Habits of professional footballers that could help you too

A habit is a routine of behaviour that is performed often and many times over, so that it becomes subconscious. Many professional footballers have a set of habits, which have helped them to play at an elite level and beat the competition to get there. They say that it takes as little as 2 months to ingrain a new habit into your own routine, so the good news is that you could adopt some of these habits too!

Good quality sleep 

Getting enough sleep is one of the most important habits that you can form, especially if you are under 18. Teenagers in the UK get an average of 7 hours sleep per night but actually 9 hours is recommended to help with development and recovery. 

With that in mind, giving yourself the best opportunity to get the recommended 9 hours could be a habit worth making. Establishing a consistent bedtime is one of the best ways to ensure you get a long and restful night’s sleep - once it’s a habit, your body will know to wind down, relax and prepare for a long night of kip!

It’s often said, but minimise how much you use your phone just before bed. I used to be guilty of saying “just 5 minutes on my phone”, and still finding myself on TikTok an hour later! Now, I try to have a book by the side of my bed and read a couple of pages before I sleep, that way I’m forced to put my phone down.

As Thierry Henry once said,

“I eat football, I sleep football, I breathe football. I'm not mad, I'm just passionate.“

If it worked for Henry, it must be a habit worth making! This leads nicely onto our next habit…

Maintain a balanced diet and limit treats!

Maintaining a good diet is an important habit to form and can make a world of difference not only to your footballing game, but how you feel in general. 

We all need a treat now and then, but try and limit these to once or twice a week. If this is hard for you, think about how you can restrict yourself in other ways, like having grilled meat rather than fried. Or a small portion rather than a large. 

The rest of the time, focus on getting lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and a good mix of healthy proteins, like salmon and chicken and carbs like brown rice and sweet potatoes. Personally, I add hot sauce to everything I eat - I’m obsessed with spice and it makes even broccoli taste good!

Take feedback onboard

How you choose to receive feedback and what you do with it can have a huge impact on the quality of your game. It also influences how you develop and improve over time. The most effective football players actively listen to feedback and take it onboard - it’s actually one of the easiest habits in this list to adopt. 

When I was younger, I would sometimes get defensive when feedback was given to me, but I worked hard to be more receptive and open. The more I worked on it, the more I sought out feedback as I found it to be one of the easiest ways to get insights and improve my game. Once you start asking for feedback, it can become weirdly fun and is almost like a secret power, giving you a way to supercharge your game!

To make sure the feedback is constructive, don’t be afraid to ask for details if it’s not given. For example, ask for an example of when you performed the behaviour that can be improved? Discuss openly with the person giving feedback how you could implement their ideas and practical steps to do this. Make sure it’s a good time for you both to discuss the feedback and it’s in an environment where you feel comfortable.

At Strive we provide feedback throughout our one-to-one coaching sessions, with clear examples and ideas. We’ll discuss this with you and help you form plans for how the improvement can be put into practice.

By staying open and asking for feedback frequently, you can form a positive habit that will have a huge impact on your game.

Train regularly

To make it as an elite footballer, make a habit of training regularly. This might sound obvious, but I’ve met so many players who train once a week and then have a game at the weekend and then wonder why their performance doesn’t rapidly improve. All players who have reached an elite standard are in the habit of training regularly.

This could be an extra gym session, getting out on the bike or a run. I’ve been cycling over the last few years and I try to get out into the countryside for a longer ride once a week. You can follow my progress on Strava here! 

Learn how to cope with mental pressure 

Many players struggle with their mental health and specifically, the pressure of playing in a professional setting. However, learning how to cope with pressure can really help your performance, on and off the pitch. 

Firstly, know that you’re not alone if you’re feeling stressed. In a recent interview, Leah Williamson admitted

“I felt like I needed to win for my club and my country, and if I felt that was under threat, I’d be a wreck. I’d have thoughts like ‘well, when I retire, I won’t have to deal with these nerves’, which is f**ked! Like, I’m wishing away my career because I can’t deal with my own performance anxiety.”

This kind of feeling is normal and is strangely what also helps with matchday performance - it’s all the adrenaline building up. What’s important is that these feelings don’t overshadow your enjoyment of the game and your confidence to go out and give it your all.

One of the most important things in handling the mental load is identifying the best way for you to relax and release pressure. It could be watching a film, seeing friends or playing a game - make time for it and prioritise this as much as your training. Only you know how you like to relax, so take time to really think about how you can let off steam.

Another effective way to handle pressure is to talk about how you are feeling. It’s great to do this little and often so that it doesn’t bubble over. To help form a habit out of it, I find it helpful to talk about how I’m feeling every day - sometimes it’s really good and I have loads of energy and positivity. Other days I might feel tired or be in a low mood. Identifying these feelings and sharing them with someone close to you can help you feel better and know that you’re not going through things alone. Keeping a journal is another good way of doing this. Once you are in the habit of regularly talking about how you are feeling, bigger conversations about stress, fear or pressure can feel less daunting too.