Visualize Success
That’s right, it‘s soccer tournament season! This week I was at Rebels Cup. I was in a challenging bracket and I had to get mentally prepared for my game like I always do.
I do a visualization exercise where I visualize myself on the field doing a specific task that leads to a specific result, and breathing exercise that encompass a few different things before any and every game. First I visualize someone that loves me unconditionally and have their love run through my body to power me.
When I am playing I am suppose to draw on their love during the game when things get tough, or when I think I want to slow down. Love is the most powerful emotion my Dad tells me as he guides me through this exercise.
Time to breathe
The other exercises I do are breathing ones. The first one is to get all the anxiety out of my system. What I do is I hold my breath for 3 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds, and breathe out for 8 seconds. I always do this 4 times. This is so you can build up all of your breath and then let it all out, and therefore, relieving all your anxiety out of your body. The second exercise I do is for focus. I breathe in for 4 seconds, hold my breath for 4, breathe out for 4, and hold for 4. I do this 4 times as well. This is to get on a regular pace and keep my mind on everything that matters. This is how I always prepare for a game. Even though I didn’t win I played great and scored this weekend. This is what helped me get there.
When in the middle of a game, training, or practice you have to keep the right mindset especially at this time of year. It’s summer time; which means it is hot, humid, and in most tournaments we usually have 4 games in 2 days! You have to keep the right mindset, so you don’t focus on the sun blazing on you or how much your body is aching from all of the games you have had. This week I have had to keep this mindset. I have had, just this week, 2 days of conditioning in a row while the sun is beaming down on me. Though I have to make sure that I stayed focused so that I push myself to my full potential. I can’t let this affect how I play or I will get in trouble. Not only will I get told by my coach for not working hard, but I will not be able to reach my goals. And my parents might have something to say about it as well! If I want to play college soccer and go pro, the biggest part of my game I have to master is the mental part. If I already put in my mind all the negatives of the weather or how tired I am, there is no way I will play well. The mindset is one of the most powerful parts of soccer especially during tournaments.
Summer Time!
Since I am out of school I have had more free time than usual. Though I still have found ways to keep my mind working. Of course I have this blog and business, so I have to keep track of orders and make sure to give them this blog!
But some of the other things I do is some math work online to keep my mind sharp. I also have soccer training at home, so I can keep my body active as well. At my school we have 3 different classes based on your test scores. So we have the advanced, the regular, and the lower level class. Everyone is so excited for us to get our schedules, so we know which friends we are with. I usually get put with my best friend, Braxton because we have around the same test scores. Other than that, none of my really close friends are put in the same class as us. So at school we get to get closer with new classmates every year. The only period all of us have class together is P.E., so I get to have new friends than the year before. This means that I get to make new friends, which wasn't always easy for me.
I used to get really nervous when having to meet new people or try new things. I have started to make sure that I use my breathing techniques whenever I'm feeling that way, so that I can enjoy my new experiences. It's not only made me a stronger soccer player, but a stronger student, and a much better friend. Now I will get to know more people each year an that is what I love about the schedule!
Have a ball!!!
This week I am suppose to have a tournament guest playing with my soccer trainer‘s team. I am super excited as he has helped me become the soccer player I am today. He shows me the techniques I need to learn whether it comes to striking the ball with power, or just placing it in the top corner. He caters to whatever I need to work on and makes sure I do the drill correctly. I have learned from him it doesn’t matter how fast you do a drill, or how high you shot the ball if you are not executing all of your exercise/drill correctly. Going back to this tournament though my older sister, Sky, has a team also! She coaches Girls 2016 which means they were born in 2016. She is playing in the tournament also which means I will go see her team play and she will come see me play. I love watching her girls play! They are 6 year olds! They are so adorable! This week has been fun so far and it’s gonna be a fun weekend now. I hope we win this tournament and I hope my sister’s girls win as well! It will be a great weekend if I use all the techniques above and have some fun. I need to keep my mind sharp, have a great mindset, and do my exercises to prepare for a successful weekend. Hopefully it helps me win this tournament, but more important, I hope it helps me play at my best and keep improving.
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