Saturday 23 May 2015 07:41, UK
The Football League play-off finals could be decided on penalties this weekend. And with an estimated £120m riding on the Championship showpiece, there will be huge pressure on the spot-kick takers, should it come down to a shoot-out.
To try to analyse the potential challenge facing the players in a penalty shoot-out, we’ve spoken to a scientist who has studied performance under pressure and a former player who knows a thing or two about scoring from 12 yards.
Vincent Walsh is Professor of Human Brain Research at University College London and specialises in decision-making under pressure. He works with Olympic and national organisations and has just completed a study with Dunlop Tyres into athletes performance under pressure. Sky Sports’ Matt Le Tissier, meanwhile, scored 48 of 49 penalties in his career. Here's their view...
What pressure will potential penalty takers be faced with this weekend?
Professor Walsh: There are two types of pressure affecting them. The first is what could be called ‘mental pressure’ and would include dealing with the knowledge of what’s at stake if you score or miss, holding your nerve with everyone in the stadium watching you as you take that long walk from the half-way line to the penalty spot to take your shot and so on.
The second is physical pressure – at the end of 120 minutes of football your body is tired, your muscles might be seizing up and, just as importantly, you’re moving from playing at a fast speed and high intensity, where you’ve had to make quick decisions, to taking one shot, in your own time.
Coping with those two pressures is not easy for any player – and that’s why it’s essential players practise those situations.
Le Tissier: I don’t think fatigue comes into it at all, actually. Once you’ve done 120 minutes, all you’ve got to do is take four strides to kick a football. I played 120 minutes and was still ready to take a penalty and I was hardly the fittest player. By the time all of the palaver has occurred with picking your takers then you’re good to go again.
It’s about natural confidence - bordering on a touch of arrogance - to stand there and think ‘this is my chance to be a hero’.
So how should players prepare for a potential penalty shoot-out this weekend?
Professor Walsh: Their preparations shouldn’t be starting this week – they should have begun at the start of the season. Like all skills in football, this training needs to be developed over months and months – it’s not something that can be done in a few days.
Importantly, coaches should be creating situations in training which resemble the shoot-out environment as best they can. That means taking penalties when the players are exhausted, with pressure on the outcome, and right after an intense period of play – like at the end of a match.
However, in the days leading up to the play-off final and potential shoot-out, players can help their chances by mentally visualising positive outcomes. They should imagine walking up to the spot, placing the ball, executing the shot how they want to and hitting the net. There’s a lot of research which suggests this can improve performance.
Le Tissier: I would’ve thought the preparation would have been done before the game in terms of knowing who is good at penalties and a manager will have an idea of who his best five are. Then at the end of 120 minutes he will ask for volunteers. If there’s not enough then the manager steps in and decides, then gives his advice to those stepping up.
Every professional footballer has the skill to be able to score from 12 yards. The issue is whether they’ve rehearsed the demands of the situation enough.
What about when players or managers say they haven’t practised for a shoot-out?
Professor Walsh: That’s just outrageous. In what walk of life would you do something of such importance without first practising what you had to do? Can you imagine a musician going on stage to play a song he hasn’t rehearsed the ending of? Or a surgeon performing an operation without having practised the final – and extremely tough – final part?
I would like to think that players or managers who say they haven’t practised for shoot-outs are only doing so as some sort of mind game, because otherwise they’re missing a big opportunity.
Are some players cut out to be better penalty takers than others?
Professor Walsh: ‘Cut out’ is the wrong phrase. Some people are better at handling the mental and physical pressure placed on a penalty taker – but that’s only because they’ve spent more time learning how to deal with that situation. Every professional footballer has the skill to be able to score from 12 yards. The issue is whether they’ve rehearsed the demands of the situation enough.
Le Tissier: You need to find out what is going on in their head, what they’re thinking. Then you give them the relevant advice. There’s not one piece of advice that you can give to everyone, you have to tailor it to what is going on in their head.
How do you take a penalty under pressure?
Le Tissier: I would always advocate trying to powerfully side-foot it into the corner. That’s unless you’re completely wrecked with nerves, then maybe just smash it down the middle and try to keep it under the bar, but 99 per cent of the time I’d say try to put it in the corner.
What would be your attitude in a penalty shoot-out?
Le Tissier: Be the hero!
I was only involved in one shoot-out and I remember it was one of the first years after it had been introduced, in Southampton’s FA Cup replay with Manchester United.
The manager at the time was Ian Branfoot, who asked me to take the first penalty. I turned round and said ‘I’m not taking the first one, I’ll take the last one’. I wanted to be the hero as I knew I could handle the pressure of taking the final one. But all four players scored before me and United missed a couple so I didn’t have to take one in the end.
It was a situation I would have relished. My ultimate dream would have been the last penalty taker for England in a World Cup final.
It’s about natural confidence - bordering on a touch of arrogance - to stand there and think ‘this is my chance to be a hero. I know every single person is looking at me and I’m going to embrace that’.
You’ve got to puff your chest out and say ‘I’m going to do this’. You don’t want people thinking ‘what happens if I miss’ or any sort of negative thoughts.
Can you perform in that one moment that decides everything? For more information on Dunlop Tyres' exclusive new study, visit: http://dunlopmindset.com
