How can you help athletes make better decisions on the field?

Understanding the game is essential to athletes making better decisions on the field. A major part of understanding the game is each athlete understanding their unique capabilities of the game and the role they play to help the team meet its goals. Self-awareness is woven into understanding the game. Players who know their strengths and play within their role on the team typically perform better on the field because they are not forcefully operating outside of their role.

Growth Mindset Emphasis: Encourage athletes to adopt a growth mindset, viewing each game and training session as an opportunity to learn and improve. Understanding the game isn't just about tactics, but also about embracing challenges, learning from mistakes, and persisting in the face of setbacks. Athletes with a growth mindset are more likely to delve deeply into the game's complexities, seeing each aspect as a chance to enhance their skills and strategic understanding.

In todays world playing any type of professional sports requires alot of mental n physical fitness, my sound a little irrelevant but most important factor u can give a athlete in todays time is support n backup of going out there n giving its best leaving apart all the stress n focusing only on growth…. Give him the best possible facilities to practice n perform

First of all ;each athlete has to be aware of football isn’t observation is evaluation , in each experience practice or game they must learn something , by this approach you as coach , you become educator . How !?! Second of all ; you write reports about your players or athletes," sorry is lot of writing but you can …tap in your laptop. Meaning you find the evaluation.⚽️

Game-realistic training design can help athletes develop what to do in different game situations. Training design can be tweaked e.g., through variation of rules, playing spaces, equipment, etc to emphasize specific aspects of the game in order to elicit specific responses from the athletes, through which the athletes' awareness of what happens and how they could respond in those specific aspects of the game improves.

Mindfulness Integration: Incorporate mindfulness practices in training to enhance present-moment awareness. This heightened state of awareness on the field is crucial for making quick, effective decisions and for staying attuned to the dynamics of the game. Athletes who train their minds to be present and aware are better equipped to respond to dynamic game situations, leading to improved performance and decision-making under pressure.

A concept borrowed from Mindfulness, train them to focus on the present. The past is history to learn and reference. The future is what it can be for a decision made in then present. Hence, get athletes to focus on the present. Be ware what is going on and make decision from the present so that they shape their futures. Many times, athletes worry about this, or the final score or even the next game. Get to to focus on teh present. Look at now and work on what is now, be it using visualisation, pep talks and help them focus theirs awareness in here and now and what they do now, can shape their future.

Avoid telling your athletes what to do all the time. Ask questions instead e.g. "Our attacking play broke down. How can we do better to bring the ball upfield?"; "We have been letting in goals of late. How can we work together to tighten up our defence?" without expecting that your athletes always follow your solutions.

Balanced Approach to Creativity: Encourage athletes to balance their creativity on the field with a focus on mental and emotional well-being. This means fostering an environment where they feel safe to express themselves and take risks without fear of undue criticism. When athletes feel supported and less stressed, their natural creativity flourishes, enhancing their ability to find innovative solutions during gameplay.

Self-Efficacy Focus: Building confidence should go hand-in-hand with fostering a mindset centered around self-efficacy. Athletes should be encouraged to believe in their ability to execute specific tasks successfully, which in turn boosts overall confidence. Confidence rooted in a strong sense of self-efficacy leads to athletes who trust their judgment and abilities, significantly impacting their performance in a positive way.

Yes...And, this starts with the coaches in my opinion. The leaders of the team set the tone, encourage healthy competition, positivity and team work. Intentionally providing buddies for incoming athletes, support and off field positive events are just a few ideas to build collaboration both on and off the field.

Team Cohesion and Mental Health: Promote an environment where collaboration is key not just for strategic success, but also for the mental well-being of athletes. A team that communicates and supports each other contributes to a positive mental atmosphere, reducing stress and anxiety. Teams that prioritize collaborative efforts and mutual support create a healthier mental environment, leading to better decision-making on the field and improved overall team performance.

Design training activities to mirror, replicate and / or are spliced from moments within the game that you want to practice and improve on. It could be related to: 1) the performance of a particular motor action (execution of a technique), or 2) a particular game concept or idea. Without realising though, sometimes we coaches will design an activity incorporating both elements. 😃

Developing easy to understand game plans is a very valuable skill for coaches. During the game, players are flooded with information. It is the coach's task to not overload them with information before the game as well. Try to make it as simple as possible, so that players can remember the game plan during the game, take in the information they get during game action and translate all this into better decisions.