Sitting out the action, crocked and useless is the bane of every footballer's life.
As well as the physical challenge, insecurities, negative thoughts and self doubt plague the mind to make it a psychological battle.
It takes great mental strength to stay positive during a long injury lay-off. To help you get through a spell on the sidelines FFT spoke to Peak Performance coach Tom Bates.
"Being injured is never a great time for a player – it is automatically a time when they can be down in the dumps - the world becomes a terribly negative place," explained Bates.
"If you suffer an injury, consider it your greatest challenge to surround yourself with people, places, music and other things that give you and support your energy."
The Freeradio Grass Roots Football Show is the biggest grass roots football event in Europe. For more information on this year’s event at the Birmingham NEC on May 25-27 visitwww.grassrootsfootball.co.uk
Also see:
Staying performance focused before kick-off
Coping with being dropped
Staying confident during a goal-drought
Mind map to your perfect season
Off-season mind gym
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