Tag Archive for 'nazionale'

The failure of the Italian football team is a long history

Published on June 2, 2022 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: , .

If on the day the final of a tournament played against the all-time opponents, Argentina, the analysis of the Italian national soccer team’s patita is presented on page 8 of Gazzetta dello Sport it means something very negative. The heroes of Wembley, as they are still rhetorically called, are no longer such but have been reduced to the role of sparring partners. On the contrary, the theme dominating the Gazzetta today is the purchase of Milan by a U.S. fund. It is true that the newspaper sells widely in Milan and this justifies the 7 pages on Milan. On the other hand, this enthusiasm is also demonstrated by the 250% increase in sales at the Milan store.

In an era when what matters is winning, it seems consistent to me that a team that loses too often like Italy does not arouse interest, not least because the most important players (Donnarumma, Jorginho, and Verratti) do not play for Italian teams and almost no one plays for the top four teams in Serie A. Another good reason for fans not to be passionate about a team in which they do not recognize players from their teams.

Also, I wonder what interest foreign funds and owners have in developing young players through youth activities, when their primary interest is to build a stadium they own (only 7 % of stadiums are not reported to be publicly owned). They also come from an American culture where it is colleges and universities that train young athletes who will then play in professional clubs.

It seems to me that with the entry of these new owners our soccer sports model is changing at great speed, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. I would like to know from those within these new paths what the interest and goals are for youth activity.

The reason is obviously economic. In fact, if there are 833,000 registered players in youth activity, corresponding to about 20 percent of the Italian male population between the ages of 5 and 16 is registered with the Federcalcio, how is it ever possible that we are not training absolute level players? The reason is economic since training a young footballer is very expensive and requires a commitment of years, the shortcut is to take one left without a contract in his home country who will go to play in the spring team, where they have currently become 33%.

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The defeat of the italian soccer team and its staff

Published on March 25, 2022 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

From saying “we will win the World Cup” to the elimination by North Macedonia there is an abyss of difference that should be understood. Today’s interpretations speak of a team lacking in personality, using words such as faded players, slow direction, giving up the goal, useless effort and ramshackle shots. Mancini in his declarations had touched various keys of the imagination. He spoke of the match of a lifetime but also said to stay calm and maintain concentration. The positive effect of these messages on the field has not been seen, it is not enough to stick to the usual phrase that underlines the commitment of the players, because if this collective effort does not result in a goal, it is useless. A team is evaluated on the goals it scores and certainly not on the opportunities built. Rule confirmed in this match, where the Macedonians made one shot, one goal.

The team lacked the attitude of those who want to take advantage of every opportunity in a decisive way. It’s the attitude that in sport is meant by “killer instinct”, which refers to when experienced players play with determination and competitive tenacity. We know that every competition includes the fear of not being able to express themselves at their best, of not being able to match the expectations of the fans and of themselves; this is not the problem. However, it can become so if in the days leading up to the game we don’t take this factor into consideration, asking ourselves as a team, “What if we are too tense, what should we do?” This in my opinion should be the purpose of these pre-game rallies for the Azzurri to provide pills of confidence and determination to use in the game.

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10 key points in table tennis

Published on November 6, 2020 in Allenatori, Calcio, Corsa, Generale, Mental coaching, Olimpiadi, Stress, Tennis and Tiro a volo. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

10 key points to be aware of and know how to accept in table tennis to be a winner.

  1. Table tennis is a sport in which every player makes many mistakes
  2. You can win till the last point
  3. Concentration must be high and consistent at every point and up to the last
  4. You have to react positively immediately after every single mistake
  5. The service is decisive
  6. It is necessary to have a specific pre-race routine
  7. It is necessary to have a routine between the points
  8. Even the champions are in trouble but they know what to do to get out of it.
  9. In defense: play an extra ball!
  10. Chen Bin, coach of Ding Ning, Olympic gold medalist: “Table tennis is not just about hitting the ball on the table, you have to return the ball, you have to feel how the ball comes towards you, and visualize how your ball will end up on the opponent’s table when you hit it again”

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Psychological intervention with the sport dance national team

Published on May 15, 2018 in Allenatori, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching and Stress. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

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The psychological reasons of the negative momentum of the Italian football team

Published on October 9, 2017 in Allenatori, Calcio, Generale, Giovani, Mental coaching and Stress. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

The reasons for the negative performances of the national football team are also psychological and it seems that this kind of explanation has not been taken into consideration by Ventura, national ct, while in this respect most significant players, primarily Buffon, Chiellini and Barzagli have expressed ideas quite clear. It all started from the statements following the defeat with Spain. Ventura said that the players were professionals who would have been able to react positively to 3-0 right away and that this result could not have had any negative impact on the confidence of the team. Opposed were the words of Buffon after the last match with Macedonia:

Then, the national team to get out of this negative phase needs: confidence, awareness of one’s own strength, know getting up after defeats, know help, have fun, be uninhibited and positive. But the team was set to these principles? And what was plan B (what you do in place when things are not going in the right way) before the matches with Spain and with Macedonia? How are players helped during the camps to empower this mindset suggested by Buffon and underlying any winning mentality? Certainly it is true that psychological skills are acquired over time rather than a weekend. Also, some players have no place in their club team and so they have no way to test themselves frequently, in matches that you must absolutely win. Nonetheless I would like to heard, at least once, the coach say that meet some psychological difficulties is part of the game and that just because the players are professionals, the team is  also working on the mental approach to the game and how to play with a winning mentality. Then may the best team win.

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The psychologist with the Italian youth futsal team

Published on December 24, 2014 in Calcio, Mental coaching and Stress. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Emiliano Bernardi, sport psychologist working with Cei Consulting, he’s consultant with the Italian youth  futsal national team during the camp in Rieti.

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Italy without sense of belonging: 3 sports, 3 stories

Published on September 1, 2014 in Calcio, Generale and Giovani. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Today I read three news coming from different sports, they seem to have a common denominator, reflecting the shortage in our country of the sense of belonging.

  1.  The first concerns Alessio Cerci, young football player of Torino going to play with Atletico Madrid, champion of Spain. So another young Italian footballer leaves our country (as Verratti, Immobile, Balotelli and others) without that some clubs has done everything is possible to keep him. Certainly he will be very satisfied, like the others, for the chance to play in one of the European strongest team and for the salary but I remain convinced that a country that wants to be successful should retain talent rather than let them go. We can say that our clubs habe not done the war to have the best.
  2. The second concerns the Italian volleyball team that lost in the opening match of the world championship 3-1 against Iran. Italy has appeared unmotivated and not very aggressive, this led to a percentage of embarrassing mistakes. Iran has shown the opposite attitude and deserved the victory. You can win or lose a game, but after months of work you cannot begin an important match with the attitude of one who is destined to suffer. Italians thought of winning easily? I do not think, they had already lost against Iran. In the field they have not had a leader capable of keeping the team united and aggressive, making them feel the importance of  the that match. Attitudes should be obvious by now; the players should know very well how to deal with these negative moments and stimulating each other a sense of belonging.
  3. The third concerns Daniele Meucci, winner of the marathon to the last European Championship. To continue to study, gave 60 engineering exams in five years, and runs 180km a week. At university, he never said it was in the national team, because they probably would not understand, and he runs out in the morning at 6 am and then again in the evening up to 20, with the caretaker of the camp that complains to him because he would like to close the track before the scheduled time. Another example of how Italy does not help the sport, there is no sense of community with athletes and it’s not stimulated even in this case, the sense of belonging. And rightly Meucci says, “I’ll do the engineer: athletics goes, life remains.”

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The sport psychologist role in the national team

Published on September 26, 2013 in Olimpiadi and Stress. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

It was held at the Sports School of Italian Olympic Committee a workshop about the role of different professionals, who work in the national team before and during major sport events. In relation to the role of the sport psychologist I have highlighted what are the main activities to be carried out:

  • The essential psychological preparation has been carried out previously
  • Do not introduce new strategies and procedures, but to help athletes to follow their habits
  • The psychologist should not be obsessed with “doing”
  • Provide 24 hours of service and availability to advise in any environment
  • The sport psychologist must be prepared to the uniqueness of the Olympic Games
  • Follow the program prepared earlier
  • Being responsive and effective
  • Promote the use of routine and daily plans
  • Help athletes stay focused on the competition without being distracted from the atmosphere of the Olympic village
  • Helping athletes and coaches not to put too much emphasis on race
  • Helping the team to create a positive atmosphere and facilitating effective solutions
  • Being psychologically prepared to support the coaches
  • Develop strategies for the management of interpersonal relationships
  • Check and manage the interpersonal communication between staff members: free time management, relations with the head of team delegation and federal managers, media management

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Great the Italian football team; but next year it will be necessary a better mental condition

Published on July 1, 2013 in Allenatori, Calcio, Mental coaching and Stress. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

The Italian football team has played in the tournament  growing every match in determination and toughness, that is what journalists are defined in terms of  ”playing with the heart.” It’s certainly a psychological skill extremely positive and important in view of the World Cup of the next year. I am convinced that another field to better know each player and the team as a whole is to identify the strengths and weaknesses with regard to the focus skills and situations during the match that may affect it in a negative way. In fact, the Italian team while proving to be quite tenacious and combative but in some matches it lived phases of mental emptiness, lack of concentration, which has undergone many goals. In addition, during a long competition like the football world cup, the players need to know how to recover from the mental fatigue and not just physical. Knowing how to relax can become a winning strategy to minimize mental fatigue and to focus on the next game effectively. Balance between concentration and relaxation represents a point of arrival to provide excellent performances. A year separates us from this great sport event and I hope they do not continue to think only of the physical recovery and athletic condition but Prandelli also wants to use a more scientific approach to the management of mental abilities.

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The new psychological maturity of the Italian rugby team

Published on March 17, 2013 in Allenatori and Generale. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

Italy rugby has always been a nice unfinished, sometimes it won a game but usually it fell so ruinous by the more relevant teams. Some weeks ago Brunel, the national coach, said that any team can make an exploit and win a game, but the teams technically and psychologically mature are able to win others and to be competitive. This season, Italy had behaved in this way a few times, winning against France and playing on par with the British and quite well with New Zealand, but then it was lost again with Wales and Scotland. In other words, he had lost games who would win, Wales and Scotland, where then the greater was the competitive pressure, which stemmed from the knowledge that they can get a positive result; whereas it was certain to lose and so scarce was the level of pressure, the team played its best games while losing. This showed that the technical-tactical and physical condition were good but lacked the confidence to play with opponents of the same level, where the difference was much more the team played less obsessed by the result and this has allowed it to play better. The match against Ireland was then a good opportunity for the national team to prove that it was able to play to win against an opponent of equal level and, therefore, in a situation of maximum competitive pressure. The national team has won and then passed this test of maturity and it’s not been casual the team did many points with kicks which have always been a weak point and on the contrary in this game have been placed at the sign.

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