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Overcoming A Slump In Performance By Your Youth Soccer Team.

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1 Overcoming A Slump In Performance By Your Youth Soccer Team

2 At some point your team, or a player, will experience a slump in their performance. You will just find that nothing is working. Things that your team has done with ease each week suddenly stops happening. While there may be some physical reasons for this, the most likely cause of your slump is to do with is happening in their heads.

3 So what is a slump? It is when your team’s performance dips below that previously achieved on a regular basis over a prolonged period of time. It is not losing one or two games or a couple of bad practice sessions. Nor is it a player making a few miss- hit passes or missed goal attempts. So don't jump the gun and start to call it a slump when it could just be a temporary blip.

4 Once you've determined it is a slump, you need to work out if the slump has any physical causes or it is a mental issue. Although mental pressures are the most likely cause, not all slumps are down to this.

5 Consider, are there any changes you have made to the side or your style of play that your players are taking a little time to adjust to. You need to evaluate if the loss of form is caused by a temporary 'bedding in' period or is it that the players do not 'believe' in the change of tactics. If your players lose faith or confidence this could turn into mental issue.

6 Other things to consider; are players carrying injuries or playing out of position? Either of these can cause a dip in performance. If you think the slump is mental, you have to determine the specific causes that are leading to the poor performances.

7 Some of the most common mental blocks: Lacking self-confidence Expectations of perfection Feeling burnt out Overly focused on results Fear of failure cont…

8 …cont. Frustration with performance Anxiety or tension caused by pressure Fear of the competition Feeling self-conscious Over thinking their game or performance Dwelling on mistakes

9 Getting your players out of a slump caused by mental pressures cannot be rectified by extra drills, practice games or physical training. This is the time to gather your players round and talk to them. No finger pointing, shouting or accusing, just go over what has been going wrong and how you are going to remedy it. Get them to talk too, but they must focus on the positives.

10 Things to focus on to help free your team of their slump are: 1)Forget about results and focus on the performance. Spend plenty of time on what went well. Remind them of the good things that have done in the past. Get them to say how things went well in the past. Have them thinking about past success and how they can do that again.

11 2)Avoid comparing themselves to others. This can be particularly corrosive if your team is not technically as gifted as others. Make your players focus on any advances they have made in their performance. Just ask them to think about how they were to how they are now. Get them to see how far they have come.

12 3)Don't let them lose faith in their ability. In a slump, it is easy to lose motivation or think about giving up the game. Again, get them to look at past achievements, no matter how small. 4)Have them to visualize themselves playing like they did only a few games ago. Get them talking about it too. 5)Instil a greater team spirit. Get them to want to do well not only for themselves, but for their teammates.

13 It is important that you are seen to believe that they can hit the heights again so make sure you always speak and act positively. You cannot expect them to change if you do not.

14 My website SoccerTrainingForKids.com is full of hints, tips, drills and techniques to improve your team's performance and increase your knowledge as a coach. Why not take the opportunity to sign up for my free five day mini course specifically designed for people like you, the brand new soccer coach.

15 Follow me on Twitter : @SoccerT4Kids


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