I’ve just read a report about Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil. He’s seriously good! In his first 12 games for Arsenal following his move from Real Madrid, he scored 4 goals and made 6 assists. Pretty impressive stats! But in his next 8 league appearances he scored no goals and created just 2. A slump? Perhaps! Here’s how not to slump…
Reflect on you at your very best – when you’re playing badly the brain constantly directs you towards what is going wrong. When you think about your football all you tend to think about are the mistakes you’ve made, the shots you’ve missed, and the goals you’ve conceded. Asking yourself “What does my very best game look like?” is a great question to ask on a daily basis. You’ll open up an inner picture book of positive images. These will reinforce positive feelings. Make them big and bold and bright.
Get back to having fun – go into training with a simple goal in mind…strive to train with a sense of fun. A fundamental of the game is enjoyment, that’s why you started playing football in the first place. Have a laugh with your mates. Warm up by popping the ball about. Get that amazing feeling of ‘boot on ball’ back. Put a smile on your face and keep it there no matter what.
Free up – Once you’ve captured that feeling of fun, pay close attention to your body. Get on your toes and move, move, move. The slumping footballer is the static one. Play head up, find space, move, demand the ball, lend it, find space and then get it back. Free up – move, move, move, move, move, move.