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4 Sports Psychology tips for England Euro 2012 football performance
Bristol Sport Psychologist Sam Kotadia believes that the hopes of England’s progression tomorrow night will be won and lost in the mind. Hopefully England’s positive start to Euro2012 will continue now that they have reached the business end of the tournament! However the National team has a history of choking at the final hurdle and losing out to more efficient and mentally tough teams.
Sam says “The England team have worked with psychologists in the past to help them play more adventurously and without the fear of failure. I believe the expectation placed on England to deliver positive results over the years has damaged their ability to play with freedom. The pressure to satisfy the Nations thirst to win an International trophy takes the player’s focus away from their sporting actions that create strong performances. Instead it is likely that their focus over the years the team has forced them to become preoccupied with outcomes and favourable results. If England can play like they have nothing to lose, and focus on the process of playing well as opposed to the outcome of winning I think we have a fighting chance.”
Sam has given us several strategies from his Get In The Zone iPhone app (£1.99, Apple Store) that we can all use to perform at our best in Bristol during the UKs packed summer of sport!
1. Paralysis by Analysis
Hand control over to your physical actions and allow your body to operate on autopilot. Without your mind interfering with your performance you dramatically increase the likelihood of playing with world-class confidence. Getting in the zone involves trusting your instincts and taking action without over-thinking!
2. Powerful Processes
It is important to focus on the process of sport instead of the outcome. You cannot directly control whether you win or lose, but you can control your physical sporting actions. Focus on mastering each of these actions to significantly increase the likelihood getting in the zone, and maintain high confidence.
3. State
One of the biggest predictors of confident behaviour stems from your ability to generate a resourceful state. Get yourself feeling good by creating positive internal visions, maintaining an encouraging internal voice and adopting positive body language. Thinking about loved ones, special memories, and some of your best performances are some ideas. Feeling good is the source of all inspired performances.
4. The Alarm Clock
Mistakes are inevitable in sport, but dwelling on them causes you to lose focus. Whenever you make a mistake, refocus by using the past error as a trigger to do something positive. If you play a team sport, use the mistake as a cue to encourage your teammates. When negative events become positive reminders your focus is strengthened under pressure.
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