Centering - Ultimate Concentration For Ultimate Soccer Performance
A Trick From The Ancients….
Now this isn’t a trick in the ‘Zidane 360′ sense of the word but that
doesn’t mean it’s any less useful. Some would even say it’s easier
to master than the ‘360′!
The skill is called ‘Centering’. Have you heard of it?
It’s origin is more in tune with the teachings of the ancients than
modern football (soccer), however it’s a powerful tool that we can
use to develop focus at highly stressful points in the game - like
free kicks and penalties.
Although you may never have heard of Centering, you have most
definately seen it in action - it’s used by many of the worlds great
players - Beckham, Ronaldinho, Gerrard, Zidane et al.
OK, so lets discover how to use this powerhouse skill to our advantage.
Cast your mind back to the ‘Focussing The Mind’ article you
were sent when you first signed up. Remember it….I’m sure
you’ll be using it in everyday training to help you deal with
many scenarios in football.
If you haven’t signed up for this exclusive content you can do so here:
Centering is a powerful way to focus your mind on any task
that needs completeing with clarity of thought and the correct
muscles groups to act in the correct way.
Here’s how.
This is best performed standing up, so if you’re in a suitable
place where you can, then please stand up now.
There is a ’spot’ or area behind your navel (tummy button). That
is where you need to concentrate on.
An easy way to do this is if you imagine your target - lets say its
straight ahead. Focus your eyes on the target. Now focus your
mind on the area behind your navel by pulling your navel in
towards you.
Only allowing your navel to be pulled in, not your whole stomach.
Breathe deeply in, without holding your breath, exhale all air from
your lungs. Repeat 2-3 times.
Your feet should be planted, shoulder width apart, firmly on the
ground. In fact you will feel them plant even firmer when you start
centering.
Your mind will now be totally focussed on hitting the target.
Centering has the power to focus, create the confidence of
‘yes, I’m going to do it’ and also steady your nervous system
to allow total concentration, blocking out the mayhem around
you.
This technique is well proven. It’s used in ancient healing
arts like Reiki, Realigning the Chakras - the gut area
is the focul point of desire and where you ‘make things happen’.
Have a go and stick with it until it becomes second nature in
situations where you will use it - free kicks, penalties etc.
I promise you will not look back.
October 17th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Your right ive seen cristiano ronaldo and ronaldinho use this technique on a number of occasions but i dont understand the part on how to only pull in my navel because i always end up pulling my whole tummy in but i like the prospect of this technique
October 17th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
It does seem a little difficult at first but once you get the hang of it, it’s quite straight forward.
Perhaps try just focussing on your belly button and imagining to pull the area behind it backwards. It doesn’t matter if part of your stomach follows because the important thing is to feel that solidness that centering creates as your whole body is planted firmly to the ground. You may also feel a burning type sensation - this is completely safe - it is your body realising the desire and creating the chemicals needed to react to that desire - whether it’s taking a free kick or a penalty.
January 7th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
What particular area are u talkin about,before the hole of the navel or below it.But anyway i have a feelin its going to work for example handling all that noise from the crowd
January 14th, 2008 at 6:17 am
This is so very true. You can free any energy blockages in the body by focusing on any area of the body and by breathing deeply. As you exhale you are allowing your body to relax and focus on the task at hand. Try closing your eyes at the same time and allow yourself to actually feel what it is like to score. As you execute your kick you’ll be amazed at the positive outcome and the ease in which you accomplished your goal. As a Reiki practioner I have seen this work in my daily life..it is very powerful.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Anthony, just behind whole of the navel - so in effect your stomach. Don’t worry too much about the specific area, just try and use the concept first to help you focus. You can fine tune the technicalities later.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Heidi, that’s a great addition to the technique. Would you class that as visualisation? I’m also interseted to hear if Reiki could help players focus on match day - relaxation, concentration, visualisation - drop me an email or post back on here and I’ll get your message. Thank you.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:45 am
I found your blog via Google while searching for free reiki healings and your post regarding Centering - Ultimate Concentration For Ultimate Soccer Performance looks very interesting to me. I was impressed by your site and offerings. I was looking at some of the articles and it really impressed me. All I can say is congratulations on creating this site and what took you so long? I look forward to returning.