Right after Thanksgiving 2020 I got a message from a recent college graduate. Sebastian had a strong desire to play professional soccer. He was captain of his soccer team, tall, strong, and an agile athlete. He graduated only a couple years ago and felt this was his time to put everything on the line and achieve his passion.
He found a posting for a training camp on the West Coast that was offering a few open spots on a professional NISA soccer team and he had to leave in seven days to get there. When we spoke over video, Sebastian explained,
“This is my dream, but I’m not in a good place mentally, right now. I am recovering from a recent collar bone injury, my girlfriend and I broke up, and the coronavirus makes it so hard to feel normal. It’s so isolating.”
“I’ve been told by others that my mental game is what’s holding me back. Then I thought of you, I need to train my mind if I’m going to take my game to the next level. I want a contract and play professional soccer so badly. I know I can do it. I just need some help to focus on the right things and get myself in a good mental space. Can you help?”
I heard Sebastian’s determination and desperation in his voice. I was confident I could help him and decided to develop a custom mental training program for Sebastian. Based on the issues he needed to resolve and his goals, I developed a three phased approach - release mental baggage, imagine endless possibilities, and be mentally ready to play - out of his mind - while at the 10-day west coast training camp.
We got to work right away with an inventory of his daily, habitual self-talk. Becoming aware of thoughts and limiting beliefs rolling around in his head was the first step to counteract and neutralize untrue statements that prevent the body and mind from maximizing goal alignment.
Then Sebastian started on his first guided visualization. It was a mind cleanse to let go of the baggage. He was instructed to listen to it at night before bed. This is the best time to get rid of the deep seated-issues. The next morning Sebastian texted me a huge revelation. He had a vivid dream that was so impactful it made him emotional. He realized how he needed to accept himself in a deeper way. Over a couple of days, he was able to release debilitating perceptions of himself and untrue feelings of not being good enough.
The second phase of our mental training was to be open to new possibilities and have a realization of greatness. During this phase, it happened to be a full moon night. We harnessed the energy of the universe during this powerful time of the month. I gave him a meditation practice to do outside under the full moon to reap its power. When Sebastian showed me his journal entry after the full moon exercise, I knew that his mindset was shifting to a place that would allow him to tap his full potential and be unstoppable.
At this point he only had three days until he had to travel to the soccer training camp. Sebastian was an excellent mental training student. He listened to every guided visualization I sent him and did the practices and mindset homework. Once he finally cleansed his mind and fully accepted himself, we could get him set up for his pre-training visualization exercises.
I created a custom Circle of Excellence visualization that allowed him to imagine scoring like an assassin. He listened to the 5-minute audio every time he practiced or trained. I recommend that this visualization should typically be done at least seven days before a big event. We were running out of time at this point but fortunately, Sebastian was already familiar with this visualization technique, having practiced it when I taught it to a soccer team that he coached.
Sebastian arrived safely at the west coast training camp. He now had all the mental training tools he needed to perform at his best. Being at the beach was a great break from the cold East Coast weather. We took advantage of this situation and developed a beach metaphor to further wash away fears and stress.
We kept in contact via text whenever he needed. Once he was there, a common couple things came up during the training. The first day he became aware of new doubts popping up. We worked through it to squash them with a self-talk counterattack method and advanced breathing techniques.
Sebastian found there was a lot of new material and a completely different coaching philosophy that he needed to get straight in his head. We created a new motto – “Be a student of the game again.” He said it was a great reminder to be open, present and a good listener. This is a great example of even if you mentally train before a selection camp, using the skills and tools in real-time while you are on the field is essential in adapting quickly to new situations as they arise. The coaching style, the players and even the added pressure he felt could be conquered with awareness, the right mindset and breathing techniques.
At the end of the training camp, Sebastian felt he played his best over the full ten-day training camp. He texted me this:
“Thank you so so much for believing in me and helping me get through this. Honestly your help has been life changing for me. As I reflected yesterday, I am truly a professional soccer player. Regardless of if I get this contract, I want to grind and grind and get better and win championships at the highest levels. The desire has always been there, but you helped me unlock it and bring it into action. This is just the beginning!”
Sebastian continues on his path to make it on to a professional soccer team and sign a contract. The results of his mental training have created a stronger and more resilient mindset and the motivation to continue to grind on and reach his highest level possible. He is planning to try out for a team in Canada in Feb 2021 and we will continue to work together.
If YOU are training for a selection camp or just want to take your game to the next level,
contact me. I offer a free 15 minute consultation to talk about how I can help you reach your goals and dreams.