KSA players compete during the season in different clubs and different categories. However, in the weeks leading up to a tournament or event, they all prepare to work as one team with the support of KSA coaches and tutors. Let’s look at how to prepare mentally for a football tournament.
Tournaments and events are special times of the season. Kaptiva Sports Academy gets out of the routine to compete against other teams and to visit professional clubs. These are exceptional settings to play football, live unforgettable experiences and learn from the competition to become a better player.
KSA’s goal for the tournaments
The main objective of KSA is based on the process of improvement of the player and the person and that their experience helps them to become more competent in their life. The tournaments and events where KSA participates, serve to test the players to check their improvement process.
In no case is KSA’s objective in tournaments and events based solely on the final competitive result; it is never about winning or losing. Players who are part of KSA have to be better technically, tactically, physically and mentally by the end of the season.
Of course, all KSA staff are focused on doing what they can to achieve this. But first and foremost, the focus is on the kids enjoying themselves and having a positive experience that will help them become better both on and off the field.
Major pre-tournament issues
There is an important tournament coming up. There are a lot of high level international teams. For the kids, facing this situation can generate feelings of anxiety, nervousness, tension, worry… And all of these are intensified in the days or hours leading up to the event.
It is essential to know how to deal with anxiety, because in the right measure it acts as an alert, a stimulus to improve concentration and motivation. But when we cannot control it, it becomes an enemy. It can interfere with the execution of all kinds of actions, decreases efficiency and causes us to make more mistakes.
This situation can be intensified if the expectations of families or coaches are based solely on match results. That is why the right psychological support from various parties can help to manage these emotions in a better way.
Challenges and duties of the player to cope with these problems
Of course, from Kaptiva Sports Academy we will always provide all possible and necessary help to each player individually. We have already talked about the role of tutors and coaches, as well as the psychology team, but what can the player do?
If we put ourselves in their shoes, the main challenges they face are: fear of failure, injuries and recovery, adaptation to the sports environment, maintaining concentration, having enough playing and training time, and dealing with the well-known anxiety.
To improve or prevent these situations, a player also has certain duties: follow the instructions of tutors and coaches, be participative and punctual (this demonstrates commitment and respect), use tools such as individual and group video analysis (encourages athletes to take responsibility for their growth by reviewing their own performance) and take care of their nutrition, try to get enough sleep, rest (thus reducing the risk of burnout and injury) and talk and express their fears and concerns to specialists, family and teammates.
With all this information, we can better understand how to prepare mentally for a football tournament. Because it is not only about seeing the solutions, but also about analysing the problems the players face. In this way, we can help them to at least enjoy the tournament and have fun without focusing too much on the result.
If you have any questions about our psychology team or our programs, please do not hesitate to contact us or visit our website.
