Episode 2: Mindset.
Pressure, setbacks, self doubt, these will crush you if your mindset isn't built for battle. Today I'm giving you the tools to build a mindset that's unshakable, so you can stay calm under pressure, bounce back fast and perform with consistency every single week. This isn't fluff. These are the exact mental tools that top players use to win. And today you'll start building them.
By the end of this video, you'll know three things, what mindset really means in football, the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset, and how you can start building a mindset that gets stronger with every mistake, every setback, and every challenge you face
Let's break it down. Mindset is a story you tell yourself about your ability to grow and succeed. There are two types. Fixed mindset, you believe ‘I either have it or I don’t’. If things go wrong, you think it means you're not good enough, you give up faster, you fear mistakes.
Growth mindset, you believe ‘I can get better with effort, feedback, and practice’. Mistakes aren't the end, they're just feedback. Every setback is an opportunity to get smarter, sharper, and tougher in football. Players with a growth mindset improve faster, react better under pressure, and stay at the top longer. It's not about never making mistakes. It's about how you respond to mistakes that set you apart. If you want proof, just look at Harry Maguire. A few years ago, he was getting hammered by the fans, pundits, the media, everyone. Mistakes in big games and losing the Manchester United captaincy would have broken a lot of players, but not Maguire. He kept showing up, he kept working. This season, he's been clutch for United when it matters most. Four crucial goals, three last minute winners, one last minute equalizer, big moments when pressure was highest, and he stepped up against Porto, Ipswich, Leicester, Maguire delivered. United made it to a final because he refused to give up on himself. Not because he's the fastest or the flashiest, but because of his mindset. It turned criticism into fuel. That's the growth mindset and action. Not letting a bad moment define you, using it to become better.
Here's where most players go wrong.
Mistake No. 1: thinking you're either good or bad at something, like it's set in stone, getting angry, embarrassed or discouraged after criticism or a mistake. Here's how you fix it. After every mistake, ask yourself, ‘what can I learn from this? What can I do better next time?’. It's not about judging yourself, it's about coaching yourself your growth mindset drill. Every time you make a mistake, whether in training, a match or even just a drill, immediately say to yourself, ‘mistakes are a part of learning’, ‘What can I do better next time?’. Don't just think it, say it out loud. Use your football journal after each session, write down one thing you improved, one thing you Learned. It's simple, but it reprograms your mind to look for growth, not failure. But writing these things down, it helps keep your brain focused on growth. Developing the growth mindset in sport, business, and life means any setbacks are valuable lessons. When you write down the things you've improved on and Learned, put the date above them. This allows you to see how you're developing as a player and a person. Maybe some days you feel you haven't been playing well, but having the journal to go back on and to see ‘I improved here, I Learned here’ shows that you are growing. The process of becoming mentally stronger is not just improving, it's about understanding how your mind works and how we can help you think in ways that help you, not hurt you.
Here's two examples: ‘I finished the session where I was really on point. I use my mental warm up routine to set my attention of being accurate with my passes.Everything went great, it was just as I imagined it before training. One thing I improved on was consistently making accurate passes. One thing I Learned was the importance of my mental warm up routine’
Number 2: ‘I finished this session where I was really below my usual standards. I used my mental warmth routine to set my attention of being accurate with my passes. I put a lot of pressure on myself. Then I missed a lot of them and it made me frustrated. This frustration carried over into other drills and felt like I was really off my game. One thing I improved on was noticing frustration. One thing I Learned was that by improving my emotional control, I will perform better on and off the pitch.’
Having a bad day at train will happen. No one is a perfect player. But by having a growth mindset you can develop. You'll be ready to perform better on good days and bad days.
Time for a quick self assessment. Ask yourself when you make a mistake, do you beat yourself up, or do you look for solutions? Do you believe your first touch passing decision making can improve, or do you think they're stuck the way they are? Be honest because the first step to building a growth mindset is knowing where you are right now.
So just a recap, your mindset is not fixed unless you believe it is. Growth mindset players improve faster and last longer. Your reaction to mistakes defines your future successes more than the mistake itself. For the next three sessions, every time you make a mistake, do the growth mindset drill. Immediately say to yourself, ‘mistakes are a part of learning and or what can I do better next time?’ Then after the session, write down one improvement, one lesson you Learned at the end of each session in your journal. This will build the foundations for your growth mindset. You can then build the career most players can only dream of.