MINDFULNESS FOR FOOTBALL COACHES & PLAYERS

Mindfulness means

“Pay attention in an intentional, experiential, sustained and without judging the present moment”

Backed by neuroscience and scientific studies, it has been shown that brain training through Mindfulness improves the action of putting the focus of attention in the present moment to achieve your goal . In the case of soccer, there are two main objectives to obtain:

• Learn to train attention.
• Manage emotions in certain situations with the appropriate physiological responses.

Some of the proven benefits of Mindfulness applied to soccer are:

1. Improved attention span and concentration.
2. Improvement in impulse management.
3. Improves and increases self-confidence.
4. Helps fight fear of failure and regulates stress.

There are already examples of some teams or footballers that have incorporated this technique to improve their performance and well-being. Two examples of this are:

• In one of Leo Messi’s matches, they made a strong entrance and in response, instead of addressing the conflict, he redirected his attention to a teammate who was well positioned, made the assist and ended in a goal. This is an example of a mindfulness attitude according to an anecdote told by Marcial Arredondo Rosas, Doctor of Psychology specializing in Mindfulness .
• In the South American Cup where the Argentines won that independent final at the Maracana, they did mindfulness .

This is not to say that the same results cannot be obtained without mindfulness, but it has been shown to improve as players develop a wiser awareness of their emotions and thoughts, thus directing their attention to their next move and increasing the chances of positive results in matches and training , while helping to regulate the stress that physically affects the body.

During this year we will see many mindfulness techniques applied to football, whether walking, sitting, with visualization techniques or others focused on the physical part such as the body scan . In today’s class we will start with a very simple practice focused on breathing, since it is an essential part of all practices, and is ideal to start especially for those who are doing mindfulness for the first time .

WE WORK THE BREATH

INSTRUCTIONS:

This exercise should last between 5 and 10 minutes. Players should focus on following the drill instructions while a third person (a coach, for example) reads the guidelines. They have to sit in a chair with their backs straight, their legs placed at right angles with the soles of their feet flat on the floor and let their hands fall (palms up) on their knees. Another option is: sitting on the floor with your legs crossed and bent on a smooth surface on a yoga mat, or on a semi-soft surface. You can alternate positions with practice in training or choose the one that the team likes best.

Before starting, the coach or practice guide should explain to the players that they should follow his instructions, as well as what the mindfulness practice will consist of. Likewise, one of the essential rules is to keep silent out of respect for your classmates, but the ideal is to use background music therapy with instrumental music such as piano or Enya, such as the Watermark song.

TEXT FOR THE TRAINER OR SESSION GUIDE:

“Close your eyes, breathe slowly and deeply. Start counting slowly in your mind from ten to one. Relax deeply by counting slower and slower with each number. 10, 9, 8… Feel how you count deeper and deeper and slower, until you feel a calmer state of mind. 7, 6, 5 … feeling the muscles of your body also relax. 4, 3, 2, 1… Now you are in a deep and calm state of mind ”.

(Leave a couple of minutes in silence and indicate that they open their eyes very slowly, moving their neck and wrists slowly making circular rotations).

Once the session is over, a small assembly of a few minutes can be held so that the players can express their feelings and experiences after practicing. It should be noted that for mindfulness to be truly effective it must be practiced regularly in order to train the brain towards mindfulness.