Mental Skills Training in Soccer: A Drill-based Approach

Abstract

Psychological Skills Training (PST) has been a tool used by sport psychology consultants. However, within soccer many of these programs have been delivered as workshops, homework tasks, or individual consultations with athletes. The aim of the project was to develop an ecological intervention by creating a series of drill-based sessions to train psychological skills, and educate coaches about how to implement and integrate PST as a natural part of daily training. The program was delivered to the youth academies in nine Danish professional soccer clubs and consisted of three phases: (a) planning of the program, (b) education and designing soccer drills, and (c) delivery of the drills on the soccer pitch. The program was well received by clubs, coaches, and players. With regards to project aims, the intervention was generally considered a success. Coaches reported that the drill-based nature of the program was practical and relevant to young players’ development of psychological skills and many players and coaches have continued working with this approach. However, success varied across the nine clubs and was influenced by factors such as the clubs’ willingness and capacity to adopt new concepts, the presentation of sport psychology in soccer language, and time constraints.