The Importance of Post-Game Reflection

For soccer players on game day, there is a big emphasis on having an individual pre-game routine, but what about after the match? What can you do post-game to maximize development and get the most out of each game?

For your growth as a player, the single most important thing you can do for yourself after a game is a post-game reflection. In other words, form a habit of sitting down after every match and going through a series of simple analysis questions while the game is still fresh in your mind.

What did our team do well in this game?

What does our team need to work on based on this game?

What did I do well in this game?

What do I need to work on based on this game?

This may be something most soccer players have never even thought of doing before, but it can be a total game-changer. Here’s why:

If you are looking to level up your game, self-reflection and self-analysis of what you are doing on the field are extremely important. If you want to improve and get better at soccer, you must have a clear idea of where you are now–both as an individual player and a team player. Objectively reflecting on your play in a growth-minded way is a good place to start.

How to do post-game reflection

Do your post-game reflection on the same day as the game, and as soon as possible afterward. If you wait a day or two, the details of the match will not be as clear and this activity won’t be as beneficial. 

Give yourself some quiet time to do this, so that you can focus on the game and get the most out of this exercise. It doesn’t need to be very long (5 minutes is great!) but you do need to be fully invested when doing it.

You can put on headphones and do it in the car on the ride home after the game, or wait until you can get into the peace and quiet of your bedroom and give your undivided attention.

You can do this in written form, record it as audio, or even film yourself vlog style. The choice is yours. Make it your own and choose a medium that you are comfortable with and can easily refer back to.

One important thing to note, if you are feeling strong positive or negative emotions after a match, wait until they subside before doing your reflection. If you don’t, your emotions will influence your interpretation of the game and you won’t get as an objective of an assessment as you want.

Get Specific, Get Detailed

Use the same questions for every game, this will help you form a habit. Be honest with your answers, try to reflect on the game as if you were an observer watching from the sideline. Focus equally on both what you did well and your places for improvement.

The key is being specific with your answers. If you don’t get specific you will not get as much from it.

Example: Saying “I played hard” doesn’t do you much good. Why? The deeper you go, the more detailed you get, the better you will start to understand the small nuances of the game, and yourself as a player.

Instead of “I played hard”, ask yourself how you played hard. Did you close down space fast when pressuring an opponent? Did you use your body to shield and physically protect the ball as you turned on a defender? Did you go 100% to reach every 50/50 ball? Did you increase your speed in the right moments? Again, how did you play hard?

Get specific about the tactical elements as well, both for the collective and your individual role. For example, if you play as a defensive center midfielder, list tactical elements of play specific to your position such as, “I did a good job screening the opponent’s striker and not letting any passes get to her” or “I need to do a better job of checking both outside channels for space and opportunities before receiving the ball”.

Being specific is what will set you up for success when it comes to identifying areas for improvement and setting goals to work toward.

What can soccer players gain from a habit of post-game reflection?

Post-game reflection gets you critically thinking about the game. Analyzing your gameplay immensely increases your soccer IQ and knowledge of technical and tactical aspects of soccer. Getting yourself talking, thinking, or writing about your gameplay in an analytical way can help you: 

• grow your self-awareness and ability to have productive feedback conversations
• learn to make failure your fuel and see your weaknesses as the way forward
• increase your motivation and drive for individual training
• ignite a genuine desire to learn more about the game
• increase your confidence and trust in yourself to take control of your development
• be a better leader for your team
• identify and plan what you should focus on with short term and long term training goals

Self-Defeating Mentalities

Starting a habit of post-game reflection can also give you valuable insight into how you think about yourself as a player, and how you talk to yourself. If you have any lurking self-defeating mentalities or negative self-talk, they can come to the surface pretty quickly during this activity. This part alone can be very eye-opening.

Reflecting honestly and openly can be hard, especially when thinking about your errors and things you’d rather forget. If you have perfectionistic tendencies, this can be even more difficult because, well, mistakes happen.

If you find that reflecting on your gameplay brings up feelings of shame or inadequacy, has you obsessively analyzing mistakes, or feeling resentment towards someone else, try to reframe the situation because you’ve just discovered valuable information about yourself: awareness of the issue.

Post-game reflection can be an important first step in working to overcome perfectionism on the soccer field and move past these detrimental ways of thinking. Facing the hard things is how we move forward, facing the hard things is how we grow and expand our game.

Featured image via Adobe Stock

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