The Penalty Kick,The Pressure,The Way

With the World Cup slowly winding down we have seen a number of penalty kicks in regulation time and in the often dreaded penalty shootout. After a hard 120 minutes of play, sometimes with the same players on the field for the duration of this, it all comes down to a series of moments for each team. Teams can always practice penalty kicks in practice and there can be some advantage this, however the brain also will easily differentiate the context of practice to a deciding shootout. Focusing on the actual shootouts that have occurred one could imagine what may have been going through the minds of the players stepping up to shoot with not only the hopes of their team but also their respective nation.

From a psychological point of view there would have been muscle tension and tightness as the mind indicated to the body the importance and potential uncertainty of the situation ahead. Thoughts and emotions would have been flowing for the penalty kicker engaging the ‘time machine’ of his brain going into the past and future to varying degrees. Remember, the middle part of the brain only registers an imminent threat and is not able to think and reason. Hence, the middle part of the brain may as well be taking on a sabre tooth tiger back tens of thousands of years ago. Yet, some of the players were able to execute and some were not able to notwithstanding some great saves. Without living in their mind of course when we are in high pressure situation three key strategies that they could have used, known to be scientifically effective, are to maintain an external focus, reduce the chatter in the mind, and manage the central nervous system!

While it may be unfair to end a game this way the reality is every athlete needs to be prepared for these types of moment with the game in the balance. Whether it is a PK or any other pressure moment at Sport as Life I can teach you many different ways to handle pressure situations with the science and practical application to back it up. I look forward to seeing you soon!