Is Positive Thinking Holding Back Your Soccer Performance?

Written by Stefan Peter, Pro Soccer Mindset Coach

Stefan Peter is a mindset expert for pro soccer players, teams, and coaches. He's the creator of the Emotionset-Method, helping athletes overcome mental and emotional challenges to unlock what he calls "Performance-Joy”. Inspired by his own struggles as a young athlete, particularly after losing his father, Stefan became a coach and mentor specializing in mental and emotional strength. He believes it’s possible to foster atmospheres where elite athletes also perform based on joy, passion, and purpose, moving away from the constant battle to achieve based on the "no pain, no gain" mindset.

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In soccer and in life, having the right mindset can make all the difference between winning and losing. Positive thinking is often seen as the key to success, but many players misunderstand what it really means. This article explores the true meaning of positive thinking and the mistakes soccer players often make when trying to develop a winning mindset.

Mental training isn’t just about positive thinking and positive thinking isn't just about being optimistic; it's about having a mindset that's strong, determined, self-aware and ready to solve problems. A strong mental game also needs to include a strong emotional game-something most players never think about and of course never learn about. Here's what this means:

Being optimistic but with purpose: It means seeing challenges as chances to grow, not as impossible hurdles. It's about staying hopeful while actively finding ways to overcome obstacles. So being optimistic also means getting into action as quickly as possible.

Don't always think that everything you have to do is going to be super hard right from the start: Seeing every task as difficult can make life way tougher than it needs to be. Especially for important stuff, there's no need to hesitate or put things off. Instead, tackle things with a positive attitude, so you can give it your all without being held back by worries or doubts. For instance, when you're up against a tough opponent, try to stay positive. Focus on what your team does well and look for ways to beat the other team.

Confidence comes from hard work: Positive thinking and especially self-confidence comes from believing in yourself because you've put in the effort and you have learned to overcome things that used to be out of your comfort zone. It's not just blindly hoping for the best but trusting in your skills because you've worked hard to develop them.

Trust means believing in yourself and your positive attitude to reach your goals: On the opposite side doubting yourself is like putting poison in your mind because it weakens your confidence. Never ever doubt yourself again. When you're afraid of failing, it actually makes failure more likely. So, trusting in your own abilities is really important for success.

For example, when you're in a big game with your soccer team, trust in the training and strategies you've worked on together. Believe that by working together, you can win the match.

Flexibility and bouncing back: It's about being adaptable and resilient when things get tough. Positive thinking means learning from mistakes and getting back up. In order to do this you need to understand that there are only two reasons why mistakes happen. First-mistakes happen when we are not yet equipped with the tools and skills we need to perform and second reasons for a mistake is-we were not mindful enough. Simple as that! If you know what it is you can exactly work on the improvement. That also brings us to the next point.

Being mindful and self-aware: It involves being aware of your thoughts and emotions, especially the negative ones. We think up to 70.000 thoughts per day, research shows that up to 80% are repetitive thoughts and unfortunately most of it is also negative thinking such as worries, doubts or fears. Positive thinking is about choosing to focus on constructive thoughts and emotions, which helps you stay clear-headed and focused.

My coaching program the "Emotion set Method“ is specially designed for pro soccer player who want to improve their emotional state of being and learn to become more self-aware and mentally but also emotionally stronger. Get in touch if you want to learn more about how to overcome the mental and emotional hurdles that currently hold you back.

What positive thinking is not

Positive thinking isn't a magic fix for everything, and it doesn't mean pretending bad stuff isn't real. Here are some misunderstandings about positive thinking:

Ignoring reality: Positive thinking doesn't mean ignoring problems or acting like they're not there. Ignoring reality can make you unprepared and hurt how well you do on the field.

Suppressing negative feelings: Positive thinking doesn't mean hiding your bad feelings or acting like everything's okay when it's not. It's important to be open, communicate clearly and deal with your bad feelings but without hurting or blaming others of course.

Relying only on positive thinking: Positive thinking isn't the only thing that matters. It's helpful, but you also need to plan smart, overcome what holds you back, learn how to stop blocking yourself, have something bigger to follow than just simple goals, get better at what you do, and work well with your coaches and team to succeed in soccer and life.

Several Olympic studies showed that the two most critical aspects for elite high performance is athlete self-awareness and coach-athlete relationship. That’s exactly what my work is all about.

6 common mistakes in soccer players' approach to positive thinking

Despite its benefits, soccer players often fall into common traps when it comes to positive thinking. Here are a few prevalent mistakes:

1. Believing positive thinking is enough: Some players mistakenly believe that positive thinking alone will guarantee success on the field. However, without diligent mindset training, correct goal setting, and teamwork, positive thinking can only take them so far.

2. Trying to think positively but having no real trust: When you're working towards a goal, believe that your positive attitude will help you succeed. Doubting yourself weakens your belief in what you can do. Fear of failing actually makes failure more likely. So, trust in yourself is key to reaching your goals.

3. Not being patient can cause problems. If every thought we had instantly came true, life would be crazy. That's why it's good that only thoughts we focus on a lot can make a difference over time. So, don't think your first positive thought will fix everything right away. For instance, in soccer, you need patience to get better. It takes time and practice to improve your skills. If you expect to be amazing right away, you'll just end up feeling frustrated.

4. Not being consistent with positive thinking can hold you back. Reality for most people, including soccer player, is they have a positive thought or a dream they focus on for a few moments when they do their visualizing exercise in the morning. But as soon as they are finished they fall back into their old behavior of seeing the negative aspects of it and worry, fear and doubt creeps back in, stopping them from actually working towards that vision with joy and purpose.

5. Consistency comes from practicing both positive thinking and positive actions. Challenge yourself to become aware of how you feel during the day. Just observe your own thoughts and feelings. If negative feelings arise don’t try to push them away as it is often promoted. Whatever you try to fight only becomes stronger. Rather watch your own thoughts with curiosity. Chances are high the more you observe your own negative thinking pattern the easier it will be to let them go. If you're honest, you'll probably realize you often think and talk negatively about things around you and react negatively to people. With a little practice you will naturally see yourself swapping negative self-talk with positive words. Of course this will help you boost your confidence on and off the pitch, also making you play better.

6. Equating mindset training only with positive thinking: While positive thinking is an integral aspect of mindset training, it's not the sole focus. Mindset training encompasses a holistic approach to mental conditioning, including visualization, goal-setting, self-talk, and resilience-building exercises. But what about our emotions?

Especially our emotions are extremely powerful -right?! I had a teammate who was always the best in training, I mean by far the best. But no matter how good he was in training, as soon as the pressure was on before a game his emotions took over and he wasn’t able to perform nearly as good as he was actually capable of. In school we all knew that one girl or boy who suffered from test anxiety, am I right? It is exactly the same and showcases how powerful our emotions can be if we don’t learn to manage them.

Our thoughts, beliefs, and feelings are influenced by many factors. For example, someone might have told us we're not good enough and subconsciously we started to feel worthless, or our body's balance can affect how anxious we feel. That’s why my mindset coaching approach is tapping into many different areas including mindfulness, self-leadership, human consciousness, limitations and subconscious beliefs, biohacking like improving sleep and recovery, brain health, gut health, nutrition, brain frequencies but also universal laws that influence every living being on this planet.

Conclusion

In soccer, having a positive mindset can really boost your game. Understanding what positive thinking is and avoiding misunderstandings can help players build mental toughness. This helps them handle challenges, perform well under pressure, and reach their full potential on the field. Positive thinking isn't just a mindset, it's a way of living that helps players succeed on and off the pitch.

Read more from Stefan Peter

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Stefan Peter, Pro Soccer Mindset Coach

Stefan Peter is an expert in mindset and personality development. He holds a Masters Degree in Sports Health and Leadership and works mainly with international pro soccer players, teams and coaches. He is the creator of the Emotionset-Method, a revolutionary 29 day Program to help athletes overcome mental and emotional limitations and to help them unlock their bigger picture in life. His own struggles as a young athlete, especially after the death of his father, inspired him to become a coach and a mentor to athletes facing similar mental and emotional challenges. He believes in creating environments where elite high performers can also embrace joy, passion, and purpose on and off the pitch, shifting away from solely fighting against each other and the constant "no pain, no gain" mentality.