{"id":1071,"date":"2021-07-06T11:49:49","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T11:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.twentytwo.digital\/ukbodytalk\/visualising-success\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T18:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T17:44:08","slug":"visualising-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.twentytwo.digital\/ukbodytalk\/resources\/blogs\/visualising-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Practice With Purpose: What England\u2019s Penalty Shootouts Can Teach Us About Performing Under Pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Practice with purpose – replicate as much as you can in advance so nothing comes as a surprise.<\/span>‘<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Practice With Purpose: What England’s Penalty Shootouts Can Teach Us About Performing Under Pressure<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re a football fan, you\u2019ll know the feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when a game has gone through extra time and can only be won through a penalty shoot-out.<\/span><\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re an England fan, that feeling is particularly familiar. Historically, we\u2019ve been notoriously bad at penalties. In fact, over the years, England have taken part in eight penalty shoot-outs across European Championships and World Cup games and lost six \u2013 that\u2019s 75%.<\/span><\/p>\n

Penalties traditionally strike fear in even the world\u2019s best football players: when the stakes are high, the pressure to perform is even higher. When Gareth Southgate<\/span> stepped up to take that fateful penalty<\/a><\/strong> in the semi-final against Germany in Euro 96, he already looked like a defeated man.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking years later, he admitted that the visualisation of his own failure played a part in him missing the penalty that cost England the semi-final.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy mind switched to the negative. \u201cWhat if I miss?\u201d That simple thought, which with better mental awareness could have been dismissed, was now nudging its way into my subconscious, and with hindsight, I know that was the tipping point of my failure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Southgate was puzzled even to be taking a penalty. He had never practiced taking them, and until that moment in the spotlight, he had only ever taken one before \u2013 which he\u2019d missed. Little wonder that his confidence and self-belief were poor when walking up to the spot \u2013 and we all know what happened next.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Trainable Skill<\/b><\/h3>\n

Fast forward twenty-five years and Southgate does not want his players to go through the same agony that he felt after England\u2019s defeat at Euro 96 \u2013 so penalty training is now an essential part of the plan for his squad.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whilst Southgate felt unprepared for the pressure of standing at the penalty spot; his players are doing everything possible to develop the confidence to perform, both physically and mentally. Under his leadership, England footballers are starting to overcome the negative mindset that has dogged them for decades and turn it into something positive.<\/span><\/p>\n

How the England team prepares for penalties<\/b><\/h3>\n

Sportswriter Ben Lyttleton, author of \u2018<\/strong><\/span>Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty Kick<\/a><\/strong>\u2019<\/strong> believes that while you can never completely replicate the atmosphere and nerves of a real-life football game, you can nevertheless \u201cpractice with purpose\u201d – that is, replicating as much as you can in advance so that nothing comes as a surprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than just practising hitting the ball in the top corner of the net, Southgate\u2019s players learn to overcome nerves and perform under pressure in three ways:<\/span><\/p>\n

1)<\/span><\/i> Training when tired<\/span><\/i><\/h4>\n

Penalty shootouts always come at the end of extra time when players are exhausted and stressed. To replicate this, the England squad practices penalties at the end of a gruelling 120-minute training session, when players\u2019 legs are fatigued and their minds tired. By getting used to performing when they\u2019re running on empty, players will be better equipped to deal with those physical feelings on the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

2)<\/span><\/i> Visualising \u2018the walk\u2019<\/span><\/i><\/h4>\n

Players often say that the walk from the centre circle to the penalty spot is the time when they feel most anxious and under pressure \u2013 so this is also something that they now practice. By getting used to that long walk before every penalty and visualising the feeling of success, players can learn to regulate their emotional state and equip themselves with the confidence to perform at their best.<\/span><\/p>\n

3)<\/span><\/i> Pausing for breath<\/span><\/i><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s common for footballers to rush penalty kicks, and that often comes from nervous tension and a desire to get it over with.<\/span><\/p>\n

But rushing penalties can be counter-productive: in France\u2019s Euro 2020 game against Switzerland, Pogba waited six seconds before taking his penalty \u2013 and scored. Giroud waited three seconds \u2013 and scored. But Mbappe only waited 0.8 seconds, and his penalty was saved, knocking France out of the tournament.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taking a pause gives players the chance to take a deep breath, collect their thoughts and focus on the job they\u2019re there to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s early days, Southgate\u2019s \u2018practicing with purpose\u2019 has been paying off. In the two penalty shoot-outs under his leadership up to Euro 2020, England went on to win both.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overcoming performance anxiety<\/b><\/h3>\n

Performance anxiety doesn\u2019t just come on the football field. You may have an important meeting, speech or presentation to deliver that brings out that same feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach. But just like the England team, preparing well, adopting a positive mindset and using visualisation techniques can help you to normalise the situation facing you and allow you to really perform at your best.<\/span><\/p>\n

1)<\/span><\/i> Rehearse out loud<\/span><\/i><\/h4>\n

Gareth Southgate had never practiced penalties before Euro 96 \u2013 and it didn\u2019t go well. So, if you have a presentation to deliver, practice saying it out loud. If you\u2019re going to be standing up, practice doing that too. Get your body and mind used to how it\u2019s going to feel on the day so that it will feel much more familiar when you do it for real.<\/span><\/p>\n

2)<\/span><\/i> Visualise success<\/span><\/i><\/h4>\n

Think about what it\u2019s going to take for you to get the perfect result. What does success look like? Walk through the event in your mind from start to finish and imagine what it will be like to feel confident, calm and in control.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you can, practice walking up to the stage or the front of the room, imagining the crowd there waiting for you and listening to you. <\/span>Visualise yourself delivering an engaging and successful presentation<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong> By normalising the situation in your mind, you\u2019ll feel much more confident, and you\u2019re less likely to be put off by unexpected surprises or negative emotions slipping in.<\/span><\/p>\n

3)<\/span><\/i> Pause<\/span><\/i><\/h4>\n

We\u2019ve written before about<\/span> the power of the pause<\/strong><\/span><\/a>. When you\u2019re feeling the pressure, pausing to take a breath can help you calm any panicky nerves and give you back the control you need. Don\u2019t worry about keeping the audience waiting; it\u2019s better to go at your own pace and remember that you are prepared and ready.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember that there will always be situations in which you feel nervous or anxious about your performance, but by practising, adopting a positive mindset and using visualisation techniques, you too can feel confident when stepping up to the mark.<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn more about how we can help you, please get in touch with our team<\/span>\u00a0and discover how our courses can help to<\/span> increase the impact of your presentations<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Written by Jennifer Bartram<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What do many great sports people and teams have in common? They visualise success to help overcome performance anxiety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":3801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVisualising Success - What We Can Learn From Penalty Shootouts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How do the England football team deal with penalty shootouts? 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