Maybe you are a striker that has always been confident in front of goal.

Never really thought about the process.

Just had a natural instinct for goal.

And then the goals dry up. Hard to explain why.

But the harder you try the worse it gets.

Then you start hoping you don't get any chances in front of goal.

Because you are dreading another miss!

The coach tells you to watch a highlights reel.

And that makes you feel good temporarily.

But it doesn't solve the problem.

Of all positions on a football pitch, it's the one where there is the most time to think.

And time to think can become time to dwell on mistakes,

And thus build self-doubts.

As a goal-keeper you have to be very tuned into the game.

Drop concentration for a moment, and you can be in trouble.

Working with a football psychologist can help you raise your concentration levels; develop strategies for dealing with mistakes and help you mentally prepare for a game so that there are no nasty surprises on a Saturday afternoon!

Maybe you are a young player coming into a dressing room of senior players, Cynical...sarcastic...hard as nails...never have an encouraging word to say.

They are all over any mistakes you might make.

And you can feel your confidence draining away. 

And there is no one to turn to. You know that you are a good player.

But you've stopped trusting yourself.

Playing safe all the time. No risks. No daring. No fun!

Or perhaps you play for a manager who is not blessed with good man-management skills.

He confuses you with the role he is asking you to play.

Then gives you no feedback on how to improve when he says that you have under-performed.

You then end up trying too hard which of course, simply makes things worse!

There is nothing worse than playing in front of a negative home crowd.

They let you know how they feel about every mistake you make,

It reaches the point where you would prefer not to be on the ball, just to avoid their criticism.

But you know that can't be a long-term solution.