The Sports Psychology Blog
This Sports Psychology blog comes as Southend manager, Steve Tilson, prepares his team for tonight's League One play-off semi-final, at Doncaster.
Football: Steve Tilson - Preparation
''It was really tight in the first leg so you've got to practise them. You'll never get it the same as in the match situation, but you've got to practise because if you do go out people will say you should have done. Also it gives them confidence, and me the confidence to pick the right five." The words of Southend United manager, Steve Tilson, as he describes his teams preparation, for tonights game at Doncaster.
This, after John Ward, revealed that his Carlisle United team had not practised penalties, ahead of yesterday's game against Leeds United. Currently, there is no scientific evidence, that reveals the success of teams, who maximise pre-match penalty preparation, against those who don't.
But, there is everything to be gained from such preparation. Sure, you cannot recreate the pressure and tension of a penalty shoot-out, exactly. But you can recreate, the running order of the five penalty takers. The steady walk from the centre-circle. The picking up of the ball, to place on the spot. The clear decision-making. The commitment to the shot. And the successful penalty.
You can recreate it again and again. With the right attitudes to the training, it can build confidence and authority in the players. With positive thoughts programmed into each stage of the process, the players can approach a play-off shoot-out, with the full knowledge, that their minds and emotions are well prepared for it.
In such a high-pressure situation, that knowledge, can provide immunity from doubt. And, ultimately, be the difference between penalty shoot-out success and failure.
