Mental Blocks That Keep You Average

Introduction

The investment in the mental side of today’s game has grown exponentially due to its importance in elevating soccer players’ levels. And in order to improve your game, it is essential to understand the mental blocks that keep you average. On this week’s blog, BLRBOX will identify the 5 most common soccer mental blocks that prevent you from excelling in the sport. These include, but are not limited to; (1) Overthinking, (2) Arrogance, (3) Self-doubt, (4) Beating Yourself Up Over Mistakes, (5) The “Good Enough” Mentality.

Overthinking

The most common of all mental blocks, overthinking, is often the root cause of most of your difficulties in the game. This is when your brain gets tangled up in various conflicting thoughts and tries to seek answers for why things did not work out in the end. Overthinking is usually caused by a lapse of concentration on the player’s part, and is one of the root causes of a lot of negative mental effects in the soccer player. And as we all know, any mental block can cause an immediate decline in performance and, quite possibly, in his/her entire career.

​Arrogance

It can be extremely hard to overcome this mental block, especially in regard to competition. “I’m better than you” and “I can do it better” are common phrases that diminish the value of others, just as long as you are on the same team. Any type of competitive advantage needs to be taken with a grain of salt, as it could be negated by pride and a self-defeating attitude. As you’re attempting to progress to the next level, fear should not be a factor that holds you back. A small amount of humility is essential in striving towards a goal, but arrogance should never be used to eliminate any obstacle. Overthinking this mental block can be associated with low self-confidence, despite a strong level of skill.

Self-doubt

Sometimes the biggest mental block that holds you back is self-doubt. The inability to recognize your abilities and believe in yourself. In our opinion, self-doubt is the most common barrier that prevents success in soccer. It is your mentality to ignore your abilities and overthinking every game. This is where confidence, patience, and practice play a major role. First, when you start to make mistakes, figure out what happened before the mistake and learn from it. Second, apply what you’ve learned to the next game.  Self-doubt is an equally dominant thought for everyone, including professional players. For most people, self-doubt can make it difficult to play your best. In fact, self-doubt can keep you from taking risks, not getting your head in the game, and practicing the right way. In general, self-doubt inhibits many behaviors. This can include, but is not limited to; false analysis of your game and the best players’ games, eating junk food, and not training as hard as you should.

The potential negative impact of self-doubt is that it can prevent you from enjoying your athletic activities. Furthermore, it can keep you from improving your game and avoid you from ever reaching your potential. Self-doubt will stop you from taking risks and forcing you to play from a defensive posture.

​Beating Yourself Up Over Mistakes

Mistakes are part of soccer. As humans, mistakes are inevitable. Some athletes admit this, others don’t. Pro athletes can identify with this mindset because, as I like to say, in order to compete, you have to create a “new reality” that results in rapid success. It is essential to compartmentalize the past so that you can start your new reality. The next time you make a mistake, pause for a moment and take a few seconds to think about it objectively. Next, step out of your ego-driven bubble and look at it with a positive mindset. Don’t beat yourself up or judge yourself for the mistake, think about it rationally. Keep moving forward. Your response to making a mistake is a great indicator of how well you are absorbing the information that you’re being given.

​​The “Good Enough” Mentality

It’s fair to say most players have had that moment in their soccer career when they feel like “Oh, my God, this is getting tough.” They’d probably say, “Who am I kidding?” (a.k.a.: the “good enough” mentality). What actually occurs in this moment is one of the biggest factors in taking you from average to excellent. Instead of trying to make a beautiful pass or a great run, you’re more likely to wonder if it’s good enough. It’s a familiar feeling that all players have had to deal with at some point.

Oftentimes, we believe we are good enough. Or at the very least, the truth is that we believe we are good enough. Yet, sadly, most soccer players are not good enough to reach their full potential.

Many players enter the sport believing they are good enough to reach the elite level and while they may initially prove that they are, they eventually realize that it is only a matter of time before they begin to lose the consistent skills, power, and coordination that allows them to perform at a high level. The good news is that soccer is still a growing sport and with proper training and attitude training, anyone can learn and excel at the sport

One of the biggest things that are going to reduce this mental block, the “good enough” mentality, and help you be better is committing to play for the absolute joy of the game and not the temporary pain of how well it goes.

​Conclusion

In order to become a better soccer player, it is important to understand the mental blocks that hold you back. In the above blog, we outline 5 common mental blocks that make it more difficult for soccer players to increase their playing level.

There is a great deal of ground to cover with this post. However, the ultimate goal of the BLRBOX content is to provide soccer players with the proper tools and resources to be the best player they can be. So, go ahead and do your best and give these posts a read, and if you like them please share them with your soccer friends.

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