We are building up to what should be a fantastic A-League Men Grand Final, as Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory take centre stage in Gosford, vying for the 2023/24 title.
It’s an exciting but also nervous time for the players as they will be eager to do well and lift the trophy – after another thrilling A-Leagues season comes to an end,
In this article, I outline the emotions a player will feel, and how to develop positive habits, set up for success, and manage external factors.
What happens when someone is nervous and managing the range of emotions:
There will be a wide variety of emotions experienced by players – ranging from anxiety, worry, concern, and distress, all the way to the other end of the ‘stress spectrum’ involving eustress – which is the positive stress that’s the butterflies in the stomach and the slight nervous activation that makes us excited and helps us play well.
In these circumstances, it’s very helpful for individuals to have an activity or habit that can create calm and relaxation for them, and an activity I recommend is mindfulness meditation, with activities such as yoga practices or deep breathing exercises.
I absolutely endorse players establishing helpful habits and regimes that help evoke a set of emotions and thoughts to play at their best.
My caveat is for that habit not to be burdensome and unhelpful – some superstitions can actually be quite unhelpful. An interesting example is watching tennis champion Rafael Nadal with his self-admitted obsessive compulsions to arrange his belongings between games, or the pulling of his shorts between points.
The dilemma of battling injury and not being 100% fit:
There’s a lot of circumstances that can be quite uncertain and chaotic for players.
When thinking about players who are substitutes, they may be endeavouring to manage their trepidation and anxiety about whether they will get chosen in the starting line-up.
It’s really helpful for those players to have a habit that can create positivity and disrupt chaotic thinking – which positive psychology skills of gratitude and savouring.
Regular starting players who are nearing the end of their career may be more prone to anxiety and worrisome thoughts. These players may be contemplating retirement, compared to the freedom of youth where they may think and feel they are indestructible.
Another aspect of this may be players who have a looming trial with an international team, where they are understandably concerned about having the opportunity to successfully perform while being scouted, and wanting to play as best as possible.
These thoughts and emotions have a big influence before a championship game.
How teams can build a dynasty rather than a one-off Grand Final win:
Sustained success in team sports is historically a combination of high-performing talent, and strong high-performance programs – including strength and conditioning, rehabilitation, nutrition, psychology, player wellbeing and development, and coaching.
Scientific research demonstrates it is helpful to create and enshrine a culture of agreed team behaviours and practices that lead towards good habits which influence sustained successful team performance.
Teams who enjoy sustained success season after season often have a culture where players take responsibility for their own preparation and are diligent in-between seasons to stay professional in the off-season through their conditioning and behaviours. They are also responsible for their diet, rehabilitation, craft and skill development, and rest.
It’s also important for all the players to demand and reinforce adherence to good standards of playing, performance, training, rehabilitation, and positive and respectful behaviour towards all players, coaches, and officials in the squad – including those in development teams.
Managing social media and unwanted comments or posts:
I recommend that teams and individuals have helpful ways of being able to manoeuvre their way through the digital platforms.
Players, coaches, and officials should receive instruction and training in when and how to access and use social media. There will be times immediately after a loss or when out of the team due to selction, injury ,or illness where accessing social media may be deleterious to their mood and thinking.
To block out the negative noise completely is not sustainable in 2024, so it’s about how to helpfully and succeffully navigate around the digital platforms and make it work in a positive way.
This can extend towards appearances which are scrutinised by the public and reported in media – you only have to look at Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker who recently gave a commencement speech where his negative and harmful comments on LGBTIQA+ communities and women’s careers went against the respectful messaging presented by the NFL and Kansas City Chiefs.
This is why media training is so important, to protect the reputation of not only the player but also the team and league they represent.
Conclusion:
Achieving great success in the A-Leagues is not only within the physical battle, but it is also about how the mind works mentally.
Developing strong positive habits and sticking to them is an integral part of elite athlete preparation, extending to how they present themselves in front of media or handling social platforms.
I wish every success to the players, coaches, officials, and fans of both teams in this week’s A-League Men’s Grand Final.
