you can learn more from your mistakes – even in real time.
How to Master the Mental Game
Mastering the mental component of soccer begins with understanding exactly what constitutes a good decision, and that’s a decision that helps the team. A player’s ability to make good decisions is reflected in their soccer IQ.
Players with high soccer IQs know how their teammates behave. They base their decisions on their teammates’ natural tendencies and how they typically react in common situations. The better you know your teammates, the easier it is to anticipate what they will do next and put yourself in a position that supports this move.
Building soccer IQ also helps cultivate resilience. When you’re more familiar with different situations and how they tend to play out, it’s easier to see where you went wrong and what you should do differently next time. This allows you to play with more confidence. If you had no idea what went wrong, you’d have no reason to believe it wouldn’t happen again, and that would burden your performance.
Soccer IQ is one of the first things coaches scout for. Unfortunately, young players don’t get many opportunities to develop it. This is what
inspired us to create BGTV, in which former pros break down extensive footage from professional games so players can see why a certain decision was made or why a certain technique was effective. Each video gives the player another mental tool to implement into their own game and impress coaches with their soccer IQ.
You can elevate your soccer IQ in three minutes a day with BGTV. Get started today.
