“One mistake, and the head drops - the next five minutes fall apart.”
◆Address a mistake after the play. Stay calm in the moment - say nothing - and address it later at a natural break. Stopping drills make mistakes seem more costly than they may be.
◆Reward the brave decision even when it fails. Praise the attempt, not just the outcome.
“Great idea to play forward - keep taking that, it’ll come off.”
◆Make mistakes normal and teachable. Use reps where errors are expected (live 1v1s, tight finishing) and define success as the recovery - first reaction after losing the ball.
The instant after an error: “What’s your very next action?” - it pulls them forward instead of letting them dwell. Teach the moment using “what would you do differently?” for the natural break in play.
A player who used to sulk after a giveaway now winning the ball back two seconds later - and still willing to try the hard pass next time.