Psychologically Readying Players for Critical Situations

By Oganne Samuel

A beMobile encounter between Gaborone United and Extension
Gunners.

The 2007/08 Mascom premier league season came with it arguably the greatest comeback in local football between Mochudi Centre Chiefs and Township Rollers. Mapalastina, Rollers as they’re known in local circles, took a comfortable 2 nil lead earlier in the 1st half. For the better part of the match, it looked so as Rollers were in cruise to victory. Nevertheless, the Kgatleng side recovered from the slight floppiness and ended up netting 2 goals courtesy of their then on form golden boy, Jerome Ramatlhakwane to salvage a point from the game.

Greater sides can easily do that. And every time this comes about, the victorious are spotted while their opponents are left wondering with unanswered questions. In all verity, can most of our local teams, regional or national, imitate the very same conduct? Are our players the eccentrics to remain calm in severe baffling times in a game?

Our players are in all likelihood and probability to experience these hostile states of affairs much during the course of the season. It would rather be helpful for our players to practice the justest way of dealing with these situations well ahead of time.

Typically, when players encounter such beating and difficult conditions, either their ace getting injured or being outnumbered very early in the game, their power to think and act usually suffer. Their perspective constricts, their decision making get subdued. However, with proper rehearsals of such situations in repetition, they become familiar with it.

Coaches, together with their players, need to work out and elaborate potential resolutions for every stressful situation.  This could be just thoughts or discrete actions but playing numbers-down is doubtlessly a minus or disfavour if things are let out of control. But as it is always said, every bad situation brings with it a seed of greater greatness. A handicap can provide some advantages, sometimes such situations makes a team play much better than before. In some settings, players work extra harder and they start getting serious. Each player in this case takes on more responsibility, team spirit intensifies and on the spur of a moment, the team is back in the game.

Mind you, every asperity bears with it both an opportunity and a risk. But when players determine to always watch over an opportunity not the risk, they make the best of every situation that springs up. However, when making come backs players should ascertain to produce severe set plays in and around the penalty box. For example, Derpotivo La Coruna’s 2003/04 Champions league triumph over AC Milan where the Rosenerri led 4-1 in the 1st leg only for La Coruna to reverse it by a 4-0 victory in the 2nd leg. Staying calm, playing simple, keeping the pressure on, maintaining confidence and believing it is not over until the final whistle can also come in handy.

It is vitally profound to examine these ideas at practice first otherwise these procedures discussed might not work accurately. Usually coaches interrupts the infamous 11 v 11 practice game by taking off one of Team A’s players and altering the rules. They canalso increase the pressure with punishments for the losing team or even start one team with a point lead and so forth. Mentally replaying past successes is another thing that should be practiced well ahead of time to instill element of belief in players. KP