Your body is trained.
Your head too?
Nervous before the throw-off, mistakes in your head, only on the bench, pressure from all sides? Here you'll find short exercises and honest tips you can use in your next training or game.
What's going on with you right now?
Tap what fits. You'll get a short article with an exercise – not a test, not a diagnosis.
Exercises for the sports hall
30 seconds to 3 minutes. Works in the changing room, on the bench, and on the way home.
RESET
When: In the 20 seconds immediately after a mistake – a mispass, a goal conceded, a missed chance.
- 1Breathe out.
- 2Look at a fixed point outside.
- 3Relax your shoulders.
- 4Mentally state your next action.
One word, one task
When: Whenever you come back in: before throw-off, after the timeout, after every substitution.
- 1Ask yourself: What's my job now?
- 2Formulate them as an action, not a result.
- 3Shorten them to one word: 'Legs'. 'Look'. 'Contact'.
- 4Say the word quietly three times.
Exhale for twice as long as you inhale
When: When your pulse races: just before the throw-off, before the 7-metre throw, or right after a timeout.
- 1Stand firm. Feel your feet.
- 2Breathe in calmly for 4 seconds.
- 3Breathe out for 8 seconds, as if through a straw.
- 4Two more times. Count silently.
Look outwards
When: When you only listen to yourself or look towards the stands – between two plays or before the throw-off.
- 1Find a fixed point: goal crossbar, line, ball.
- 2Look at him for 3 seconds without judging.
- 3Widen your view: where are my teammates?
- 4Define the first action.
Three questions instead of overthinking
When: After the game, at the earliest on the way home – not immediately after the final whistle and not at night.
- 1What went well today? One thing is enough.
- 2What was hard? Objectively, without judgement.
- 3What am I taking into the next training session? One thing.
- 4Say: "Done for today."
Rephrase sentence
When: When a thought like "I'm really bad today" runs through your head – during a break or after the game.
- 1Listen: What's the narrative right now?
- 2Ask: Is that a fact or a judgment?
- 3Turn that into an observation: 'Two misplaced passes' instead of 'I'm useless'.
- 4Attach an action: "Next ball: safe."
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30 seconds, no account, nothing to install. A breathing exercise you can use before your next 7-metre throw.
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These contents are knowledge and training offerings from sport psychology. They do not replace psychotherapy, medical treatment, or professional sport psychological support.