Three things the England Football team should be doing to prepare for their semi-final against Croatia
Who’d have thought it – England just a step away from playing in the finals of the world cup. It is 28 years since England last played in a world cup semi-finals and yet who doesn’t remember that nail biting game against Germany in 1990? The pressure of a world cup match on the then youngsters that included Lineker, Gascoigne, Waddle and Wright. We’ve seen them talk us through the matches this year, and no doubt they will remember that fateful day against Germany as if it was just yesterday.
But what should Gareth Southgate’s young lions be doing to get themselves ready to face the most pressure-fuelled match of their careers?
The fate of a nation’s football pride must be weighing heavily on their shoulders as they are charged with bringing football home at last. They have the joint youngest average age of just 26 and are the least experienced team competing. So how could they cope better with the pressure?
If the Inspired To Change team was with them, this is what we would focus on to get their minds match fit for the biggest challenge of their careers to date, because a top performance requires three relentless habits
1: Instill unwavering belief.
Giving them confidence not only in themselves as players but of their team mates to perform at their best. The start of exceptional performance is a confidence mind-set. If they truly believe in themselves there is that unflappable feeling of ‘We’ve got this – whatever happens we will be OK’ which means they also have resilience for the pressure of the match, especially when things don’t go to plan. They will be able to stay in their intellectual mind, to make the best assessment of every situation, play more smoothly without their emotions getting away from them. No-one can see confidence, but all we all feel it and if yours isn’t the strongest, you’re probably going to crack under pressure.
2: Eliminate negative automatic thoughts:
We all have negative thoughts in the moment; those creeping little niggles that sidle in at the most inconvenient moment; your brain will do this to you. We would be training the squad to recognise those thoughts as soon as they arrive and teach them how to kick them way out of the stadium to be replaced by rational thoughts. This is the kind of stuff you train your mind to do, as much as you train the tackle, the goal, the penalty.
3: Have a crystal Clear vision of them winning:
Start with the end in mind – the team should be visualising their goal, them holding the world cup aloft…hearing the roar of the crowd, the chants from the stands, the flashes of red and white flags, the emotions of being that team to Bring. Football. Home. The brain is like a satnav – if you punch in the code (the win) it will do everything in its power to get you there; add a healthy dollop of emotion and you now have a rocket fuelled vehicle to success!
We wish the every player on the England world cup football squad, and their amazing manager Gareth Southgate very best of luck with the matches coming up and only one thing remains to be said…sing along with us…Its coming home, its coming home, its coming, football’s coming home. Go England!
If you’d like to find out how hypnotherapy can help you cope with pressure and get the results you want get in touch to book your FREE initial consultation with your local Inspired to Change hypnotherapist. Inspired to Change Hypnotherapists are based across the UK in Peterborough, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Devon, Suffolk and Kent.
Inspired to Change Hypnotherapists are all recognised by the National Council for Hypnotherapy, the UK’s leading not-for-profit hypnotherapy professional association.
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About the Author:Ali Hollands is a registered, award winning clinical hypnotherapist based in our Maidstone clinic, working with you to eradicate anxiety and outperform your limits. She is best known for her work as a therapist, leading an enACT masterminding group for small business owners and speaking about how the brain works and how to make it work better.