CAIRO: More and more football enthusiasts continue to watch Egypt's U-20 national football team excel in the World Cup, however very few know that the team's performance is a result of not only physical, but mental training as well. "Mental training is as significant as technical and physical fitness training, sports psychologist Abdel Hafez Ismaeel explained. "It mainly controls emotions that negatively affect the overall performance of the team, thus generating a positive mindset and energy which result in high self esteem, helping players perform at their best. Ismaeel could feel the tension running high as he began his first session with Egypt's U-20 team. "Do you want me to leave? he humorously asked in an attempt to break the ice. "However, this was not enough to break the ice, so I announced that next time I will force anyone biting their nails to give money in a collection box I will bring, he joked. Ismaeel is a dedicated sports psychologist with a long-standing experience in providing mental training to sports teams and athletes. The young team was put under a lot of pressure by eager fans and extensive media coverage for the first time at the opening game against Trinidad and Tobago. Turning that pressure into motivation was a major objective before the opening game, to enable the players to exert their best effort and give a great performance. Ismaeel said the team was trained to carry out the skills necessary to control and manage the effect of negative feelings. "Relaxation, visualization and self talk were the skills, he said. "With regards to relaxation, each player should take deep breaths. For example, a left-back making the sprint and kicking the ball is obliged to breath deeply which generates the positive energy. Visualization alongside listening to patriotic songs has familiarized the team members with the high crowd turn out, he explained. Each player visualizes the crowd as if they're singing the same song being played on his music gadget. Familiarization is sensed as he subsequently feels connected to the crowd, all singing the same song he has been listening to.Music plays a significant role in managing visual distractions, especially the TV cameras, Ismaeel said. Furthermore, a player who is less likely to manage the negative emotions is asked to play faster tempo songs, to enable him to reach an ideal level of control. On the other hand, for players who are likely to over control these negative emotions, slow tempo songs are more effective. Self talk is a skill that is imperative to rectify mistakes committed while performing the technical skill during the game, such as shooting from a wide range. If the ball is shot off target, for example, the player should remind himself with the best mechanism at which the shot turned to be on target during training, Ismaeel explained. He said the main challenge in mental training is to reach an ideal level where the negative emotions are controlled and managed. Too much control, however, may result in complacency, which could be easily exploited by the competitor, and little control makes players vulnerable to high levels of stress and anxiety. "I firmly believe that demanding results is a source for stress, thus the result itself should not be the target, rather the level of performance as well as the fulfillment of all tactical tasks carried out by each individual, he said. "There are external factors that affect the score, namely the referee and the opponent's performance, so the better you perform, the more likely you would attain the result you aspire to. He added that during the half-time of the opening game, players were not asked to explicitly deliver a record scoring, rather they were urged to improve their performance as well to exploit the defensive mistakes made by the opponents. Ismaeel advises all members of the national team ahead of the upcoming games to play for enjoyment and to fulfill their immense passion of the game. This, he says, is a key factor that will help them be in their best form and deliver great performances, which would in turn boost the momentum of the support.
