Mental Preperation a week before the game By Stuart Howe @StuartHow

The best way to prepare a game is during the week be mentally prepared for every situation.

I have worked with goalkeepers in many divisions up to the conference league.

Being a GK can be very difficult, always getting the blame for every goal.
Most of us (yes I was a goalkeeper for a few years) will think ” I hope I don’t let a goal in” or “I hope I don’t have a bad game” and is t it amazing that usually we let a goal in or have a bad game!!

This is because our mind can not process the word Don’t so your thinking about letting goals in it’s like your mentally rehearsing a goal to go In (I will come back to mental rehearsal as it is a must in sport)

Instead of thinking what you don’t want think about what you do want – eg I will get a clean sheet (notice how it’s a demand as if it will definitely happen )

Mental rehearsal here are the stats – there was research at university of Chicago shooting baskets in basketball – the team that practiced got better by 24% the team that mentally rehearsed got better by 23% so mentally rehearse and train you will improve a lot more.

To mentally rehearse properly you need to mentally rehearse your techniques.

It has to be a perfect execution – so make the perfect save, kick the perfect goal kick.

Body and mind is one – if you have a positive thought you have positive body language and vice versa .

Go to a mirror and look at yourself standing and imagine you have had a bad game. Watch your physiology change, now shake that off and imagine you have just played the most amazing game ever. Again watch your physiology change. Even though I am big on positive thinking I also know you need to realise your negative patterns so you understand them so you can stop it and become positive. I know clients that take photos of the negative and positive postures and they show their teammates so the team mates can let them know if they look negative.

If you are struggling to believe your great then PRETEND – yes PRETEND your confident. When you pretend your unconscious mind does not know the difference so it goes through all the motions of being confident.

Last but not least watch your favourite goalkeeper. Watch his or her body language how they act. They are a top goalkeeper because of skill and also their mentality so study it.

If you want to stay in the zone all game then go to www.stuartnlp.wordpress.com and book a session now also please follow me on twitter : @StuartHow