Without a doubt, psychology in the world of sports has become a fundamental topic when talking about performance, handling situations under pressure, overcoming adversity of any kind and, in general, maintaining stable mental health. Soccer players are subjected to environments where media pressure, stress to perform well and achieve good results can end up being detrimental if they do not know how to handle them.
For all the above, it is important to work on all these points with young soccer players from an early age. At SIA Academy we are clear about this and for this reason, our athletes are always accompanied and advised by José Luis Gandía, a professional psychologist and specialist in sports psychology, who will comment on certain key aspects to keep in mind.
Why is it important to talk about psychology and soccer nowadays?
Let’s first lay the foundations of how important it is to directly relate psychology and soccer, before going into the talk with our psychologist. Many years ago, this relationship was not even considered in society, today it is basic and logical that in the big clubs or sports academies there is a psychology department.
Nowadays, talking about psychology and soccer is essential in order to optimize sports performance, promote the emotional wellbeing of soccer players, train and develop leaders, improve teamwork, etc. In short, the combination of technical, physical and mental skills is crucial to achieve success both on and off the field.
What is the role of psychology in the world of soccer?
In principle, José Luis explains what the main reason is for being in our academy and the idea under which he works: “I work together with SIA Academy, with all its professionals and the kids, with the idea of contributing everything possible in my area so that both professionals and players can grow both professionally and personally”.
As for the role of psychology, he says that every day that passes has a much more important role: “The role of psychology every day is considered to play a more important role, by the demonstrations that we must expand the range of actions with the youngest and it is true that in psychology, little by little, are being carried out certain strategies and different tools for the kids to develop even more”.
How do you contribute to the confidence of the young people at SIA Academy?
Obviously, psychology is fundamental in helping to increase the confidence of young people, and this is a crucial quality in sports performance, as it influences the way players face challenges, make decisions and deal with pressure situations both on and off the court.
Regarding this, our psychologist points out that all strategies must start from the same: “If we take into account the elaboration of a correct confidence or increase it, the strategies that we must follow are from that reality, from the reality of the athlete, first having that as a base. Working on the kids’ own reality leads us to them reaching a situation in which they know themselves perfectly“.
How do you handle stress and pressure on the boys and girls?
It is no secret that soccer players are constantly exposed to situations of pressure and stress, as it is part of the day-to-day life of a profession that is socially accepted as the most popular sport in the world and therefore, they are subject to the comments, criticism and praise of an unimaginable number of people.
“When we talk about stress and pressure, which is something that is there in training and in competition, for me the most important thing is the reflection afterwards. After having those performances to know how the athlete has felt, what emotions he has had” says José Luis on how to handle those moments, making it clear that it is vital that the athlete knows how to identify all those emotions after being subjected to a competitive situation.
What is important from a psychological point of view for a good sports development?
In addition to everything that has been discussed throughout the article, José makes a very interesting point about an aspect that is essential to be able to develop athletically and is to give clear names to the emotions, thoughts and feelings that our young people experience every day.
In this sense, José Luis explains: “It is very important in sport that we put names and surnames to the feelings we have on a psychological level and from these reflections is when you can build new tools, new patterns of behavior and psychological monitoring, so that then the stress and pressure situations are overcome much better“.
Do you want to have the experience at SIA Academy?
In our Academy we have first class professionals, not only in psychology, but also in nutrition, physical preparation, physiotherapy and video analysis. That is why we guarantee a unique experience in high performance with all the necessary tools for you to develop personally and soccer.
If you want to learn more, visit our website https://soccerinteraction.com and here you will find all the information about our programs, services and facilities. Don’t wait any longer and join the SIA Academy family!
