How To Assess Performance Post-Game.
Do you evaluate your performance after every game? Not just pointing out all of your mistakes, but do you objectively evaluate your game?
Many soccer players see games as good or bad. Soccer players have the tendency to beat themselves up over a bad game and overlook their good games.
For example, a high school soccer player recently emailed us the following:
“I haven’t improved my games since freshman year. I’m one of the better players on the team and I have some really good games. But I can’t seem to go from good to great. When I have a couple of bad games, I get down on myself. Even when I play a good game, I think I could have given a little more. I want to have a breakout year, but I just don’t know how.”
Review Your Game Performance Objectively
Take time after the game, before evaluating, to allow your emotions to settle.
You should view mistakes as feedback, not as an indictment on your ability. Make sure to evaluate your good games in the same manner.
You can learn as much from your successes as you can from your mistakes. An overall view of your game will give you comprehensive feedback to take your game to the next level.
Improvement does not happen overnight. You can learn from winning and losing. Even when you win you make mistakes, just as there are successes when you lose.
In the 2021 SheBelieves Cup, the USWNT scored a 2-0 victory over Brazil, helping the team to advance in the tournament.
USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski talked about how the women’s team keeps evolving and improving.
ANDONOVSKI: “We want to play the best competition possible. We want to play against different types of opponents, opponents that will present different challenges, for a reason. So we can go back in a room now, back in the office, and study, why is it that they were able to get 10 shots on goal? What is it that we could have done different? And hopefully we can get better from it.”
Keys to Evaluating your Match Performance Effectively:
* Avoid judging your game while you are competing on the field.
* Cool off post-game before evaluating your performance.
* Identify mistakes, don’t berate yourself for those mistakes.
* Avoid nitpicking every little mistake you made during the game.
* Find the positives. Never overlook your successes.
* Listen to the message from others but ignore the tone.
An outside view of your performance may give you insight into your performance but only if those comments are non-judgmental.
Self-evaluation of Soccer Performance
Tip for Evaluating your Game Performance:
1. Rate your game on a scale of 1-10.
2. Think about two things you did well in the game.
3. Identify 2-3 plays where you performed at a high level.
4. Identify 1-2 areas of your game that need to be improved.
5. Set objectives for the next week or practice
To maintain confidence, always identify more of your successes than mistakes.
Discover Mental Game Secrets to Soccer Confidence!
Does your confidence seem to disappear when you go from practice to games? Do you get nervous and anxious in big games or when under a ton of pressure? Do you get so frustrated after making a bad pass that your confidence sinks?
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Soccer Confidence: Mental Toughness Strategies For a Competitive Edge
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Learn the top 10 mental game lessons for soccer players to boost your mental game and improve consistency. You’ll learn how to mentally prepare for games to performing under pressure to building unstoppable confidence!