Experts have said that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. As a soccer player, does your mind immediately go to more hours spent on the field with a soccer ball? More hours of team training? Consistent practice controlling the ball, passing the ball and improving your dribbling?
Granted these are essential areas to practice and pay attention to, as they will all improve your technical soccer skills. But, did you know there are many things you can do as a soccer player that have nothing to do with direct contact with the ball? Or, even involve any physical strain? Welcome to world of soccer mental training.
Professional athletes across many sports use different mind techniques and non-physical exercises to upskill themselves. Studies have shown that athletes can dramatically improve performance by incorporating mental training and non-physical technologies to speed-up skill development. One instance involving the use of technology is from the world of professional soccer.
In 2023, Real Madrid and France central midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni was asked to play at center-back due to injuries in the squad. To help himself prepare for this new role, Tchouaméni trained in virtual reality (VR). By immersing himself into realistic VR simulations, Tchouaméni was able to familiarise himself into situations a center-back would typically face. Plus, was able to get lots of repetition in, away from the training field that would not have been possible without the technology.
VR soccer training is just one of the ways players can improve without actually playing soccer. There are different off-field techniques that can help you gain an edge. Most of them you can practice on your own or even whilst injured.
We have selected the most effective non-physical mental training techniques that are widely used by the top athletes in sports today. From soccer, to American football to big wave surfing, these athletes have curated and tested these methods that you can incorporate into your game today no matter if you are playing at the high school level or as a professional.
Train Your Mind with Visualization
"I like to imagine things," Lionel Messi reveals. "Like the opposing defenders and what might happen, and obviously in your imagination it always turns out for the best."
This mental practice has helped make Messi one of the greatest players in history, because when things occurred in a game, he has already played the situation in his head and recognizes it faster when it manifests itself in a game.
What actually is visualization?
Visualization is a mental technique you can practice on your own before the game or between the practices. During your practice, you imagine - visualize - yourself performing in specific game scenarios.
When you do that, you actually fire up the neurons you would if you were actually playing. The result of that? Your mind becomes prepared for the scenarios and can tell your body what to do when the actual scenario happens. Through the practice of visualization, you have already been there before.
How do you start practicing visualization?
Find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and imagine yourself in a specific situation on the field. Your vision should be as detailed as possible. This can sound a little poetic, but it’s an important part of the practice:
- What does the grass under your boots feel like?
- Do you hear the sound of the ball?
- What are you wearing? (Wayne Rooney used to visualize all the way down to the color of the socks he was wearing in the next game!)
- Are you able to visualize your body’s movement as you touch the ball?
Pro Tip: It’s best to start with actions like making a pass or scanning the field. Those are things you already do regularly, and you’ll have an easier time visualizing them. Once you get better, you can start visualizing more complex scenarios and game situations. Like a chess player, visualize at first a few plays, but then begin to build on that with complex game sequences with longer durations.
Get in the Zone With Meditation
It’s Game 7 in the playoffs and Lebron James is on the bench preparing for the most crucial minutes of the game. Is he drinking Gatorade? Is he hyping up his teammates? Is he drawing up a play?
No. He is sitting with his eyes closed and he is taking deep breaths. You can see him just resting with his eyes closed even when the rest of the court goes wild. That’s his way of getting in the zone and shutting off everything else.
That’s right: he’s meditating in the middle of all the chaos. He believes so strongly in meditation that he even created guided sessions to help other athletes tap into this power.[1]
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic takes it even further: "Meditation is one of the main points in my daily life," he explains. "It makes me feel good, and I'm glad that more athletes are talking about it.[2]"
As you can see, meditation among athletes is not an uncommon thing. Meditation is a proven way to becoming more focused, reducing stress, and strengthening the mind-body connection. All of those are of huge importance to every athlete.
Starting with meditation is fairly easy. And it can take you less than 5 minutes daily. You don’t need any special equipment, just a comfortable spot. That can be your room, a park bench, or even the team bus. Close your eyes, focus on your breathing, and when your mind wanders (it will), gently bring it back to your breath.
Start off with easy and short meditations to get the hang of it. Your mind will wander, and that’s expected. Don’t let it frustrate you, just go back to your breath and repeat until it becomes a more intuitive experience.
Improve Through VR Training
We see your VR gaming, and we raise you VR sports training.
Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Offensive rookie of the year, Jayden Daniels, didn’t always incorporate off-the-field training into his regime. But one week he tried incorporating VR technology while at LSU and the very next week he completed 30 out of 34 passes in Week 3 of 2023 season and he has never looked back.
Why does he say it has helped him so much at a college and professional level? First he says that he is actually able to see the game faster at 1.75x games speed. Sort of like how marathoners will use speed intervals to make race pace feel slower. Then when he gets into real games, it feels slower than what he has practiced.
Daniels also realized that he could practice and get better, even while injured. In college, Jayden Daniels was on concussion protocol, but was still able to take 250-350 practice reps without any risk to his body or brain and was cleared to play at the last minute against the Florida Gators.
On November 11, 2023, Jayden Danels became the first FBS quarterback to ever throw for 350 yards and run over 200 yards in a single game. That 606 all purpose yard performance vaulted him to the front runner for the Heisman that year and all of this was done without taking a single snap in practice that week. Only virtual reality simulations through a VR headset.
The similar is happening in the world of soccer players. Tailored VR programs are becoming a part of soccer training where athletes of all skill levels can simulate game situations and play hundreds of reps without wear and tear on the body. Today any soccer athlete can start incorporating this today with a Quest headset and VR soccer training apps that can be downloaded easily.
The key is consistency – even 15-20 minutes of VR training spent on soccer decision-making drills several times a week can help improve your speed and soccer IQ.
Improving Performance Through Breath Mastery
"Breathing is ultimately the essence of life," says legendary big wave surfer Laird Hamilton. "No breath, no life. No oxygen, no life. It's something that we overlook, because we do it unconsciously.[3]"
This isn't just some feel-good quote – when you're facing a 50-foot wave, proper breathing is the difference between success and disaster. Hamilton developed specific breathing techniques that athletes now use across all sports, including soccer, to perform better under pressure.
"It was basically oxygenation of the system," Hamilton explains. "It's a drill on breath awareness. You have a conscious awareness that you might not have had before you started."
Any physical activity requires more oxygen for your muscles to push harder for longer. That’s why you start breathing harder when you run, for example. You can get in charge of that demand, by practicing more efficient breathing. You breathe better - your workout better.
Want to start? Here’s one simple exercise even pro athletes use.
Box Breathing
Think of tracing a square with your breath. Four seconds up one side, four seconds across the top, four seconds down the other side, and four seconds across the bottom. That's:
- Breathe in for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts
- Breathe out for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts
Try this for just 2 minutes before practice or games. Top players tend to use the technique right before crucial games to build mental strength and focus. The best part? It can be practised literally anywhere.
Self-Talk can be Transformative
Muhammad Ali said the famous “I am the greatest” just before his fight against Sony Liston for the world title. Ali later revealed, "I said I was the greatest before I knew I was." He understood something crucial: your mind believes what you tell it consistently.[4]
Muhammad Ali did win on that day in February 1964, and without even knowing affected sports psychology for the better.
Self-talk sounds like motivational fluff to a layman’s ear. But it’s actually backed by science. Think about it. We are all talking to ourselves all the time. We use it to express what we experience mentally and emotionally. That can often lead us to focus on negative things when we’re in the middle of a high-stress situation.
That process can be reversed. We can train ourselves to acknowledge the negative feelings and guide ourselves out of them through self-talk. It’s actually quite a big aspect of sports psychology. The key is being specific and positive. Instead of general phrases like "I'm good at soccer," try specific statements like:
- "My first touch is getting sharper with every practice"
- "I see the whole field clearly"
- "I make quick, confident decisions"
Practice your self-talk during training. For example, while working on soccer touch drills, telling yourself that your feet are more magical than Ronaldinho’s will give you the confidence and drive to make it true.
Quiet Eye Training
Tennis players can teach us many things about sports psychology. Serena Williams is no exception and has been studied for a technique called Quiet Eye training.
The logic behind the quiet eye training is remarkable. If you stare at the point of focus for a little bit longer, your performance will improve.
Our eyes can be indicative of our focus. In hectic and high-stress situations, like matches, our eyes tend to dart, trying to keep up with everything going on. But in the game you literally have to have your "eye on the ball".
Steadying our view on the ball helps steady our focus on the ball, and by extension, our gameplay. Apparently, Serena is able to maintain perfect focus on the ball for milliseconds longer than most less successful players.[6]
In your case, quiet eye training can help with specifically on corner kicks and penalty kicks. You can try it in your next training. Focus your eyes on your target and then finally the ball for slightly longer than usual before taking action. Here is an example:
- Set the ball up for a PK
- Before you shoot, imagine the exact spot where you want your ball to travel to.
- Then focus on the ball. Prior to your kick say outloud, “Focus. Score.” Do this while staring and fixing on a single point of the ball. Then begin with the physical motions of scoring the penalty kick.
The Quiet Eye technique has proven useful to athletes around the world and will be effective for you in soccer as well.
Try these in action
These mental training techniques aren't just add-ons to physical practice – they're essential tools used by the world's best players. Physical preparation, no matter how intense, can only get you so far.
To truly improve as a soccer player, you will need to work on building your mental skills as well. Only with proper mental skills will you be able to improve your confidence, increase your decision-making speed and your performance in complex scenarios faced during training sessions, and most importantly, actual soccer matches. Soccer requires both highly trained bodies and minds.
You don't have to start big. Start by choosing one technique that appeals to you the most and set goals. Practice it for a week, then add another.
Soon you'll discover what the pros already know: the mind can transform your game, and that kind of practice doesn’t require a ball.
Sources:
^[1] Lebron James Calm App Meditation. https://www.calm.com/app/program/Kl8gZDaKoW
^[2] Sportskeeda. (2024). "Novak Djokovic says meditation is one of main points in daily life". Retrieved February 13, 2025, from https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/news-novak-djokovic-says-meditation-is-one-main-points-daily-life-adds-glad-stefanos-tsitsipas
^[3] The Inertia. (2024). "Laird Hamilton on Breath Awareness". Retrieved February 13, 2025, from http://www.theinertia.com
^[4] Medium. (2024). "Lessons to Learn from Muhammad Ali on the Power of Positive Self-Talk". Retrieved February 13, 2025, from https://medium.com/change-becomes-you/lessons-to-learn-from-muhammed-ali-on-the-power-of-positive-self-talk-355d163fe317
^[5] Red Bull. (2024). "Neymar's Pregame Rituals". Retrieved February 13, 2025, from https://www.redbull.com/us-en/neymar-pregame-rituals
^[6] BBC. (2024). "Is quiet eye the secret to success for athletes?". Retrieved February 13, 2025, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180627-is-quiet-eye-the-secret-to-success-for-athletes
^[7] Hogs Haven. (2024). "The Jayden Daniels VR Training Story". Retrieved February 13, 2025, from https://www.hogshaven.com/2025/1/20/24347650/all-atwitter-bonus-edition-the-jayden-daniels-vr-training-story
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