Part 9 - The 43 point player checklist
Spurs Mental Game: 1,075 Ways to Improve Player Mentality (Part 9)
Spurs' Mental Toughness and Why It Matter
Although this article was originally written a decade ago, it’s more relevant than ever today.With players like Richarlison and Brennan Johnson facing harsh criticism, sports psychology could hold the key to unlocking Spurs' full potential, especially under the leadership of Ange Postecoglou.
Gareth Bale
Read this and think of the individual errors or the missed opportunities in front of goal, could this have helped?
My answer is a resounding yes.
In Part 8 of the Spurs Need To Go Mental series last night, I looked at Succession Planning, Fan Bonding, Performance Responsibility, Reading The Game and the attention to detail needed for a team to be a success.
Spurs could significantly improve if they concentrated and perfected this rather important area.
In Part 10 of the Spurs Need To Go Mental Series, I will take a look at Youth Development and how we can pick the best talent.
In Part 8 of the Spurs Need To Go Mental series last night, I looked at Succession Planning, Fan Bonding, Performance Responsibility, Reading The Game and the attention to detail needed for a team to be a success.
I thought it worth revisiting in light of the improvements Ange Postecoglou has made and our improvement in the transfer market.
In Part 9 of the Spurs Need To Go Mental series, I'm going to take a look at Sports Psychology and what a psychologist would look at in a player to determine his mental strengths and weaknesses.
In Part 9 of the Spurs Need To Go Mental series, I'm going to take a look at Sports Psychology and what a psychologist would look at in a player to determine his mental strengths and weaknesses.
I'll provide you with a 43-point player checklist and the 1,075 improvements Spurs could make.
The Role of Sports Psychology in Football
A psychologist will analyse a player, not just on the pitch and record everything in as much detail as he can to present to the player.
It is vitally important that the psychologist has evidence to back up what he then tells the player because players do not remember what they were doing in a game.
You can't just tell someone you stand for 10 minutes a game with your hands on your hips for instance, they won't know and unless they believe in you totally, they may not even believe you.
You can't just tell someone you stand for 10 minutes a game with your hands on your hips for instance, they won't know and unless they believe in you totally, they may not even believe you.
Their engagement in the process is important for improvement.
Winning mentalities will take it on board, normal mentalities won't so it can be used as a tool to improve a player mentally.
When you present evidence you are saying "I have done my homework, I have studied you intently in the minutest detail and working together we can make you a better player."
When you present evidence you are saying "I have done my homework, I have studied you intently in the minutest detail and working together we can make you a better player."
Now you have a subject with a responsive mind and being open-minded with a sports psychologist is of the utmost importance.
A closed mind is not going to take anything new on board, a closed mind is the mind of someone unable to fulfill their full potential.
The same applies to yourself.
I mentioned in Part 6 - £20,000 would have avoided the Erik Lamela fiasco, that we spent £73 million on three players and had very little return in my view because we hadn't done enough for the player and because they haven't done enough for themselves.
A Sports Psychologist would have told us what we are buying, a Sports Psychologist would have told us what we needed to do for them off the field, as it is we have wasted a year, wasted an opportunity and set the club back another couple of years.
Here is an example checklist of the things a Sports Psychologist would take note of in any player they are working with.
I mentioned in Part 6 - £20,000 would have avoided the Erik Lamela fiasco, that we spent £73 million on three players and had very little return in my view because we hadn't done enough for the player and because they haven't done enough for themselves.
A Sports Psychologist would have told us what we are buying, a Sports Psychologist would have told us what we needed to do for them off the field, as it is we have wasted a year, wasted an opportunity and set the club back another couple of years.
Here is an example checklist of the things a Sports Psychologist would take note of in any player they are working with.
I will point out, this is the very list a well-known Sports Psychologist who has worked with Premier League players, uses.
2. How does he take to the pitch?
3. What does he do when taking to the pitch?
4. How does he shake hands with the opposition?
5. What does he do pre-game?
6. What does the player do immediately before the whistle goes?
7. What does he do straight after the whistle is blown?
8. What does he do before the start of the second half?
9. What does he do straight after the whistle is blown for the second half?
10. What commitment, aggression and determination does he show going for a header?
11. How does he jump to head the ball?
12. What commitment, aggression and determination does he show going into a tackle?
13. How he goes in for a tackle?
14. What commitment, aggression and determination does he show when chasing back after an opponent who has the ball? (Think Bissouma in the home defeat to Wolves recently!)
15. How does he chase them back? (Bissouma ball watching not danger watching)
16. What commitment, aggression and determination does he show when chasing a back pass to the keeper?
17. How does he chase the back pass?
18. What is the players' foot position prior to reacting and sprinting? (For those of you wondering about foot position, it helps to show if the player is mentally ready, if he is reading the game and will therefore directly affect his ability to perform the task)
19. The players' ability to react and sprint?
20. What the player does directly after he has just sprinted?
21. What does he do at a corner?
22. What does he do at a free-kick?
23. How many times does he put his hands on his hips?
24. How many times does he bend to tie his boots?
25. How many times does he adjust his socks?
26. How does he react to a foul?
27. How does he react after he has made a mistake?
28. What does he do after making a mistake?
29. What does he do when he is under-performing? (Does he and how does he change his game)
30. How does he lead and motivate his teammates?
31. How does he try to raise the crowd?
32. When does he try to raise the crowd?
33. What does he do in the last 5 minutes of the first half?
34. What does he do in the last 5 minutes of the second half?
35. How does he react when the team is losing by 1 goal, by 2 goals etc?
36. What does he do when the team is losing by 1 goal, by 2 goals etc?
37. What is his reaction to being substituted?
38. What he does as he leaves the pitch?
39. If a substitute how does he warm-up?
40. What does he do when he warms up?
41. How does he prepare himself before he goes on?
42. What does the player do when he is standing with the fourth official waiting to come on?
43. What does he do at the end of the game?
43-Point Player Mentality Checklist
1. What is he doing in the tunnel pre-game?2. How does he take to the pitch?
3. What does he do when taking to the pitch?
4. How does he shake hands with the opposition?
5. What does he do pre-game?
6. What does the player do immediately before the whistle goes?
7. What does he do straight after the whistle is blown?
8. What does he do before the start of the second half?
9. What does he do straight after the whistle is blown for the second half?
10. What commitment, aggression and determination does he show going for a header?
11. How does he jump to head the ball?
12. What commitment, aggression and determination does he show going into a tackle?
13. How he goes in for a tackle?
14. What commitment, aggression and determination does he show when chasing back after an opponent who has the ball? (Think Bissouma in the home defeat to Wolves recently!)
15. How does he chase them back? (Bissouma ball watching not danger watching)
16. What commitment, aggression and determination does he show when chasing a back pass to the keeper?
17. How does he chase the back pass?
18. What is the players' foot position prior to reacting and sprinting? (For those of you wondering about foot position, it helps to show if the player is mentally ready, if he is reading the game and will therefore directly affect his ability to perform the task)
19. The players' ability to react and sprint?
20. What the player does directly after he has just sprinted?
21. What does he do at a corner?
22. What does he do at a free-kick?
23. How many times does he put his hands on his hips?
24. How many times does he bend to tie his boots?
25. How many times does he adjust his socks?
26. How does he react to a foul?
27. How does he react after he has made a mistake?
28. What does he do after making a mistake?
29. What does he do when he is under-performing? (Does he and how does he change his game)
30. How does he lead and motivate his teammates?
31. How does he try to raise the crowd?
32. When does he try to raise the crowd?
33. What does he do in the last 5 minutes of the first half?
34. What does he do in the last 5 minutes of the second half?
35. How does he react when the team is losing by 1 goal, by 2 goals etc?
36. What does he do when the team is losing by 1 goal, by 2 goals etc?
37. What is his reaction to being substituted?
38. What he does as he leaves the pitch?
39. If a substitute how does he warm-up?
40. What does he do when he warms up?
41. How does he prepare himself before he goes on?
42. What does the player do when he is standing with the fourth official waiting to come on?
43. What does he do at the end of the game?
Build a Mental Picture of your Player
The Sports Psychologist will also talk with the player and ask him about his mental state, what was he thinking at certain points during the game for instance.
This helps to build a picture of how he is reading the game.
It also helps you find out about his focus and whether he can concentrate on everything happening around him for the complete game.
Obviously, to do this you need honesty from the player, you need the player to accept that the Sports Psychologist is there to improve his game and buy into that.
Obviously, to do this you need honesty from the player, you need the player to accept that the Sports Psychologist is there to improve his game and buy into that.
An open receptive mind as opposed to a closed mind.
Tottenham Transfer Targets
If you are assessing a transfer target then you have to garner what you can from the game, unless you can get to have an informal chat with the player.
Using those 43 points, you'll start to get a mental picture, is there a lot to work on or does he already show a winning mentality?
These checking points being used with our own players will enable them to improve all 43 aspects.
In Part 8 of the Spurs Need To Go Mental Series, I talked about Humphrey Walters who made 1,000 suggestions to improve England off the field towards the 2003 Rugby World Cup and have highlighted the Kaizen approach for continual improvement throughout.
There are 25 players in a squad which at 43 improvements (above checklist) per player equates to 1,075 team improvements.
These checking points being used with our own players will enable them to improve all 43 aspects.
In Part 8 of the Spurs Need To Go Mental Series, I talked about Humphrey Walters who made 1,000 suggestions to improve England off the field towards the 2003 Rugby World Cup and have highlighted the Kaizen approach for continual improvement throughout.
The 1,075 Improvements Spurs Could Make
There are 25 players in a squad which at 43 improvements (above checklist) per player equates to 1,075 team improvements.
Do you think we would be a better team with 1,075 improvements, which all stem from a players' mental approach?
A player seeing the improvement in himself and in his teammates will continue to work to improve his game and continually have to work because his teammates would be improving.
A player seeing the improvement in himself and in his teammates will continue to work to improve his game and continually have to work because his teammates would be improving.
If you get that environment, are we going to have a better club, a more successful club?
You bet we are, it would be a place players want to be, a club players want to join.
Footballers are not super beings. They are just like you and me, they just get paid a lot more.
Footballers are not super beings. They are just like you and me, they just get paid a lot more.
They still have the same mental make-up.
They are not born with a different brain to us.
They have to be taught.
Are we teaching them any mental skills, because I don't see it on the pitch from any of them?
What are the mental aspects footballers need to work on?
Footballers must focus on mental toughness, reading the game, handling mistakes, and maintaining high focus levels throughout the game.
I would suggest there have been improvements in Spurs mental skills since 2014, when this was originally written, particularly since Postecoglou arrived with his winning mentality and Think and Grow Rich (the formula for success) outlook.
They were all just doing what their limiting minds told them they could do and in a lot of cases, right now, they are not even doing that.
The difference of the 'play for myself' mentality that ended Conte's reign and the positivity of Postecoglou's beginnings is stark.
Nobody chooses what you have in your mind.
Nobody chooses what you have in your mind.
Nobody else chooses what they have in theirs.
They decide for themselves, just as you decide for yourself what's in your mind.
Plugging them into a mental program can only help make them better players and if, as I suggest, we become world leaders in assessing transfer targets, then we need to become world leaders in mentally developing players or we are letting them and ourselves down.
Everybody undergoes stress.
Everybody undergoes stress.
If a footballer's girlfriend is giving them grief, if a parent is ill, if they have an argument, if their child is ill, whatever it is, it can cause them to have an off day, but if they have a trained mind, it will not affect them much at all, which again is good for the team and good for performances.
To all you computer geeks out there, all you are effectively doing with mental improvement is replacing one bit of software in your head for an upgraded piece of software.
To all you computer geeks out there, all you are effectively doing with mental improvement is replacing one bit of software in your head for an upgraded piece of software.
Now, who turns down upgrades, especially if they are easy to implement and you can do this in 30 minutes a day.
Look at Liverpool this season (2014), they have employed a Sports Psychologist and Liverpool have gone out and won most games by half-time.
Look at Liverpool this season (2014), they have employed a Sports Psychologist and Liverpool have gone out and won most games by half-time.
They eventually finished second.
Every single game for the Liverpool players was a big game, not just the Manchester United or Everton games.
The result, they kept producing the goods all season, there was little inconsistency.
That has been the key to their success, their mental approach.
Spurs need to be the best they can be, to do that we can't just do what we have been doing because we will just get the same results.
That has been the key to their success, their mental approach.
Spurs need to be the best they can be, to do that we can't just do what we have been doing because we will just get the same results.
A post that stands the test of time.
Recent Posts - The Spurs Need To Go Mental Series
Part 8 - Fan Bonding & Substitutes Preparation
Part 7 - Les Ferdinand must go
Part 6 - £20,000 would have avoided the Lamela fiasco
Part 5 - Spurs need Gareth Bale's attitude
Part 4 - Spurs need to assess players better
Part 3 - Spurs players should learn from Harry Kane
Part 2 - The mental shift Spurs must make to be successful
Part 1 - Spurs need to go mental
Recent Posts - The Spurs Need To Go Mental Series
Part 8 - Fan Bonding & Substitutes Preparation
Part 7 - Les Ferdinand must go
Part 6 - £20,000 would have avoided the Lamela fiasco
Part 5 - Spurs need Gareth Bale's attitude
Part 4 - Spurs need to assess players better
Part 3 - Spurs players should learn from Harry Kane
Part 2 - The mental shift Spurs must make to be successful
Part 1 - Spurs need to go mental
Building a Winning Mentality for Long-Term Success
I have mentioned previously in this series the need for Spurs to become world leaders in the recruitment of players.The players you buy determine your success, yes you'll have homegrown you will have worked on, but it's the players you buy that have got to fit, that make the difference.
Spurs spend millions on players.
Spurs spend millions on players.
Our success on the field is determined by it so shouldn't we be doing everything possible to ensure we have covered every angle before we spend tens of millions?
What we have been doing hassn't been good enough, it was haphazard guesswork.
What we have been doing hassn't been good enough, it was haphazard guesswork.
Daniel Levy needed to take the bull by the horns and set up a transfer team to deal with this that comprises experts in their field.
To be fair, we have now improved our assessment before recruitment, that's demonstrated by the success of our recent transfers, a stark contrast to 2014.
It's no good saying a player looks like he has the right attitude or asking someone else, Spurs must be using experts to do that analysis for ourselves.
We still need to turn this into a finely tuned science that transcends existing staff and start plucking the winners with the talent from wherever they may be, instead of plucking talent and hoping they are winners.
We still need to turn this into a finely tuned science that transcends existing staff and start plucking the winners with the talent from wherever they may be, instead of plucking talent and hoping they are winners.
Not all footballers are winners.
Written in 2014, it seems I was spot on.
Spurs could significantly improve if they concentrated and perfected this rather important area.
In Part 10 of the Spurs Need To Go Mental Series, I will take a look at Youth Development and how we can pick the best talent.
Something else it seems we are now doing!
What do you think? Could sports psychology improve Spurs' chances of success? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Do share on social media, add your comments and read another article, it does help.
Do share on social media, add your comments and read another article, it does help.
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