Mental toughness is the ability to handle pressure, stay focused, and perform at your best when it matters most. It's about having the right mindset on the field, and it's something that you can train and improve with practice. Read on to discover tips to improve your mental toughness.

As with any sport, mental toughness in football can be just as important as skill. A recent study of adolescent Spanish football players found that individuals playing for higher division teams displayed more mental toughness than players of lower-ranking football teams.

So if mental toughness is the key to greatness, the big question is, "How do you attain a winning football mindset?"

In this guide, we'll take a look at everything you need to know about how to become a better football player mentally. If you're ready to develop as a football player and individual, read on to find out how to improve your mental toughness.

The Importance of a "Growth" Mindset

If you want to be great at anything, you need to accept that there are times when you'll suck at it. The difference between those who succeed and those who fail is the ability to push through the bad days.

A growth mindset is just that: Acknowledging that progress is a mixture of good and bad days and not letting the bad days make you consider giving up.

A fixed mindset looks at a much better football player and says, "I will never be as good as them."

A growth mindset smiles and says, "That's where I'm going."  

To develop as a football player, you must adopt a growth mindset. And this is one of the key mental benefits of football. Once you have this, it will transfer across all other areas of your life. 

Develop Positive Self-Talk

Confidence is a big part of a winning football mindset. One thing that can help or hinder your football game is how you talk to yourself. If there's anything that separates high-performing athletes from everyone else, it's how they talk to themselves.

The more positive your internal dialogue, the more motivated you'll be, and the easier you'll find it to move through hard times and develop mental toughness. 

We are all in control of how confident we are, and the trick is developing positive self-talk. Avoid saying negative things to yourself, such as:

• "These players are better than me"
• "We can't beat this team"
• "I'm not playing well today"

These negative self-reflections will boost your anxiety levels and hinder your game. While you're preparing for a match and during the match, it's essential to use positive self-talk such as:

• "I am prepared for this"
• "I can score in this game"
• "My teammates and I have what it takes"

It might not seem like much, but if you genuinely believe what you say, you'll be able to relax, play better, and maybe even enter your flow state. 

Find Your Flow State

The best way to describe the flow state is like active meditation. You're entirely present in the moment; you're focused, and you're relaxed. You're not thinking about what you're doing—you're just doing.

The late Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi put it like this:

"Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz."

Even if you don't like jazz, you can get where Mihaly was coming from. Finding your flow state might sound like entering the matrix, but it's not impossible.

The best way to work towards finding your flow state is to train the mind using meditation and mindfulness. You should also practice your football skills. Your mind will become better at blocking distractions and staying focused as your football skills continue improving.

Eventually, you'll find yourself in your flow state.  

Understand Your Anxiety

It doesn't matter how great you are at something; pre-game jitters and anxiety are a part of being human. For example, if you look closely at bouncers for nightclubs, they're often chewing gum or tapping their feet, and it's not because they're bored.

Their job entails a certain amount of anxiety, and trying to stay perfectly still is the worst thing you could do. So they adopt repetitive yet subtle actions to keep the jitters away.

But you're a football player, not a bouncer. Well, the principal is the same. Before a game, it's perfectly normal to worry about underperforming. The trick is to understand what that means.

When you're getting ready to do something meaningful, it's normal for your body to enter a fight-or-flight state. What feels like anxiety is your mind preparing you for the game. Once you understand this, you can use the pre-game jitters as a reminder that you're ready to play your best. 

If you're worried about how to prepare for a football game mentally and feel anxiety creeping in, the best thing you can do is move around a little. Remind yourself that this is just your central nervous system firing up for the game ahead.

So roll with it instead of trying to fight it.  

Visualize Ahead of Each Game

If you've been wondering how to mentally prepare for a football game, then look no further than visualization. Think of it as football mental training. Before a match, you can mentally rehearse for the game ahead by walking through the scenarios you're likely to face mentally. These cognitive practice sessions can help you develop mental triggers and valuable habits.

A New Way to Build Your Football Mindset

You can develop a winning football mindset by taking on board the above tips. Remember, the mental aspect of any sport is just as important as the physical.

One final great way to enhance your game is to study yourself. Veo is the perfect way to record the performance of you and your teammates on the pitch. Watching yourself playing football is a great way to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

If you're serious about taking your football game to the next level with video analysis, check out what Veo has to offer.