10 Tips for Game Day

  1. Recharge your battery at half time.  Don’t watch what the other team is doing so that you can detach yourself emotionally and mentally while you aren’t competing. Get away from the fields when there is some time to do so. Leave the area for a few minutes if you can. 
  2. Do not make the game into an event. During practice, you’re active for multiple hours during multiple drills and even some scrimmage time. Competing at the game for continuous hours is no different.  One of the greatest to ever play the game, Pelé , said, “Everything is practice.” Every practice, game, warm up, penalty kick, and workout that you do is an opportunity to improve. Don’t make game day into something special! It is just one more day to practice and become a better soccer player.
  3. Don’t spend too much time looking at who you will be competing against. (1) All you need to know is where to go when it is your turn to play. You really don’t need to know the name of your opponents because that shouldn’t have an effect on your performance. (2) Over-analysis of other competitors leads you to “looking ahead” and playing “what if” scenarios in your head. (3) Looking at other teams can make game day into more of an “event” which could add pressure. Just play the ball and with your teammates.  The other team is irrelevant.
  4. Stay away from negative people/small time thinkers. Upsets happen to even the best athletes and teams. Everyone can be beat because no one is superhuman. The only person in the building who needs to believe in you is YOU.  Being this kind of player is contagious, and your team will pick up on your confident attitude.  
  5. Stay away from people who make you overthink or add pressure (certain team coaches, private coaches, parents, friends, teammates).  Playing soccer needs a certain amount of feel, the more you are thinking on the field and over analyzing, the less feel you will have.  Once athletes lose feel, it is very hard to stay athletic. Stay in your zone!
  6. Stay positive and BELIEVE in yourself even when it’s tough to do so. Part of being mentally tough means staying stubbornly positive and optimistic despite adversity.  Even if the other team is up by a big lead, be a leader on your team by being relentlessly positive and believing you can still win the game.
  7. In between each event, stretch or do some light drills. This will help keep you and your teammates loose and will lower anxiety from just sitting around waiting for game time.  You can also do this on the sidelines during a game if you are out of the game for a few minutes.  Juggle a ball on the sidelines to stay warm and loose.
  1. Use warm-ups like a practice game. Go all out during warm-ups to make sure your muscles and techniques are ready. Don’t tire yourself out too much; but do use the warm-up time to get you ready.  Make sure you make some long passes, attempts at the goal, and tackles at 100% effort before the game even starts.
  2. Don’t over or under eat/drink. Be full, but stop when you’re full. You should be fully hydrated when you compete. Sports drinks are most effective 30 minutes before game time.
  3. Stay in the present moment. Don’t look ahead or behind. If you lost or performed poorly, do NOT let the same team beat you twice. On the other side of the coin, do not celebrate or become too content when you win your game, pull off a big upset, or fulfill/exceed other people’s expectations of you. Just stay focused on the games ahead of you for that tournament.
Category: Soccer