Training and the Emotional Cycle

By Frank Carrozza, Assistant Women’s Coach, Misericordia University

Do we as coaches take the time to consider our athletes’ mental state before planning and conducting a training session? Did we just come off a win or loss? Were they tied down with academic stress this week? Were things back home okay? Team chemistry and the psychology of an athlete go hand in hand. Let me take you through a recent study I preformed and the mental cycle I had the opportunity to observe.

It’s 5:30pm and our goalkeepers are meeting to get in a quick workout after classes. Upon arrival I approached one goalkeeper and explained how members of the team approached me about her absence during a fitness session the previous day. They thought she had finished with classes earlier than expected and skipped out to avoid fitness. Immediately you could see the change in the keeper’s demeanor from excited to mad, upset, and confused. The cycle has begun!

Fifteen minutes went by and my keeper still is lacing up her boots. Finally she decided to join us in our activity. You could see the look on her face and the effort she was putting forth was next to nothing. Frustrated, she took out her aggression on every ball that was flighted in to her. Not worried about technical or tactical issues, the keeper just wanted to get a hold of that ball. Goal after goal is scored and anger soon turns into aggravation.

Part 2 of the cycle: the athlete now took it upon herself to let the issue go, accept that she could have been wrong, put forth an effort and decided to get better finding a positive from a negative environment. Playing the “nutty” professor I decided to add more fuel to the fire. “Hey Jenny, how about you catch a few of those – that’s what you’re paid the big bucks to do isn’t it?” Now with some humor mixed with attitude, the keeper shot me a look and jogged off with the group to get water.

The Completion: moving on to another activity, all three keepers were focused and ready to finish hard. A series of games with shot blocking and distribution was used to heighten excitement and the competitive level. Jenny now pushed aside the issue that was eating at her and worked harder than ever to prove a point. “I am not going through the motions. I do my job on and off the field. How dare you test me! Let me show you, coach and teammates, how much I care and do my best for us as a team!” Jenny did just that. She finished out the session with the most effort and determination I had seen from her all season. Well done, Jenny!

In conclusion I had the chance to observe an athlete’s performance under extreme, slight and no pressure. Where did this pressure come from, the athlete herself? I did not hover over Jenny, harping on her. The other keepers had not acted differently toward her, but her perception of her teammates against her, questioning her work ethic, brought out a series of emotions that heightened her performance.

After the session I told Jenny that this was a test so I could observe her performance and mental state. Yes, she did want to kill me, but she noticed the change herself as well. Afterward she wanted to do fitness anyway because she thought she needed it and to make certain her teammates did think differently of her, but in a positive way.

It truly is amazing how players can create a cycle based on their mental state that ultimately can affect their performance so drastically from one end of the spectrum to the other. Let us try to remember this next time we plan our session.

*This article was published in the NSCAA Soccer Journal, Vol. 53 No. 2 page 59