The Confidence Coach's Sports Psychology Articles
On The Couch With Dr. Martin
The Confidence Coach's monthly Sports Psychology Article in 442 magazine. This article was written during the early stages of Michael Owen's career at Real Madrid.
Michael Owen
It's thirty minutes into Real Madrid's La Liga contest with struggling Deportiva La Coruna when a goal scoring opportunity falls at the feet of Michael Owen. The England striker snatches at the chance and the ball drifts harmlessly wide.
Twenty minutes later, Owen is substituted, fuelling paper talk of a return to Anfield. So will Madrid ever witness the Michael Owen who, as a callow eighteen year old, baffled the Argentinean and sundry other defences?
Firstly, Owen must beware of trying to prove that he is worthy of his transfer fee; worthy of a place amongst the galacticos. As the pressure to succeed increases, he must be wary of becoming locked into a negative pressure cycle, in which failure is a viable option. It is difficult to cope with, particularly in a man for whom triumph has been an almost permanent companion.
The more often he misses the more often sceptical fans question his ability; the more people question his ability the more he tries to prove them wrong. The pressure cycle builds.
The cycle of failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and must be broken. Negativity leads to indecision, disrupting natural timings and instinctive self-assurance; touch becomes clumsy; all certainties become imponderables. And thus he feels much safer in the familiar bosom of the England family.
Owen has to rebuild his confidence with measurable sequences of success. Small achievements. An incisive pass, a neat lay off, instant first time control, a cute run. A goal! Building positive bases; self-encouraging; finding the right thoughts to nourish self-belief. Tiny victories build up the investment in the achievement bank leading, eventually, to profit out of loss.
Additionally, and critically, he must engage in a thorough appreciation of the values of Real Madrid. It is essential for Owen to understand, absorb and respect the culture of the club.
This integration is achieved through an acceptance of the club's politics, history and ethos, which are found in its rich traditions, eminent players, trophy cabinet, classic matches and the fond dreams, deep hatreds and traditional stories of the supporters.
To flourish in Madrid, Owen must think, talk and act like a Madrista. If he does he will find acceptance in the Madrid community, creating an unquenchably positive public persona.
Then, he can junk all the aggravating doubt and uncertainty and unleash the desire which all elite athletes have. Remember, the greats use adversity as a measure of their strength.
Thus, Owen can absorb the unrelenting pressure, and use it to his advantage. As Michael Johnson, the track and field superstar, once said, 'Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of a great opportunity. The pressure builds and builds until the defining moment and that is the time I crave.'
Mostly, Michael Owen has known success. Despite a succession of niggling injuries, which lead to his essential qualities being questioned, he had been comfortable within his work and home environment.
Now that he has taken one small step for some, but a giant stride for Michael, he needs to assess what it means and to act appropriately. Essentially, it is a given that Michael Owen is a talented and successful footballer, now he has the chance to confirm what he revealed in his teens, that he is a world player. A true galactico.