Psychological momentum in team contexts

Imagine a scenario whereby the home team is 2-0 down with 43 minutes on the clock. Just before half-time the away team score a magical goal to make it 2-1. In a scenario such as this, during the half-time interval, commentators would often say that the away team has got momentum going into the second half. But what exactly is momentum and how can it be developed and managed within the context of team sports such as football? This article will discuss ways in which coaches can nurture various factors in their players in relation to momentum to help them maintain consistent levels of individual performance and help them contribute to team output frequently.   

Momentum has been defined as an added or gained psychological power that gives the person a feeling that he/she has an edge over the opponent. Despite the belief that momentum is a powerful determinant of success and failure in sport, momentum remains a largely unknown concept. It is considered to be a hidden force that is felt and sensed by competitors, positively and negatively, yet about which nothing systematic is done by coaches or players.

In order to tackle this problem, a group of sport psychologists from Loughborough University interviewed five university football players who had played in the National British University Sports Association competition. The purpose of the investigation was to gather information on individual player perceptions of momentum with the aim of providing practical insights for coaches working with teams and individual team members. When recalling their experiences of positive and negative momentum, the participants identified a range of momentum triggers and associated outcomes of perceiving positive and negative psychological momentum.

Confidence 

A common trigger and outcome of perceived positive momentum was that of confidence. For instance, one player said:

While no single factor explains momentum, the important of confidence in developing and maintaining this phenomenon should not be underestimated. It is vital that confidence is fostered throughout a player’s football career from an early age. Related to this concept, the participants reported that knowing they had accomplished success before competition gave them the confidence to achieve again. One player gave an example of this by saying:

Therefore, the coach’s ability to draw out mastery experiences for players before competition would appear to be a relevant strategy to consider. Furthermore, with the help of a sport psychologist, coaches could also develop an imagery script that used recollection and re-creation of successful past performances to create a sense of confidence.

Opponent Factors 

Another trigger found to have a significant impact on momentum was opponent factors with the actions of opponents seen as triggers of perceived momentum. For example, if a player saw an opponent’s negative body language it could trigger positive perceived momentum. This is shown quite nicely by a participant who said:
 

Similarly, opponents playing to their strengths or maintaining possession may trigger negative perceived momentum. Therefore, to reduce positive perceptions of momentum in opponents, coaches should increase awareness of the effect of negative body language and teach strategies to increase positive body language in the event that negative psychological momentum is perceived. This could be done with the aid of sport a psychologist who could help coaches employ intra- and inter-personal emotional awareness training for example, to help players control perceived psychological momentum. Specifically, players with these elements of emotional intelligence are those who control their own emotions and body language to give nothing away, whilst being sensitive to negative emotions in opponents to stimulate their perceptions of momentum.   

Tactical Preparation

As well as confidence and opponent factors, participants also noted the importance of a positive attitude and talked about ensuring optimal preparation as a method for developing a positive frame of mind:

Close attention should be given to the role of preparation by coaches, to prepare players tactically, technically, physically and mentally to build confidence and a positive attitude. Furthermore, preparation will allow coaches to brainstorm various ways in which they could change a game tactically to ensure that players overcome negative momentum:

Going back to basics in terms of skills executed, keeping possession and altering player formations were tactical strategies that the participants found useful in not only overcoming negative momentum but also maintaining perceptions of positive momentum. These ideas could be discussed with players before a game and would ensure players are prepared in case they go a goal down for example.

As well as preparing players tactically, coaches could manipulate the perception of personal and situational sources (e.g. game events). This was reiterated by participants who talked about the importance of encouragement from teammates and coaches when they perceived negative momentum. This idea is reflected in the following quote:

This point was supported by another participant who stressed the importance of using the team as a resource for developing positive momentum:

One participant summed up the importance of team cohesion nicely when he said:
 

With participants describing many elements of team cohesion in developing and maintaining positive momentum and overcoming negative momentum, team building activities with an emphasis on distinguishing the team by its level of cohesion and communication should be carefully considered by coaches. Participants noted the salience of collective, synchronous efforts and team encouragement through good and bad patches as well as the role of social cohesion and relationships with teammates ‘beyond the pitch’. One strategy that coaches could use is engaging the team in small group exercises where players individually discuss which triggers they personally feel enhance versus inhibit their perceptions of individual and team momentum on the pitch.

In conclusion, despite the fact that psychological momentum remains largely an unknown concept, this phenomenon is starting to be appreciated as being fundamental to athletic excellence. Having looked at how individuals perceive psychological momentum based on actual competitive football experiences, this article has introduced a range of applied implications to help guide coaches in knowing how and when to intervene to maximize positive psychological momentum and to minimize negative psychological momentum.   

·         Draw out mastery experiences for players before competition to develop their confidence.

·         Develop an imagery script so that players consistently recollect and recreate successful past performances.

·         Increase player awareness of the effect of negative body language and teach strategies to increase positive body language for example emotional awareness training.

·         Pay close attention to the role of preparation to prepare players tactically, technically, physically and mentally.

·         Consider using tactical strategies to help build momentum. These may include going back to basics in terms of skills executed, keeping possession and altering player formations.

·         Engage players in team building activities and small group exercises.