The Sports
Psychology Blog
Today's Sports Psychology blog comes in advance of Scotland's much anticipated European Qualifying match against World Cup holders Italy.
Football: Scotland - Have No Fear Of Failure!
So the anticipation is building ahead of the Scotland-Italy clash. Can Scotland do it? Will tomorrow be etched in the history of the game north of the border, or will it be a day of glorious Scottish failure?
The question is - how does a team prepare for a game that seems so loaded with consequences? What does a team have to do to prevent the occasion getting the better of them?
Firstly, it doesn't pay to try to avoid the sense of occasion. You can feel it in the air. As a player, your nervous system picks it up. And it also pays to outline the External Pressures you, as a team face:
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The fact that European Qualification rides on it
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The financial implications of success
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The massive television audience
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The desire to give the people of Scotland something to celebrate
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Having to overcome the World Champions
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The expectant Hampden crowd
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What the press will say if you fail
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Not wanting to let friends and family down
All of these are so-called pressures can cause many teams to succumb. They underperform. They feel weighed down by the expectancy. Pressures that usually remain unpsoken. Loaded in the collective sub-conscious of the team.
So you can't avoid the pressures. But you can rise to them. The key is to build and draw on The Core Power. The Core Power is the strengths. qualities and motivations that you have at your disposal. So:
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The success you have had to date eg beating the former World and European champions France, twice.
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The strengths and qualities of your team-mates
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The fanatical support of the Hampden crowd - The Hampden Roar!
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The trust you have in the manager to devise a successful strategy
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The reason and motives as to why you play the game
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The desire to play in the European Championships
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The love of taking on the World Champions in your back yard
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The desire to give back to those who have supported you
So you go through The Core Power as a team. See how much you have on your side. When The Core Power matches or is greater than the External Pressure, then the team feels an empowering sense of belief. A sense that they are not just ready for the occasion, but are ready to grace it. To play their best football, when the pressure is on. Where the team and the occasion come together as one. The team feel it individually. They feel it collectively. They know they are ready for the moment. The Core Power is ready to be released.
Alex McLeish is wise to tell his team to have no fear of failure. Winners hate to lose, but are not afraid to lose. In having no fear of failure, Scotland can release 20% of energy and capability. Energy exerted in seeking to win the game, rather then saved in being frightened of losing the game.
It's games like this, that reminds the best players of why they play the game. The big question is, are Scotland truly ready to breakthrough into the promised land of peak performance and European success or is the DNA of glorious Scottish failure still exerting a hold?
