The psychology of children’s football is a fundamental discipline, it is used to analyze in depth the role of all the factors that are part of the environment of the child who practices this sport. Parent behavior, coaching methods and children’s attitudes are the cornerstones of a football team’s success or failure.
Football is probably the most beloved sport in the world and millions of people love it. This love is given both to practice it and to see it, following the matches through the media or going to the stadium, everyone has an opinion about the game: the audience, the association, the journalists, the players and the coaches.
- It is therefore a sport with a great social and economic impact.
- Whether children’s football.
- Professional or high level.
In recent years children’s football has become increasingly important, and has also become a field of study of the psychology of sport, an area that is interested in the impact that this exercise has on this stage of life.
Because of its characteristics, football is of great importance when it comes to educating those who are still developing in an appropriate and healthy way.
More and more teams in the children’s and youth categories rely on the figure of the psychologist as a reference in sports strategy. This professional is essential when setting up effective communication techniques between players.
They are also responsible for developing an appropriate code of conduct, which can be of great help to young footballers facing success or failure at the end of each match.
Psychologists and coaches in general are in favour of sport being a leisure and exercise-free activity, a game in which the goal is to have fun, create healthy lifestyles and convey positive values, but some football fans do not share this view: They claim that in this way the essence of the sport is lost, we do not encourage the effort of children and the healthy competition that takes place in the matches.
The professor of anthropology at the Universitat de Valencia Petra M. Alonso-Geta says that the problem is that today the elite footballer is a great reference, perhaps the highest, on the scale of the social level. For children, playing football is much more. than a game, it’s like having the opportunity to act like a very important person.
If they play well, if they are good, they know that they will be admired and flattered by their parents, their coaches and also by the rest of their teammates, but this situation is certainly also causing excessive pressure, mainly because we are talking. about children.
The sports psychologist works mainly on the issue of value acquisition and value process in each player, while preparing the team technically and tactically, because this professional is aware that a child who has learned the value of effort in training will be better prepared to give 100% to a match that requires a lot. However, the professional will always put the result into perspective.
“I even learn with kids on a beach, maybe because my football is a childish thing, I have fun as a kid?. – Ronaldinho-
Sports psychologists are aware that by promoting certain values in children and at the time of play, they prepare them for something much more important than scoring a goal, in fact, they educate children for the rest of their lives. look at the main areas where the psychology of children’s football focuses when it comes to enjoying the football environment.
One of the premises that sports psychologists convey to their players is that without effort we will not be able to achieve our goals, it is important that children become aware of the importance of perseverance and work to improve their personal performance and also to contribute with others and with the team, so that everyone can succeed together.
The unwillingness of a person within the group ends up generating failure as a whole, it is necessary to generate an inner energy, a basic motivation to face the difficulties, challenges and effort that any team game requires.
Sports psychologists must arouse the humility of children so that they understand that no one is irreplaceable, as a team we all work for a common good, encouraging this idea in them is a daily job, which must be present in the training routine.
Football is a sport that requires the work of the whole group to succeed, each team knows very well that it has a common goal, in which success will only be achieved through the effort of each player separately.
“No player is as good as everyone together. “-Alfredo di Stefano-
At the beginning of the season, the sports psychologist develops a personalized and team plan to increase the self-esteem of the players, the key to success in this goal is to act smartly according to the objectives that have been set.
Working a value like empathy is one of the most complicated goals of the sports psychologist, since it is difficult to generate in one child the perception of what it means to put yourself in the place of the other.
Empathy allows to be understanding, supportive, generous and, above all, companion, so using football to develop it can be very beneficial for children who practice this sport.
There are rules that are non-negotiable, such as the rejection of any kind of physical and verbal abuse or the need to respect peers, based on this premise, an entire process of democratic negotiation will begin to establish the rest of the rules. However, it should always be the basis of everything.
Reference people, in turn, as parents, coaches and educators, should always act on the basis of respect, as they are examples to follow for small players.
In conclusion, the psychology of children’s football can serve to turn this activity into much more, with this tool you can use this sport to promote positive values, educate children to be better people and also achieve a more respectful society.
“I’m more worried about being a good person than being the best player in the world. “L. Messi-