deep down that they have each other\u2019s backs no matter what happens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHowever, this is a team effort. It requires a culture shift from the entire group\u2013both the players who want to talk more and those who already do.<\/span><\/p>\nIf you are the teammate of someone who struggles to communicate, you have a role in this. You absolutely stand to gain individually because the entire team will have more success as the trust builds.<\/span><\/p>\nIf your teammate is quiet on the field, don\u2019t get angry with her. Instead, support her and encourage her to give you information. If you play next to her on the field, try to help her gain confidence by <\/span>asking<\/span><\/i> her for information. Then express your gratitude when she gives it to you. This will go a long way in improving your connectivity and ability to work together on the pitch.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Individual awareness, growth-mindedness, and confidence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\u00a0Along with doing your part to help create a team culture of trust, here are some tips to help you overcome your communication hurdle if you struggle to talk more in soccer:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Self-awareness & self-reflection: <\/i><\/strong>Simply knowing <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> \u2018communicating more\u2019 is hard for you (use the bullet point list above) is a <\/span>huge<\/span><\/i> first step. If you don\u2019t know why you struggle to communicate, overcoming it will be near impossible.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Growth-mindedness: <\/i><\/strong>Once you know why talking more in soccer is hard, you can work on making changes. Self-compassion is essential here because you must be self-reflective without being overly critical and beating yourself up. This can be complicated as it requires a lot of reflective work, self-examination, and a growth-minded perspective.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Grow your confidence:<\/i><\/strong> How do you grow confidence? Through preparedness. And in this case of communication, preparedness means collecting more information in the run of play. The more you scan the field, the more you keep your head on a swivel and check your shoulder, the easier and easier communicating will get. Why? Because communication is mostly about making sure you <\/span>have information <\/span><\/i>and feeding that information to your teammates so they have what they need to make good choices. The whole group can make better gameplay decisions when the information flow is constant and reliable.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Listen up, socceristas; your communication is <\/span>valuable<\/span><\/i> to your teammates. Whether you think so or not, your words are an important part of the puzzle. Your teammates will play better the more information you give them.<\/span><\/p>\nThink about this: is it helpful when the person behind you on the soccer field is feeding you information about what is around you? Do you play better? Of course, you do! Now, what would happen to the gameplay of the players around you if <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> started paying that forward?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n