Often times when people say they lack motivation, it’s actually the feeling they miss.
And that feeling is quite something…
The recipes for it are various, but they most often include determination, focus, confidence, excitement, and hope. In sports psych terms, it mostly overlaps with the state of positive arousal.
Feeling motivated is a powerful state. Whether you’re simply looking to get going or aiming for high performance.
And there is plenty you can do to summon it when you need it most.
In this text, I’ll go over some of the best ways for tapping into your drives and emotions to feel motivated. But before you try any of these techniques you must first ask yourself…
Is Getting Psyched What I Really Need Right Now?
Feeling motivated only contributes to your game up to a certain point. If you go over it, the effects start to fade. And if you go too far, it can actually cause your performance to drop.
Getting overexcited is detrimental to performance because it diminishes your self-control.
We’ve all seen highly motivated players go into a tackle and come out of it with a red card. Or get into a clear goalscoring chance only to launch the ball miles over the crossbar.
A textbook “too-much-of-a-good-thing” situation.
There is definitely a line you shouldn’t cross. Learn where that line is for you, so you’ll know not to cross it.
Before invoking any of these techniques, ask yourself: “Do I really need this?”
Here are some signs that suggest you could use a pick-me-up:
- You’re feeling sluggish and slow
- You’re finding it difficult to prepare
- You’re thinking about stuff completely unrelated to the task at hand
- You don’t seem to care about the outcome or your performance
Also, do a quick scan of your anxiety levels. If you catch yourself feeling nervous or worried, psyching up could be a gamble. It will only work if that particular technique ends up helping you reduce anxiety.
Usually, in these situations, relaxation techniques are a more appropriate route.
Best Techniques for Getting Motivated for Football Quickly
1 – Set Short-Term Goals
Setting short-term goals will allow you to tap straight into your drive for achievement.
These goals can encompass an entire game or training session, but they can also be way shorter, even lasting minutes at a time. Both strategies can be effective, as long as they are in line with best goalsetting practices.
You can also set or adjust goals mid-performance to leverage new motivators and make them more relevant.
Bonus: Leverage Competition
Your desire to win is an extremely powerful motivator. Even though football is competitive in its nature, you can create smaller scenarios within it to drive yourself forward.
This technique is especially useful for getting psyched up for training sessions where it’s also easier to stretch yourself.
You can compete against your previous score, your teammates’ scores, or even invite other players to openly participate. Mini competitions among teammates are great for improving team performance and can help develop a strong culture. As long as everyone remembers to keep it light and fun.
2 – Self-Talk
Self-talk plays a key role in self-regulation, in both football and life in general.
Saying uplifting, positive phrases to yourself can get you moving, whether you’re using your inside or your outside voice. There’s a good chance you’re already using some spontaneously, but you can also take control of the process by taking a more strategic approach.
The key is finding the right words. Simple phrases, ones you’re comfortable using but which are also capable of giving you little jolts of energy.
The phrases themselves aren’t really important – it’s what they stand for. A single word can have immense power when it represents a whole network of beliefs and desires.
Try to come up with several phrases you can use in different situations. Once you do, make sure to practice using them regularly, until it becomes a habit.
3 – Visualization
This technique is about leveraging your power of imagination. You’re intensely playing out a desired scenario in your mind in as much detail as you possibly can.
It’s kind of like controlled daydreaming. You can make it easier for yourself by using a list of prompts to guide you through the process. For example, try answering these questions:
- What achievement would make you happy?
- Where does it happen?
- How does it happen?
- What do you see?
- What do you hear?
- What are you doing?
- How does it feel?
You can also use this to dive into your past and bring up some of your most exciting memories.
The most important thing is to evoke as many details as you possibly can as you’re playing out the scenario in your head.
4 – Music
Listening to music is definitely of the simplest ways to get psyched for any activity. The only condition — it has to be music you enjoy listening to.
From there, it’ll just depend on the situation.
Some music choices may work better for endurance sessions, and others might match up better with your pre-game routine.
Song lyrics are also a significant factor. Do they carry a powerful enough message to send shivers up your spine?
In the end, it’s just about figuring out what makes you tick. So have fun with it!
Create several playlists for different scenarios, so they’re always by your side whenever you need something extra.
5 – Get Moving
In football, you’re rarely lacking movement. But even if you’re feeling sluggish, try consciously making energized movements.
Clap your hands, smack your shoulders, or jump lightly on your toes. Intentionally invite positive body language.
Act motivated to feel motivated.
6 – Breathing Techniques
Another way to fight off sluggishness is to use breathing techniques. Rhythmic breathing is a great way to get your blood pumping while clearing your mind.
Some breathing techniques cause controlled stress reactions which can wake up your nervous system. But very often, just regulating your oxygen flow is all you need.
You can find a bunch of tested techniques online, but here are a couple I find particularly useful.
Double Breathing
Take one short, powerful inhale followed by a long inhale. Hold for a moment. Follow up with one short, powerful exhale and follow it up by a long exhale. Inhale with your nose, exhale with your mouth.
Box Breathing
A 4-step cycle with each step lasting 4 seconds. Breathe in for 4 seconds and hold for 4 seconds. Breathe out for 4 seconds and hold for 4 seconds.
7 – Motivational Speeches
Motivational speeches tap into our emotions. Hearing the right words, in the right order, at the right time can charge you up unlike anything else. The most powerful ones come from honest, heartfelt speeches made by coaches and teammates.
But the truth is, you can leverage all sorts of content, from famous pre-game speeches to movie monologues. Doesn’t even have to be about football! As long as you know it’ll make you tick.
Similarly to music options, you can create playlists and collections for different scenarios to be more efficient about it.
8 – Football Videos
Anyone who loves football knows rewatching historic moments from the game creates an exceptional buzz. The skill, the power, the fans roaring, the commentator screaming his head off…
Focus on the highlights of games personally meaningful to you or the skill reels of players you look up to.
You can also look at highlights of your own past performances. Watching yourself do well can get you hyped, but if you’re in a good mindset and your confidence is up, watching yourself make mistakes or lose can really get you going.
Final Step: Create Your Own “Get Psyched” Routine
The biggest bang for your buck comes from combining several of these techniques into a personal routine. For example, setting short-term goals and then visualizing yourself achieving them. Or listening to a powerful song while you’re doing your warm-up and breathing exercises.
Having specific routines for different moods (positive/negative) or situations (practice/game) helps you create effective routines that lift you up within minutes.
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