DO YOU WANT TO BOOST YOUR PERFORMANCE IN GAMES, BUT DON’T KNOW HOW?
As you know, football performance does not depend only on how much you train on the field. In order for your physical attitude to be in accordance with football demands, you must include a series of changes in your routine.
Few players give the necessary importance to what they do before games. That’s why today we will show you some tips to improve your performance in games.
Whether you’re playing amateur or professional football, the tips below will help you become a better player and improve your attitude and fitness significantly every time you step on the pitch. Apply them permanently and it won’t be long before you start noticing their benefits.
HOW TO BOOST YOUR PERFORMANCE IN GAMES:
1. PREPARING YOUR BODY BEFORE A GAME
It’s very important that you arrive in the best physical condition for your matches. From this, you will be able to exploit all your capacities to the maximum, in addition to avoiding any type of injury during the match.
You will prepare your body to perform your best in games with proper
- NUTRITION
- HYDRATION
- RECOVERY
NUTRITION: HOW NUTRITION WILL BOOST YOUR PERFORMANCE IN GAMES
An optical football performance consists, among other things, of eating healthy foods full of good nutrients that give you energy.
Before a football match, our tip is that you INCREASE CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE.
The carbohydrates will delay the onset of fatigue on the pitch and optimize muscle glycogen, so you can improve your football performance.
Think of carbohydrates as the fuel for the car. The higher the tank’s reserve (in this case, stored as glycogen in your muscles), the greater the distance it can travel. If it’s scarce, then it won’t be long before it stops.
HYDRATION: HOW HYDRATION WILL BOOST YOUR PERFORMANCE IN GAMES
An adequate state of hydration favors the body to start the sweating mechanism properly, that is, you have to be properly hydrated before starting to play the game.
Drinking water benefits you in many ways:
- It promotes muscle recovery
- It reduces the chances of cramps
- It regulates your body temperature
- It helps replenish your sodium levels
RECOVERY: HOW RECOVERY WILL BOOST YOUR PERFORMANCE IN GAMES
Sleep is a crucial aspect in improving your football performance; it’s almost as important as the training itself. Aside from being the most vital factor in recovery, proper sleep also ensures that you will be able to boost your performance in games.
A lack of sleep can affect your hormones which can create an unbalance of hormones in the body that directly affect fat reduction and muscle growth. Besides, it can also lead to many other factors like a lack of focus and productivity.
2. MOTIVATING YOURSELF BEFORE A GAME
Before a game, you want to make sure you focus all your energy effectively and ensure you are the best player you can be during the match.
3 WAYS TO GET PUMPED UP BEFORE A GAME:
- VISUALIZE SUCCESSFUL SITUATIONS
- PUT TOGETHER A PLAYLIST
- POSITIVE SELF-TALK
VISUALIZE SUCCESSFUL SITUATIONS
Imagining yourself making those runs, stealing those balls or scoring goals could have a significant impact on your actual performance during the game.
Also, watching lessons from Futmastery before a game will help you remind yourself to know what to do in different situations that can occur during the game.
PUT TOGETHER A PLAYLIST
Are you someone who tends to get anxious or nervous before a game? Try listening to some music!
Adequate music will help you to reduce stress before the game, as measured by the hormone cortisol. The trick is to make a playlist that calms your nerves before a game.
If you aren’t feeling nervous, try listening to a “pump-up” playlist with songs you like that will help keep you focused and energetic.
POSITIVE SELF-TALK
Cut out phrases like “I’m going to fail”, or “I’m going to miss my shot” from your thoughts in the lead-up to the game.
Instead, only allow positive and instructional self-talk. Instructional self-talk helps you revisit tactics and techniques that lead to better performances, while positive self-talk can boost your confidence. Both will definitely help you boost your performance during the game.
3. IMPROVING YOUR FOCUS IN GAMES
Do you ever have trouble letting go of mistakes during a football game? Have you ever been so worried about winning a game or not messing up that you played tight and tentative?
How are elite football players able to rebound from mistakes and “play big” on the big stage?
You may think some football players are just born to handle pressure better. But the truth is that your focus will make a big difference.
3 WAYS OF IMPROVING YOUR FOCUS IN GAMES
- DEVELOP A PREGAME RITUAL
- SET REALISTIC GOALS FOR THE GAME
- KEEP IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR TEAMMATES
DEVELOP A PREGAME RITUAL
This is one of the most powerful ways to build confidence.
In a way, it’s not really building your confidence – it’s just blocking your thoughts. In other words, be present! When you are present on the football field negative thoughts are erased.
At first, thoughts will pop up quickly. But as you practice being present, you will notice thoughts happening less and less when you play.
As La Liga player Domingos Duarte says in the Futmastery program: “If you make a mistake during the match, try to move on as soon as possible so it does not influence your performance the rest of the game”.
KEEP IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR TEAMMATES
Another technique you can use to stay focused during the match is to keep communicating with your teammates.
If you are giving instructions or helping your teammates during the game, it means that you are focused and that you are not letting yourself be carried away by external distractions.
As La Liga player Dani Cardenas says in on of the lessons within the program: “Being in constant communication with my teammates during the game has helped me a lot to keep focused during the game which as a keeper is critical”.
SET REALISTIC GOALS FOR THE GAME
If you really want to really be focused during matches, you should set goals beforehand.
In this way, you will know what you have to be focused on during the game to perform at your best for your team.
After applying the previous examples it’s important that you sit back and evaluate the results after the game.
As Real Madrid player Daniel Carvajal says in the Futmastery program: “The players that make a difference in the elite are the ones that are able to stay focused the full 90 minutes of the game”.
In conclusion, in order to boost your performance in games you should:
- Prepare your body efficiently
- Motivate yourself
- Improve your focus
Besides all these tips remember that PLAYING FOOTBALL ALWAYS SHOULD BE A FUN ACTIVITY AT ALL LEVELS.
Make sure you enjoy your games with passion. All these tips to boost your performance are worthless if you don’t enjoy the game.
If you are passionate about football, then it will not be difficult for you to implement all these habits that will help you boost your performance in games.
If you want to improve your performance learning from the best football players in the World, you can start right now by watching some free classes!
