For those instances when you start to feel overwhelmed by pressure or anxiety and fear of failure, or the negative thoughts in your head begin to take over… a tried and tested method for calming your mind and distracting you from all those negative thoughts is using your breath to reset your focus.

Mindful breathing is a technique used by athletes of all sports, all over the world, to help them calm their nerves, to help them focus, and to distract them from what is going on around them. It can also be used to calm them down when they are overwhelmed by emotions (example: just before taking a free kick or a penalty kick).

We have developed a useful way for you to practice mindful breathing, commonly known as “box breathing”. Based on a method that the Navy SEALs use, we want you to imagine the shape of a soccer field…

During the exercise you’ll see a series of 4 arrows with an
accompanying breathing task instruction

Your task is simply just to follow these instructions:

Repeat this ‘box breathing’ as much as feels comfortable for you, or until you feel more in control of your thoughts, and more relaxed and focused.

We have included in your kitbag a pre-recorded guide to help you practice mindful breathing. Keep this recording on your smart phone, or on your playlist so that you can use it whenever you may need it.

Let’s listen to Leon explain how he used to “reset” during a game:

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Stop & Breathe