Why Emotional Energy is Just as Important as Physical Energy in Soccer

Athletes are taught to eat well, stretch properly, and train efficiently to maximize their physical games. But if we know how to perfect our bodies for our sport, why do we ever have “off days”?

It’s because emotions influence our athletic performances and experiences. Emotional energy has only recently become a topic of discussion in the professional and collegiate athletic world, often falling behind physical energy. But the statistics behind mental health and athletes are indisputable. We need to consider emotional energy as an essential factor in our game and in our lives, rather than dismissing it or glossing over it.

Here are a few ways emotional energy affects your soccer game and strategies for increasing it.

Nervous Systems Response

Replenishing emotional energy can up your game because human beings aren’t robots. While strain and struggle are the only ways to learn and grow, we can’t constantly push ourselves to the brink, strain our systems, and perform at our best. It’s just not possible. 

The key to regulating our emotions and nervous system response is activating our parasympathetic nervous system. When our parasympathetic nervous system is activated, we feel less anxious, digestion improves, heart rate slows, and we can move out of survival mode. All of these things are key to creating our optimal performance body.

Try: Rest, creating art, reading, cooking, gardening, journaling, talking to a therapist or counselor, yoga, and meditation or mindfulness are all ways we can reset our emotional energy and decrease our stress responses. 

*Tip*: No surprise here — our biological responses don’t respond well to scrolling through social media or binging a Netflix show. These are things that many of us consider “rest.” We must engage in more wholesome and natural pursuits than staring at a screen for true parasympathetic nervous system engagement and relaxation. 

Thoughts Dictate Actions

When our emotional energy is low, we are already vulnerable. This vulnerability is not a weakness. It is a natural result of our bodies and brains being taxed or over-pressured. At this point, we are extremely susceptible to internal stressors (constant to-do lists, negative thoughts) and external factors (a rude teammate or coach or a tough competitor). The mind is so powerful that if we ignore our emotional energy, our games will inevitably suffer regardless of how fit we are.

Try: Noticing how often your thoughts run away from you or you aren’t present in the current moment. Simply acknowledging how many negative thoughts you have in a day (studies show for the average person, about 80% are negative!) can help you realign your internal dialogue with your goals. In addition, many athletes find that working with a sports psychologist or counselor can help them figure out the root cause of their triggers and work to build healthier emotional intelligence. 

Stress Causes Physical Reactions 

Stress, typically a cause of low emotional energy, generates physical responses. Sometimes we feel “cloudy” or “off.” Other times, our pre-game jitters run wild, or we feel exhausted. As a result, we might struggle to do simple things, like complete passes or communicate with our teammates.

Try: Neutral Thinking or accepting what is happening and moving on from it. Neutral Thinking, according to Trevor Moawad, is “a high-performance strategy that emphasizes judgment-free thinking, especially in crises and pressure situations.” In addition to keeping track of your parasympathetic nervous system, neutral thinking can help you stay present during a high-stress time on the field. 

Performance Flow Depends on Emotional Energy

There’s a special spot you need to be in to perform correctly. While endorphins and adrenaline help soccer players, we can get too overwhelmed or overly pumped. This can decrease our performance as much as being too flat. Performance flow largely depends on the individual and their needs on the pitch. So, if you want to get in the zone more often, practicing noticing and regulating your emotional energy is the way to do it.

Try: Some athletes listen to classical music or practice deep breathing before a game to calm their nerves. Some prefer to be alone; others need loud noises and the energy of their team. Figuring out what works for you and how to balance your own emotional energy is just as key to your warm-up as jogging laps.

This can be difficult work. But, there is no downside to learning more about yourself and how your emotions impact your game. Again, there are no incorrect answers here — just what works for you and how you can be the best soccer player you can be.

Featured image via Adobe Stock Images

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