Performing at your best on the field is not just about giving 100%. No, it is much more than that and giving everything is one small part of that.
In this part I will present 4 things that will be critical in whether or not you will perform well on the pitch.
Your soccer performance is like a puzzle, each part is important and leaving out one part will affect your performance negatively.
So, how many puzzle pieces is soccer performance built of? Well, there are 4 parts that are critical and these are:
- Resting enough
- Proper Nutrition
- Enough Sleep
- Focusing 100 %
Let’s look at the first one…
Resting Enough
Before every soccer performance you need to ensure yourself proper resting. This means that you should not participate in any form of physical activity 24 hours before your soccer performance.
Your body needs to recover from the previous physical activities and 24 hours is a good number to start with.
While resting, you may watch TV, play games or listen to music. In other words, you can do anything that doesn’t require physical efforts.
Proper Nutrition
I can’t stress this enough: the right type of food is critical for your performance on the pitch.
Without proper nutrition your body will not work any well. And when your body is not working well, then your performance will not be good either.
Nutrition is similar to the gas in your car. If you fill a car with enough fuel you will be able to drive pretty far without needing to refuel it.
However, the less fuel you buy the shorter the distance you will be able to drive before needing to refuel again.
Before your performance on the field you need to fill your muscles with proper fuel. There is one type of fuel that your muscles will really like and it is carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are your best friend (when discussing soccer nutrition) and can be found in bread, pasta, fruits and so on. However, not all carbohydrates are soccer friendly.
Carbohydrates found in chips, Coca Cola and all types of candy will not bring you any good energy; instead they will only fill your body with empty fuel that will affect your performance negatively.
Enough Sleep
Have you ever played a game after a night of bad sleep? Well, if you haven’t I can tell you that it is like running with closed eyes đŸ™‚
Simply put, without a good night of sleep, your performance will be pretty poor. Keep in mind that you should never force yourself to sleep.
It doesn’t work, believe me, it will just make things worse. Instead, relax and think about other things beside the upcoming game. And one more thing, whatever you do, don’t look at the watch!
Focusing
Being able to focus completely on a game is harder than you might think. You need to really concentrate on your task and fulfill it 100%.
If your coach tells you to play as midfielder (even if your regular position is forward) you should accept it and focus on performing well.
Don’t get frustrated as it will only affect your game negatively. Instead, accept your coach’s decisions and focus completely on fulfilling your task.
Summary
There are other things that will affect your game. Some of these are your equipment, weather, the field and so on. You may find things mentioned in this article that are pretty obvious.
However, I know from experience that many soccer players seem to miss them, either because they think that these things will not affect their performance or just because they forget about them.
If you don’t believe in what I have said you could test these things in reality. Simply, avoid sleeping well, eating proper nutrition, do not rest after a soccer game and don’t focus on your game either.
Then, come back and tell me how your performance was. If you are claiming anything besides a horrendous experience, then you are lying. I wish you good luck with your soccer career, though! đŸ™‚
If you’re open to learning new things, you’ll find that a refresher is always the best way to stay at the top of your game.
Even the professional soccer players of the world are always learning something and trying to take their game to the next level. Can you adopt that behavior? Of course you can!
