“Less Efficient” or “Bad”? What I Learned at Soccer Practice Last Week!

Mindset Made Simple Tip #265 - Watch it HERE! 

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Last week, I had the privilege of spending a full day with the Elizabethtown women’s soccer team. We spent a lot of time discussing resets, mindsets, and how both directly impact performance. But what really struck me wasn’t something that came up in our conversation; it was what I noticed while they were simply playing.

During one of their warm-up drills, the pace was fast. They were packed into a pretty small space on the field. The ball zipped from one player to another, touches weren’t always clean and some passes weren’t perfect. But here’s the thing: nobody stopped. Nobody threw their arms up in frustration. Nobody dwelled. The ball kept moving, and so did they.

It hit me at that moment! These players didn’t have time to label anything a mistake. Instead, each touch, whether perfect or not, simply became the bridge to the next action. That’s when I thought: what if we stopped thinking things are SO BAD or SO WRONG and instead started thinking “that wasn’t as efficient as it could have been”?

All of this reminded me of Tim Gallwey’s classic, The Inner Game of Tennis. Gallwey talks about how quickly we label things as “good” or “bad,” “right” or “wrong.” A shot that lands inside the line is “good,” a shot that misses is “bad.” But when we attach those labels, we feed judgment, and judgment distracts us from what’s actually useful…the feedback the action just gave us.

Gallwey argues that the ball itself doesn’t care whether the shot was good or bad. It simply landed where it landed. The same is true in soccer. A pass doesn’t know if it was “terrible.” It just went where it went. What matters is what you do next.

I use the example with teams of you, your opponent and the official. In volleyball, tennis, soccer, and all sports that have fair and foul lines, if the ball goes out of bounds when you are on offense, you label it as “bad.” But your opponent loves it! And the official, she doesn’t care…it’s in or out. Plain and simple!

We give meaning to events…and that meaning changes our performance. Now, there is no doubt that in or out matters in the game, but how we manage it matters more (if I dare say 😊).

That’s where a powerful reframe comes in. As I was watching this game in grids at practice, I thought, “That may not have been the most efficient way to do that, but they kept going…and that moved the ball…and the game ahead!” Then I thought, instead of calling something “bad,” what if we call it “less efficient.”

Now, let’s be clear, calling a pass less efficient is not about sugarcoating or lowering standards. It’s not a euphemism, and it’s not letting poor play slide. It’s a mental performance tool.

Why? Because when we label something “bad,” we invite frustration, self-criticism, and distraction, none of which help us correct the issue in real time.

But when we label it “less efficient,” we acknowledge the gap without the emotional baggage.

It keeps us accountable and action-oriented. The standard of excellence remains; the only thing that changes is how we frame the moment so we can move toward a better rep faster.

Science backs this up.

Research on error management training shows that when people view mistakes as information rather than failure, they learn faster and adapt more effectively. Other studies on post-error slowing reveal that when we dwell on errors, our bodies literally slow down on the next action without any real improvement in accuracy. In other words, rumination costs us time without buying us results.

Even more, research on reappraisal, the act of reframing a situation in real-time, demonstrates that when we shift how we interpret a moment, performance improves. Instead of, “That was terrible,” we think, “That wasn’t ideal, but it kept play alive. Now, how do I make the next touch more efficient?” That kind of framing moves us into solution mode instead of frustration mode.

But how can we make the shift? Run a simple skill sequence…passing in soccer, free throws in basketball, ground balls in softball, swings in tennis, even putting in golf. After each rep, athletes must describe what happened in neutral, factual terms (e.g., “it was high,” “off my heel,” “short of target”) instead of “good” or “bad.” In the next round, add a quick reframe: “Less efficient because ___. Next time I’ll ___.” This strips away judgment, keeps attention on improvement and speeds up resets…all exactly as Tim Gallwey described in his classic book!

Imagine the time and energy we could save if we changed our language in this way. Instead of battling frustration or distraction, we’d free ourselves to see the opportunity in every action. Less efficient → more efficient. That’s progress.

So here’s your challenge this week: catch yourself in those moments where you’re tempted to call something “bad.” Replace it with “less efficient” or something that makes sense to you. See how it changes your next move, your focus and your energy.

When we stop labeling actions as good or bad, we strip away the drama. We keep the focus where it belongs…on the next move. That’s what the Elizabethtown players reminded me: the game doesn’t wait, and neither should we.

Thanks to the Blue Jays for the reminder. Soccer doesn’t care how we feel or what we say…but we do…and we can always choose our thoughts and words…and they directly affect our performance!

Manage the moments…and your judgements!

Julie

P.S. What are you waiting for? You know your team can get better with better focus and self-talk. Let me take the work off your plate and put together a synchronous or asynchronous program to help your team master the metal game! Shoot me an email or text – juliej@ssbperformance.com or 234-206-0946

Julie Jones

Mental Performance Coach

SSB Performance

www.ssbperformance.com

juliej@ssbperformance.com • 234-206-0946