What Meditation Can Do For Soccer Players

Meditation sounds like a far stretch from playing soccer. Sitting still with your eyes closed doesn’t sound like something that could help you improve as a player. However, taking some time to meditate actually has a ton of hidden benefits. From enhancing sleep to dulling pain, here are ways meditation works well for soccer players

Show up Well-Rested

Meditation can improve your sleep. When soccer seems to be wearing you out, meditation can help you sleep better and leave you feeling well-rested for when it’s time to play. Meditation and improved sleep can replace feeling groggy and slow with being alert and on your toes. 

Ease the Nerves

Sometimes pre-game nerves aren’t always a good thing. Sometimes stress can prevent you from playing your best. Taking time to meditate regularly can help to calm your mind. Practicing this on days that you have a big game or tournament can help to ease your nerves before you play. Meditation can shoo away the butterflies in your stomach and help you remain calm under pressure. 

Dull the Pain 

One of the most surprising benefits of meditation is that it can help dull pain. A 2012 study showed that meditation helps your mind to block out pain by around 25%. Working meditation into your routine could have a dramatic effect on your game as you’ll be able to cope with pain and sore muscles better.

Speed up Recovery 

Sustaining an injury, big or small, is a part of playing soccer. But meditation can even help with recovery. Linked to its sleep benefits, meditation can help rest, restore, and heal your body. Additionally, meditation can help your muscles relax, so they won’t be as sore or tight after playing. 

Stay Focused and Optimistic 

Losing games can be super frustrating and can make you want to shut down mentally. Meditation helps to ease those negative emotions and helps convert them into optimistic ones. Even if you aren’t ready to be in an optimistic state after a tough loss, at the very least, mindfulness and meditation can help you focus on what needs to be done rather than ruminating about the game.

Improve Flexibility and Balance

If sitting with your eyes closed isn’t for you, another form of meditation is yoga. Yoga is a fun way to practice meditation, as it’s meant to strengthen your mind and body through active poses. Practicing yoga can vastly improve your flexibility and balance, which can help make you a stronger soccer player. 

It’s amazing that something as simple and easy as meditation can have such a drastic effect on your game. It can help your mind remain calm under pressure, and leave you in a focused state for your games. There are many different approaches to meditating, and by working one into your routine, you may improve your game in a bunch of surprising ways. 

Featured Image via Adobe Stock

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