ENGLAND Women & Psychological Preparations for PKS.......

[Enugu II]

Penalty shootouts are anything but a lottery for England - as Sarina Wiegman and her coaching staff employed specific tactics to ensure victory against Nigeria
England won a nervy -biting Round of 16 tie against Nigeria thanks to penalties
The Lionesses converted four of their five spot kicks against their opponents
Wiegman and her coaching staff drilled the psychological aspect of shootouts
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/women ... 0&ito=1490
By KATHRYN BATTE FOR MAILONLINE

UPDATED: 18:07 EDT, 8 August 2023



What is it about England and penalty shootouts? Tears, drama, joy, devastation — English supporters have experienced them all. Often all in the space of a few minutes.

And with so many knockout games decided by the dreaded spot-kicks, it is no surprise teams will find any advantage they can.

Sarina Wiegman and her coaching staff drilled the psychological aspect of shootouts into the Lionesses before Monday’s last-16 tie with Nigeria and it showed.

England players linked arms, forming a line near the centre circle before the spot-kicks began. When they scored or Nigeria missed, every player celebrated passionately.

These two details, their positioning and their celebrations, were specific tactics Wiegman had employed.

‘The staff have spoken about the positioning within the centre circle,’ England’s former striker and record goalscorer Ellen White said on the BBC. ‘Being more in front, rather than on the halfway line, having a stance, celebrating every goal scored, having that togetherness.’

The Lionesses also used mind games. Lucy Bronze positioned herself so she was on the far right of their line. She was the closest player to the penalty spot and therefore in Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie’s line of vision.

When Alex Greenwood went to take England’s fourth penalty, Bronze waved her right arm in the air and bounced from side to side to try and distract the goalkeeper. Greenwood scored. Bronze then repeated this trick before Chloe Kelly converted the winning penalty.

‘We have talked about the psychology of a penalty and we have talked about the execution of a penalty,’ Wiegman said. ‘Of course in this moment this is the hardest pressure, when you have to take a penalty in front of 45,000 people.

The consequences of missing or scoring, it’s huge. So we have talked about that psychology as individuals and as a team.

‘We just tried to prepare as good as possible. Body language is one of them and also supporting each other, we stand with each other. They stuck together.’

[mcal]

...nonsense, they won so be it. Nothing about the bouncing around or waving from the center circle to distract a goalie. They were lucky. As a former player who has gone thru pk shootout, I remember when we played a "whitewater tournament" in Indiana, the final went to pks. Heavy legs was the culprit on some players as many from both sides were missing each kicks.

[jette1]

Penalty shootouts are anything but a lottery for England - as Sarina Wiegman and her coaching staff employed specific tactics to ensure victory against Nigeria
England won a nervy -biting Round of 16 tie against Nigeria thanks to penalties
The Lionesses converted four of their five spot kicks against their opponents
Wiegman and her coaching staff drilled the psychological aspect of shootouts
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/women ... 0&ito=1490
By KATHRYN BATTE FOR MAILONLINE

UPDATED: 18:07 EDT, 8 August 2023



What is it about England and penalty shootouts? Tears, drama, joy, devastation — English supporters have experienced them all. Often all in the space of a few minutes.

And with so many knockout games decided by the dreaded spot-kicks, it is no surprise teams will find any advantage they can.

Sarina Wiegman and her coaching staff drilled the psychological aspect of shootouts into the Lionesses before Monday’s last-16 tie with Nigeria and it showed.

England players linked arms, forming a line near the centre circle before the spot-kicks began. When they scored or Nigeria missed, every player celebrated passionately.

These two details, their positioning and their celebrations, were specific tactics Wiegman had employed.

‘The staff have spoken about the positioning within the centre circle,’ England’s former striker and record goalscorer Ellen White said on the BBC. ‘Being more in front, rather than on the halfway line, having a stance, celebrating every goal scored, having that togetherness.’

The Lionesses also used mind games. Lucy Bronze positioned herself so she was on the far right of their line. She was the closest player to the penalty spot and therefore in Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie’s line of vision.

When Alex Greenwood went to take England’s fourth penalty, Bronze waved her right arm in the air and bounced from side to side to try and distract the goalkeeper. Greenwood scored. Bronze then repeated this trick before Chloe Kelly converted the winning penalty.

‘We have talked about the psychology of a penalty and we have talked about the execution of a penalty,’ Wiegman said. ‘Of course in this moment this is the hardest pressure, when you have to take a penalty in front of 45,000 people.

The consequences of missing or scoring, it’s huge. So we have talked about that psychology as individuals and as a team.

‘We just tried to prepare as good as possible. Body language is one of them and also supporting each other, we stand with each other. They stuck together.’

Definitely a major factor; even before it came down to the shootout their psychological edge explained why we never took command of the game after they went down 10 women. It appeared we were happy to being able to contain them when in fact we should have taken command of the game.

[Damunk]

...nonsense, they won so be it. Nothing about the bouncing around or waving from the center circle to distract a goalie. They were lucky. As a former player who has gone thru pk shootout, I remember when we played a "whitewater tournament" in Indiana, the final went to pks. Heavy legs was the culprit on some players as many from both sides were missing each kicks.

It’s often down to very very tiny margins.
At that level of sport, it can make a world of difference.
You can call it nonsense if you wish.
I’d prefer to work on anything that might give me or my team an advantage.

[jette1]

...nonsense, they won so be it. Nothing about the bouncing around or waving from the center circle to distract a goalie. They were lucky. As a former player who has gone thru pk shootout, I remember when we played a "whitewater tournament" in Indiana, the final went to pks. Heavy legs was the culprit on some players as many from both sides were missing each kicks.

It’s often down to very very tiny margins.
At that level of sport, it can make a world of difference.
You can call it nonsense if you wish.
I’d prefer to work on anything that might give me or my team an advantage.

Especially if we are getting beat in mind games when we are the ones who invented and perfected mind game - African vodoo. I would even support employing the services of a flamboyant village doctor.ironically we Africans have traded our ideas for the western ones while the westerners use our ideas over us.

[Damunk]

...nonsense, they won so be it. Nothing about the bouncing around or waving from the center circle to distract a goalie. They were lucky. As a former player who has gone thru pk shootout, I remember when we played a "whitewater tournament" in Indiana, the final went to pks. Heavy legs was the culprit on some players as many from both sides were missing each kicks.

It’s often down to very very tiny margins.
At that level of sport, it can make a world of difference.
You can call it nonsense if you wish.
I’d prefer to work on anything that might give me or my team an advantage.

Especially if we are getting beat in mind games when we are the ones who invented and perfected mind game - African vodoo. I would even support employing the services of a flamboyant village doctor.ironically we Africans have traded our ideas for the western ones while the westerners use our ideas over us.

The Hakka is a good example of how culture and psychology have worked their way into modern sport.

[akamoke]

..and the All Blacks remain the most successful national team of all sports

[fabio]

..and the All Blacks remain the most successful national team of all sports

Regarding the All Blacks, I found this

https://thewhitehorsefederation.org.uk/ ... ter_01.pdf


and this.....

WHY ARE NEW ZEALAND SO GOOD AT RUGBY? A TEAM CULTURE ANALYSIS
In 2011, New Zealand ended a long wait to win the Rugby World Cup then went on the win again in 2015. Prior to this, the All Blacks team were often favourites to win each world cup but failed to do so. Now that the 2019 Rugby World Cup has started (and for most of us the season too), we look at what it takes to have a winning culture within a sports team – and how the ground works for this culture were laid back in 2011 for New Zealand.

CAPITALISE ON KEY TURNING POINTS
Graham Henry, their coach at the time, spoke about the importance of learning from past mistakes and failure (growth mindset, anyone?). These moments provide opportunities to crystallise your personal and team philosophies. An easy way to learn from past mistakes as a team is to ask two key questions:

What could we have done better?
What would we do differently next time?
The answers to these questions will provide clear strategies and goals for any team.

FLEXIBLE AND EVOLVING MINDSET
Henry stressed how important it is to be flexible, so that your approach best fits the needs of the situation. He says: "I’ve been coaching for 37 years … [When I started] I was very directive as a coach … pretty authoritarian. But now it’s … a group of people trying to do something together, rather than a group of coaches and a group of players ... I think that’s evolved naturally … If you didn’t change [as a coach], you were history."

There is evidently a thin line between having a clear vision and sticking stubbornly to an idea that isn't working. Having a clear vision is about working as a group, while being flexible and receptive with each other’s ideas to create a shared team vision. Knowing the difference was key to the New Zealand win at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, no doubt.

DUAL MANAGEMENT
In a team like the All Blacks, both coaches and players are expected to be leaders. Henry stated that “It was the philosophy to give the players ownership … and to dual-manage the All Blacks with a group of players, and a group of oldies (coaches)."

The thinking was that this dual management will lead to autonomy, mastery and emotionally intelligent athletes. It might be interesting for you and your team to consider what shared roles you can promote within the team, or what roles might be important as a group of coaches and players to fulfil. Having this structure clearly in place is of major importance in any sports team. To find out more, check out our blog The Importance of Knowing your Role in Sports.

BETTER PEOPLE MAKE BETTER RUGBYMEN
Behaviour on and off the pitch is a selection criterion for the New Zealand team. The management team firmly believed that helping their athletes grow as people helps them to develop as players. This was one of the most important aspects of creating a tournament winning team, and one that all teams should try to implement.

In a world that is so driven on just results and performance, it is always refreshing to hear of the desire to develop each athlete as an individual. Key to this is appropriate support. It is not enough for coaches to ask players to display certain skills; appropriate time and attention must be spent teaching them how to develop the right behaviours and attitudes.

One great way to help promote this is to ask the team to create a list of values, replying to questions such as “What does it mean to be an All Black?”. Then, ask them to match behaviours with these values. This way, the whole team will become accountable for each other – which is our next point.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
Players within the New Zealand team are encouraged to be accountable. This links closely with the 'dual management' and 'better people make better All Blacks' themes that we described above. This sense of responsibility empowers players and gives them a sense of ownership.

There are two simple ways to start taking responsibility:

Whenever we work with athletes on their mindset, we always try to establish what they usually blame their failure on. The best athletes don’t play the blame game. They critically reflect on their mistakes and work out what they need to change, instead of blaming others for it.
Elite athletes are solution focused. They ask themselves questions like: “What would I do differently next time?” and “Who can help me?”.
Taking responsibility isn’t about working on your own – you can often use others to help with this process.

LEADERSHIP
Leadership groups are created and streamlined within the New Zealand rugby team (to avoid too many meetings or too many cooks spoiling the broth). Off-field leadership is also given a lot of prominence within the squad.

Leadership within a sports team can take many shapes: on field leaders come in different styles, even in the same team. Some are loud and motivating, whereas others quietly drive physical standards on the pitch – and of course, some do both.

Two simple ways to become a better leader include:

Being a role model: do this by exemplifying positive behaviours and characteristics for your team to follow and communicating with your team.
Listening well: many people think communication is about being the loudest person on or off the pitch. However, listening is important We often tell our athletes that they have two ears and one mouth, so they should use them in that ratio.
Check out another one of our blogs for tips and strategies to become a better leader.

EXPECTATION OF EXCELLENCE
During previous World Cups, the All Blacks welcomed their favourite-to-win tag. This was embraced by athletes telling each other their personal motivation, as well as appreciating the team history, being the best and the importance of leaving a lasting legacy.

In Psychology, there is something cool that coaches and teams can definitely harness that’s called the Pygmalion Effect. This is the phenomenon where having high expectations for someone (or a whole team of players) brings about higher achievement.

Clearly, the All Blacks come to this year’s World Cup with high expectations as they did during the previous ones. If we trust the Pygmalion Effect, then players’ motivation, effort and resilience will be increased. Check out this blog to find out more about the power of high expectations. We also wrote a great guide for parents of young athletes here.

CUP WINNING COHESION
Team cohesion was increased through strategies such as the importance of being approachable, having role clarity and keeping things fresh. Most importantly, it was also emphasised to the New Zealand rubgymen by coaches that having fun and enjoying the experience was key even when under so much pressure, as an athlete's career goes so quickly.

An easy strategy that we use to encourage team cohesion is to create shared team processes. Before matches, we often ask our players for three things that they want to focus on for the match. This allows their attention to be directed towards what it will take them to play well. These can be general focuses (i.e. quick to the breakdown) or specific focuses (i.e. run hard dummy lines). As a team, athletes can develop general processes to work on. This makes sure that the team is pulling in the same direction.

FINAL THOUGHT
The impressive winning culture of the New Zealand rugby team is clearly defined, and that is one of the most important parameters that allowed them to win the past two rugby World Cups. Even more importantly, this culture was actually actioned.

Obviously, not all of the above tips can be applied in your team. However, it is interesting to consider whether some of these practices can be applied to your team, what would it look like and how would it work.

This blog was based on research published in The Sports Psychologist. You can read it in its full glory here.

https://blog.innerdrive.co.uk/sports/ne ... am-culture

[akamoke]

Thanks for this, the All Black winning culture almost did them in between 1987 and 2011 , they were barren for 24 yrs , meanwhile South Africa and Australia won 2 world cups in that period

That yearn for victory and the expectation of nothing but the world cup heaped undue pressure on them as the carried the tag of favorites and indeed they choked on a few occasions , thanks to France and Australia mainly, even when they finally won the second time in 2011, the same France almost did them in, final score 9-8 to NZ which is unusual for a Rugby match let alone a final of a tournament in which NZ met France earlier and thrashed them. 2015 was when Graham Henry's theory of flexibility was really put to use as the boys just went out to enjoy themselves and in so doing destroyed all that came along

The message really is to find a nice balance between the belief that you are always a winner and giving yourself enough latitude to be yourself while doing it, and in so doing , find your own playing style that you are comfortable with , but be dynamic enough to change tactics if your opponents are on to you

[Damunk]

Thanks for this, the All Black winning culture almost did them in between 1987 and 2011 , they were barren for 24 yrs , meanwhile South Africa and Australia won 2 world cups in that period

That yearn for victory and the expectation of nothing but the world cup heaped undue pressure on them as the carried the tag of favorites and indeed they choked on a few occasions , thanks to France and Australia mainly, even when they finally won the second time in 2011, the same France almost did them in, final score 9-8 to NZ which is unusual for a Rugby match let alone a final of a tournament in which NZ met France earlier and thrashed them. 2015 was when Graham Henry's theory of flexibility was really put to use as the boys just went out to enjoy themselves and in so doing destroyed all that came along

The message really is to find a nice balance between the belief that you are always a winner and giving yourself enough latitude to be yourself while doing it, and in so doing , find your own playing style that you are comfortable with , but be dynamic enough to change tactics if your opponents are on to you

I sense the Super Falcons have greater self belief than the Super Eagles.
I see England v Australia in the WWC semi-final and appreciate the fact that they are all on the same level.
Those girls will be feeling the same thing as they watch, wherever they are.