The Sports Psychology Blog
This Sports Psychology blog comes as Burnley manager Owen Coyle, bemoans his sides lack of mental strength in defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Football: Burnley - Mental Strength
'Mental strength is a big quality in football, and we didn't have enough players with it today'. The words of Burnley manager Owen Coyle, after a home defeat to Wolves. But what does Owen Coyle mean by mental strength?
When players or a team lack mental strength, their heads drop when they go behind in a game. It's a sign to them, that defeat is on it's way. Again. They look to blame others for their own mistakes. They see outcomes as being something that is out of their hands. They expect to be punished for their mistakes. In other words, not players you want in the trenches at the business end of the season, when you are pressing for the play-offs.
Is it possible to transform mentally weak players into mentally strong ones? Yes, but it is rarely done in a week. Such a transformation takes place over time. Game by game. Decision by decision. Moment by moment.
The good manager needs to understand why some of the players lack mental strength. Sometimes it comes from having the confidence knocked out of them by previous managers or by strong dominant figures in the dressing room. Or, perhaps players, in Burnley's case, have become too familiar with continued life in the Championship. They have lost their hunger and motivation. They are happy to be in the comfort zone.
One by one, Owen Coyle needs to individually build the mentality of his weaker players. Encourage them. Understand them. Build their confidence. Remotivate them. Work on their reactivity to adversity. Break the lock of mediocrity.
As he succeeds with one, then others may respond positively. Those that don't, will have no part in his future plans. For without collective mental strength, a team plays with one hand behind it's back.
