What’s Performance Psychology

Help players cope with performance fears.

Youth and senior players might often find themselves under a considerable amount of pressure, either external (e.g., coaches, agents, parents, peers) or internal (e.g., players putting high-performance demands on themselves). Performance psychology, therefore, can help players who might worry too much about what other people think about their performances and help them overcome their fears (e.g., fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, and general performance anxiety).

Help players mentally prepare for training and competitions.

The most common role of performance psychologists is to teach mental skills for enhanced performance. Such interventions aim to help players apply mental skills to specific training and match situations to overcome encountered challenges, play to their full potential and enhance current performance levels. Mastery of psychological skills, therefore, often results in a greater ability to focus on the task at hand and stay focused on the present moment.

Enhance players' mental toughness.

Performance psychology can help players develop unshakeable beliefs in one’s self, the ability to bounce back from setbacks, and a desire to succeed. Also, players working with a performance psychologist can benefit from an enhanced ability to react positively to situations, remain calm under pressure, and maintain emotional control. Therefore, players can become better equipped at perceiving challenges as learning opportunities and develop strategies for future success.

Help players develop pregame routines.

As part of mental preparation, performance psychology can help players develop mental skills used during preparation for an upcoming match. Players can benefit from focusing on the key aspects of their performance and be more proactive in enhancing their confidence before the competition.

Full View approach to performance enhancement.

While the support available to modern footballers regarding performance psychology has never been better, players are often exposed to a multidisciplinary approach rather than an interdisciplinary approach. As a result, the range of aspects required for peak performance is developed in isolation where each discipline (e.g., performance psychology, technical excellence, tactical awareness) becomes the centre of attention. It needs to be highlighted that while mental skills can hold a significant impact on enhancing performances, such skills in isolation might not result in desirable performance outcomes. Therefore, players should look to integrate the development of mental skills into their daily routines and training sessions. More specifically, the understanding, learning, and mastery of psychology should be incorporated into technical/tactical training and incorporated into video analysis sessions. Only such an approach holds potential for enhancing players' understanding of psychophysiological responses to challenges, replacing the dysfunctional responses with positive psycho-behavioural changes, and making effective decisions under pressure.

PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY

I would encourage players of all ages and ability levels to seek support in integrating mental skills training into their football-based sessions. While qualified and accredited performance psychologists are best placed to hold such conversations, players can also seek support from their coaches, parents, agents, and peers. Questions regarding the mental aspects of the game should not be understood from a position of weakness, instead, players should perceive them as a key aspect of their character demonstrating their desire for personal growth and development. Also, such conversations should be phrased around performance aspects (e.g., defending 1v1, finishing with a first touch) rather than specific psychological aspects.

While people in your environment might not always have the best understanding of mental toughness, coaches usually have a rich playing experience and can provide valuable lessons from their playing career. The same can be said about football agents who also often come from a rich playing background and are suitably placed at offering suggestions regarding performance enhancement. Finally, I would advise all players to learn from the experiences of their older colleagues. Senior players within your environment can be a rich source of knowledge and can often provide priceless advice and guidance. Also, they are placed within the same environment as you are, therefore, can perfectly understand the situations that you are describing to them.

The Game Changer MITROVIC

While Aleksander Mitrovic has proven that he is capable of thriving in the second tier, up until now, he was not able to reproduce the goal-scoring form in the top flight. Similarly, Fulham was not able to end the “yo-yo’ status. Therefore, in this Premier League season, many may assume that both the player and the club will follow the pattern we got used to over the last several years. However, after breaking Guy Whittingham's record last season and scoring two goals against Liverpool on the opening day of this Premier League season, Mitrovic may finally be playing in a team that would allow him to prove his ability at the top level. Here, I aim to add to such a debate. First, I will present why Mitrovic may play a vital role in Fulham’s efforts of establishing itself in the Premier League. Secondly, I will identify some of the key performance indicators that, in my opinion, may allow Mitrovic to finally prove his doubters wrong.

Can you get us out?

Comparing Fulham’s ball possession statistics over the last three seasons, it is hard to find any significant differences. Indeed, we can observe a slight decrease in the number of passes, number of accurate passes, and percentage of accurate passes. However, when it comes to the number of entrances into the opposition half, entrances into the final third, and entrances to the opposition penalty box, these numbers look very similar. As such, going into the 2022/2023 season in the Premier League we can expect similar performances when it comes to Fulham’s ball possession.

P KP KP+ CRS CRS% P+ CRS+ BP BP% BPQ BPD EH ET EB

19/20 577 85% 5 2.4 15 24% 492 3.6 30.37 59% 104 0.18 61 42 16

20/21 513 84% 4.3 2.3 13 29% 431 3.8 27.34 51% 100 0.17 57 38 14

21/22 571 86% 9 4.8 15 31% 488 4.6 29.45 58% 100 0.18 60 43 19