Soccer Psychology

"Mental Toughness for Young Soccer Players" is more than a book; it's a mentor who guides you through competitive sports' ups and downs. Equip yourself with the tools to handle the psychological demands of soccer and set a foundation for success that will last a lifetime.

Technique, speed, and tactical execution are crucial components of winning soccer, but it is mental toughness that marks out the very best players - the ability to play when pressure is highest, the opposition is strongest, and fear is greatest. Top players and coaches understand the importance of sport psychology in soccer but how do you train your mind to become the best player you can be? Soccer Tough demystifies this crucial side of the game and offers practical techniques that will enable soccer players of all abilities to actively develop focus, energy, and confidence.

Soccer is not chaos. It is not merely running, kicking, or chasing the ball. It is a structured contest of territory, timing, deception, and willpower. And nowhere is this clearer than when we reinterpret the world’s most beloved sport through the timeless strategic lens of The Art of War. In The Art of War for Soccer: Strategy, Tactics, and Psychology on the Modern Pitch, the game is recast as a battle of space, rhythm, and resilience, where victory belongs not just to the fastest or most talented but to those who prepare most deeply and adapt most intelligently. Drawing on parallels ...

Anson Dorrance has one of the most successful coaching records in the history of athletics. Under Dorrance’s leadership at the University of North Carolina (UNC), the Tar Heels women’s soccer teams have won 22 of the 37 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships with a .881 winning percentage over 40 seasons. He has led his team to a 101-game unbeaten streak, and his players have won 20 National Player of the Year awards.

Youth soccer is often taught as drills, tactics, and discipline. But behind the passes, goals, and trophies lies another game entirely—the psychological battle. Matches are not decided only by skill; they are ruled by confidence, aggression, composure, and the ability to bend the rules of play without breaking them. Necessary Fouls is the missing manual for young players, parents, and coaches who want to understand the mental and physical edge that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. Written by a seasoned coach with a ruthless eye for truth, this book pulls back the curtain on ...

Soccer is the world's most popular sport, inspiring the absolute devotion of countless fans around the globe. But what is it about soccer that makes it so compelling to watch, discuss, and think about? Is it what it says about class, race, or gender? Is it our national, regional, or tribal identities? Simon Critchley thinks it's all of these and more. In his new book, he explains what soccer can tell us about each, and how each informs the way we interpret the game, all while building a new system of aesthetics, or even poetics, that we can use to watch the beautiful game.

“You’re mad at me, but I am killing you.”—NBA star Gary Payton “Find the hate.”—NFL star Warren Sapp “Why can’t you be more like Rafi Kohan?”—your mom, probably Whether in basketball, football, or MMA, athletes talk trash to each other—and sometimes to fans—like it’s...

Sport — jam-packed as it is with decisions, judgements and predictions, usually made under significant pressure — is the perfect environment for cognitive biases to flourish. If we are to better understand sport, we must better understand why, how and in what circumstances these biases and other thinking oddities operate. In so doing, we will learn why… the decisions of match officials ARE inherently biased pundits are so bad at making predictions sporting form can appear and disappear in an instant people behave differently in crowds managers are sacked at the drop of a hat we bet ...

Cristiano Ronaldo’s life is one of relentless pursuit—of goals, of perfection, of immortality. Yet behind the dazzling statistics and the trophies lies a story more complex, more conflicted, and more revealing than the numbers alone can ever capture. Cristiano Ronaldo explores the full arc of the man known as CR7: from his childhood in Madeira, marked by poverty and instability, to his transformation into a global icon who commands the attention of millions. It charts his rise at Manchester United, his reign at Real Madrid, his complicated tenure at Juventus, and his turbulent return to...

From the post room to the board room, everyone thinks they can be the manager. But how do you manage outrageous talent? What do you do to inspire loyalty from your players? How do you turn around a team in crisis? What’s the best way to build long-term success? How can you lead calmly under pressure? The issues are the same whether you’re managing a Premier League soccer team or an FTSE 100 company.

Why does an international footballer with the World at his feet decide to take his own life? On November 10, 2009, the German national goalkeeper Robert Enke stepped in front of a passing train. He was 32 years old. Viewed from the outside, Enke had it all. Here was a professional goalkeeper who had played for a string of Europe's top clubs, including Jose Mourinho's Benfica and Louis Van Gaal's Barcelona. Enke was destined to be his country's first choice for years. But beneath the veneer of success lay a darker story.

Balancing soccer, school, family, and the many other things requiring your time can be difficult. Having a mindset that is working against you can make it even more difficult to stay balanced and succeed. There is no such thing as a perfect mindset, but there are definitely attitudes that will lift you to great heights and attitudes that will hold you back from taking your game to the next level. This audiobook will dramatically reduce your time to discover those key attitudes that will ensure you become the best player in your league.

The gripping account of the U.S. men’s national soccer team’s winding saga from obscurity to the global stage as they stand on the brink of a seminal World Cup in 2026. For almost half a century, the U.S. men’s national team existed on the fringes of world soccer—out of sight, out of...

The use of analytics in sport is now well embedded. Marginal gains, the bedrock upon which the cycling coach Dave Brailsford built his greatest successes, are cornerstones of most sports nowadays. But, until recently, that did not apply to the biggest sport in the world. Not in soccer. It was as though this simplest of sports is too complicated for statistics. Or that only one statistic counts, the number of times the ball hits the back of the net. "The only statistic that counts", there’s an often used and annoying stock term.

Have you ever wanted to know the secret to getting a great night’s sleep every night? Ever wonder what top soccer players do to get a restful night’s sleep before a big match? Want to learn the number one thing that is holding you back from waking well-rested and full of energy each day? Improving your sleeping takes time to find the key things that work best for you. However, this audiobook will reduce your time to discover those things that will ensure you become the most energetic player. This audiobook’s main aim is to provide help with important areas of sleeping.

When Trent Cotchin was handed the reins of Richmond Football Club's team in 2013, he was a 22-year-old star, skilful and fearlessly hard at the ball. Coming off a Brownlow Medal-winning season, he embraced the captaincy and continued his quest to get the most out of himself for the benefit of the club. Yet by the end of 2016, Trent was suffering from serious self-doubt. With nothing to lose and facing down his own fear of failure, Trent put himself on the line in a new way.