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Below is a team speech I gave to Maccabi football team midway though the 2017/18 season to inspire self-belief and show how powerful this, coupled with visualization can be. This was inspired by life coach Tony Robbins' work on visualization.
"The question I’m most asked is, what confidence is. Confidence is the constant belief that challenges can be overcome, which is crucial to success in soccer. The team faced a major challenge on Saturday. The ref was dishonest and was determined that Maccabi was not going to win the game. You could have accepted this and given up the 3 points but you fought and took the team to a miraculous draw. You stepped up and showed real grit. You were passionate and tough. Tough times don’t last but tough players do. I was incredibly proud of everyone on the pitch and equally proud of everyone off the pitch. The support you received from your teammates was selfless and inspiring.
I want to do an exercise with you today to show you the power of self-belief which is crucial to going forward into the NFD. "
(The exercise goes as follows: I asked each player to stand with their arm extended straight in front of them with their thumbs up. Then turn as far as they could in a clockwise motion without moving their legs and see how many degrees away from the starting position they could get their thumb. After they did this, I asked them to close their eyes and visualize themselves doing the exercise as before (but not actually doing it) but this time picture their arm slowly going from 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock, to 6 o'clock, to 9 o'clock, to finally the impossible 12 o'clock again. Then I asked them to do the exercise once again and see if there was any difference in outcome.
The result was on average each person turned 25% more than they did the first time. (feel free to try this at home and see if you notice a difference for yourself!)
I asked them: "Did you have the potential to go as far the first time as you did the second time?
Why didn’t you? You didn’t believe you could. You decided without even knowing how far you could turn.
The potential was there the first time. Were you lazy the first time? No you gave it your best effort but that took you to a spot that was on average 25% less than you were capable of. But you didn’t believe that you were capable of more.
How did I change your belief? I got you to see the result in advance. Two or 3 times I got your brain to go there.
To get to the NFD we have to believe that we can get there. Execution is everything but it doesn’t happen unless you have total belief and certainty that you can get there. You changed your abilities to turn after 3 minutes of imagining and feeling it happen. So work technically, tactically and physically. Lift the weights and complete the sets. Eat properly and get sleep soundly. But believe that you have a bottomless pit of potential and you can get there.
Do this by spending a few minutes each day remembering your best games. What did your best game look like, what did it feel like. Put this best performance into the deeper parts of your brain because this will help your top performances become who you are as a soccer player. This will keep your mind and body pumping the feel good chemicals even when you have below average training sessions and performances.
As Arsene Wenger said “If you do not believe you can do it then you have no chance at all. “
The mind is a powerful thing. Picture yourself winning the league and the playoffs and going to NFD and go and get it. "
'Before a single event has begun, a single point awarded, a single shot contested, the competitors have already lived these Olympics. They have felt their hand raised, swelled with pride as the national anthem played, felt the medal hang and tug at their neck.' -The Washington Post on Olympians in their minds is believing it can happen