Elite sports require continuous innovation. To be part of the top it is therefore essential to follow the latest research and developments in the area of human performance. In this article you'll find information on the current state of mental training in soccer in The Netherlands - based on expert opinions and interviews with people from different soccer clubs.

Mental training (integrating a sport pspychologists in the staff to work with the coach and the players) is still not fully integrated in soccer. Although it is known that big names like Ac Milan and Chelsea have 'mind rooms', no Dutch clubs currently exists with facilities in that area. Next to this - the usage of sport psychologists is strongly fragmented - some coaches use them, others don't, and when psychologists are used they are not always used in the way that really provides value. An well-known example is that of adding the sport psychologist to the 'medical staff' - this means in reality that players will only visit when something is terribly wrong. Summarizing - coaches in The Netherlands seem to wrestle with the optimal usage of sport psychologists in the field although the value is more and more seen.

When it comes to mental training FC Twente is the frontrunner at the moment. Coach Steve McLaren has been using sportpsychologist Bill Beswick for ages, and the club has implemented a program where coaches learn to give each other constructive feedback. Starting with the trainers themselves - people learn to use basic methods of coaching and designing teams from a mental perspective (action type, learning styles, core strengths analyses) but also learn to look at themselves more. Next to this, their communication skills are examined as well. A great first move - that could provide the plateau for further steps in order to really get the results from this process.

PSV Eindhoven uses a different approach. Alghough mental techniques are highlighted in the talent academy of the club, the core selection of players that forms the first team doesn't have a sportpsychologists available to them. Neither does the coach. Only in case of emergency will players be sent to a psychologist. Of course, in players' personal development profiles there is some attention to mental factors - and goals will be set for the player that will be checked at trainings and in matches. A psychologist could add serious value here - by designing training routines for these goals and by helping the coach in his/her coachingstyle to work more effectively with specific players.

So why is the use of sport psychology limited on Dutch soil? It's not the technology - there are ample of examples of technology available to to this (e.g. the Team Performance Exchange program made by Jacques van Rossum). Advantages of such a system are ample: coaches can see in one blink which players are fit and which players have a risk to overexert themselves. The downside is that players need to fill in profiles (on their Iphones) frequently. Other technology measuring mental states are present as well (V-Check, Omegawave) - although the frequency of usage remains questionable. Next steps for the technology will be to have online player profiles reflecting mood states, risk at overexertion and personality preferences. The real reason not all trainers are using sportpsychologists seems to be the fact that what sportpsychologists really do is not well known - more openness in this world is needed in order to derive benefits for both players and coaches.

The challenge for the coming years will be to implement mental training/coaching in the existing systems within clubs. The knowledge and technology are available, but fear to do something new currently stands in the way of deriving the full benefits of sport psychology. For a country like The Netherlands - limited in the number of people we have and the amount of money we have to attract players - innovation will be the key to success. Implementing sport psychology in the current systems will be a great next step.

Concrete tips and tricks for coaches from our sport psychologist to get started:

• Think about yourself and your staff first. If you want to train your players be sure that you know what kind of concepts will be introduced, and be ready to work with them.
• Do certain basic tests with all players - no exception. Examples are: Action Type (or MBTI, or NEO), IZOF, learning preferences. Design a very simple template per player where you can see all this basic information on one page.
• Think about having an online system with information. Advantages include 'up to date' information on players. Disadvantage is that players will have to fill out material on their phones/you'll have to do surveys after matches.
• Plan meetings for the players with a sport psychologist that focus positively on skills to be mastered for the players. Do the same for the coaches + staff. Example of content:
  

o   Mastering tension: optimal strategies to prepare before a game

o   Thought control: how to master thoughts

o   Concentration styles: how to stay focused

o   Self esteem - the key to success

o   Effective communication (coach -> players, players -> players)

More information can be obtained by contacting us through info@pextraining.com or by using contact form.

Written by: Rens ter Weijde (sportpsychologist and director PEX)

-          Erik ten Hag (PSV)

-          Cees Lok (FC Twente)

-          Rik Platvoet (FC Twente)

-          Alex Pastoor (Excelsior)

-          René Berden