World Cup 2010, Survival of the fittest

All over the world, the 2010 FIFA World Cup has whipped every competing nation into a football frenzy.

Bill Shankly once said of football, “It’s not a matter of life and death, it’s more important than that”?

Even if you’re not a football fan yourself, you’ll no doubt know someone who wholeheartedly agrees with the sentiment of that statement. England have not won the World Cup since 1966 – that’s 44 years ago -  yet every English team in every World Cup tournament ever since has continued to carry the hopes and dreams of every loyal English fan who believes the team of that year will be THE team to bring the World Cup trophy home again – and, yes, it really is that important! That’s a lot of added pressure in an already high pressure environment. Imagine the pressure felt by the Scottish team in 1978 when an entire nation believed they would win the World Cup in Argentina – despite a track record of being knocked out in the first round! Only the fittest will survive.

 It takes physical and mental skills to cope with  the intense pressures created by top level international competition, so only those in peak physical and mental condition will survive.

The legacy

Of course, it’s not just the players who come under pressure; team managers become the focus of attention for every armchair expert in the nation. These wannabe managers have an opinion on everything from team selection to the tactics used in warm up matches, and they would have done things differently – better! In 1966 the England team manager was Alf Ramsey, a man described at the time as “urbane and stubborn.” Every England manager since 1966 has been compared to and judged by Ramsey’s standards – remember, that’s 44 years ago! – so the legacy of the big win lives on, but is it a good thing for the England team today? The game of football has changed since 1966 so there seems little value in making any sort of comparison between then and now but in the build up to every World Cup tournament, that’s precisely what every newspaper, website, and TV show will do. Today, it takes considerable mental skills to remain “stubborn” and to have the mental toughness to stand by your convictions when an entire nation are at liberty to tell you you’re doing it wrong.   

The future

Reaching the top of your game as a player or as a manager takes dedication. Physical skills take years of practice to master and mental skills are no different. It takes self-belief and a positive mental attitude to maintain a winning mentality in the face of constant criticism. Sports psychology 2 teaches players and coaches how to use proven sports psychology techniques to build confidence and to develop the ability to remain focused in high pressure situations. Current England manager Fabio Capello is focused on taking his team to victory. It was his dream to manage England and to qualify for the World Cup and he says, “I hope the next dream (to win it) comes off too. Why not? I’m focused always to win. Always to look ahead.” It’s early days, England have only played one match but we know already that the draw against the USA was not good enough by Capello’s standards. It’s certainly not ‘game over’ for England but Capello wanted a win. In his words, he “exists only to win.” What will we be saying about him in 44 years time?

click here now to join the “team” on my Facebook Page

If you enjoyed  this blog be sure to sign up for your FREE report “The Winning Edge “ 7  keys to playing the game of your life click here to sign up

World Cup 2010, Mental Preparation and Putting Mistakes Behind You