The Mind Game of Soccer By Nael

My family may of been thinking it's weird for someone to run around the house with a soccer ball, but I had a soccer game in an hour; and to me, my preparation is more important to me than what they think.

When you're standing on the pitch and hundreds of people are watching you, all you can think about is your reputation. If the opposition take the ball from you too many times, it can transform from best player to substitute.

My heart was aching, my hands were shaking, and I was quivering with fear.

As the ref blew his whistle, I made a run for it, a run for my life, a run for my reputation. When your heart feels like it's exploding, you soccer skills feel like they're exploding too, so you lack self esteem... and when you lack self esteem, they take the ball off you. And when they do take the ball off you, your reputation is at stake.

That's exactly what happened to me...

It was half time, and the coach was deciding if he should play me on for the second half of the game. What do I do? What is best? If he plays me on, I might be as useless as a rock. If he does not play me on, that must be a sign that my reputation is dead. The coach asked me what I wanted and I had to answer in the next five seconds...

I played on.

my team is the best team in west Auckland so each time the opposition stole the ball from us, all i could think about was our team moving down a grade. I was playing on defense and their best player was running with the ball as all he needed to do was get past me to score a definite goal, as well a a definite win. I was so stupid, thinking about my reputation and what to answer the coach when it was a quarter final game. That thinking could be costly...

They won 10-1. My dad talked to me about the game. I told him about what my thoughts were.

"Yes, I know it's weird", I told him. "but I learnt my lesson, from now on I will only focus on the game."

A week later and another game was about to start. Will I make the same mistake?