As a mother of four boys and mostly a boys' soccer coach in recent years, joining my friend JulieAnne and her daughter Elizabeth on their new podcast for young girl soccer players was a welcomed change of pace. It was an honor to be a guest on She Dreams in Goals. I had the opportunity to talk about the mental side of soccer and the role of sport psychology. A cool part about this podcast is that it is designed for young girls to be able to listen to independently or with their family, friends, and teammates. The content is evidence-based, practical, and most importantly - fascinating! Their guests are a combination of subject matter experts, coaches, and professional soccer players. Interestingly, all of the pro soccer players interviewed mention the importance of the mental aspects of soccer. We all agree that learning mental skills when athletes are younger, will set them up for success in soccer, other sports, and life! Overall, I am so impressed with the recent launch of their podcast and website. JulieAnne and Elizabeth are amazing advocates for female soccer players! Thanks for sharing this with the soccer playing girls in your lives!
In our episode I share my summer sport psychology guide. I also share strategies including one of my favorites, progressive muscle relaxation (video or printable script). In conversation, I also mention box breathing. JulieAnne made a great tutorial to try. This was such fun and I'm already looking forward to our next collaboration. It's a quick 20 minute listen. Thank you for your support!
Show Notes
In the podcast, these parent prompts are mentioned:
If your player appears nervous or anxious, ask if she would like to try a relaxation technique together.
If your player's confidence needs a boost, ask if she would like to create a list of her strengths together.
If your player has down time or is bored, suggest one of the videos or podcasts to watch or listen to together.
If you would like to encourage your player to practice on her own, suggest an obstacle course or challenge you can do together.