Although Mental Toughness and Resilience training is a growing field and many of the best referees benefit from using it, there is still a lot of confusion around what it actually is. I’m often asked questions about what I do, so I decided to write this blog to try and answer some of them:
What Do Mental Toughness & Resilience Trainers Actually Do?
As a Mental Toughness & Resilience trainer, I work one-to-one, and in groups with officials to help them improve their performance and give them that edge required on matchday. Where fitness coaches work with the referees on their physical performance, I work with the referees’ minds. Mental Toughness & Resilience trainers can help officals to achieve their goals.
This may include working to overcome any problems they may be facing, such as nerves. But I don’t just work with the referee on problems, we also work together to improve all areas of performance. I want to help the official become better in every way, whether that’s helping prepare for appointments, coming back from injury, developing a pre-match routine, or just developing their mindset and skills so they train better.
I spend a lot of time listening to the referees I work with and working out what will help them the most. I offer solutions mainly in the form of practical techniques and methods that the individual official can use, both at home and out on the field of play.
How Does Mental Toughness & Resilience Training Work?
I usually have clients approaching The Third Team asking about Mental Toughness & Resilience Training and what I can offer them. The process begins with an initial meeting, which can be in person or via Zoom, where I ask some questions and get to know the official and what they’d like help with.
From there, we set out a plan together for moving forward, including how often we will meet and what the sessions will look like. Then, in each session I will work with the referee, providing them with strategies and techniques to help them improve their performance.
My support isn’t just limited to the sessions I set out however, I am there for the officials who choose to be clients signed up to a retainer at arranged times, whether that be on the phone the night before a key fixture or booking in an extra session at times when they need more support.
My overall aim to is give Third Team clients as many tools as possible that they can use to perform at their best.
How Does Mental Toughness & Resilience Training Help Referees?
Engaging in Mental Toughness & Resilience training can help you in a wide range of areas. Here are some of the areas I help my officials with:
- Reducing their nerves and fears
- Improving their confidence
- Improving their focus when training and on matchday
- Directing their attention to the right things
- Developing their composure before a fixture
- Helping them to believe and trust in themselves
- Developing their attitude and mindset
- Providing them with strategies and techniques they can use
This all helps referees to perform better under pressure and reach their full potential.
Do You Just Fix Referees’ Problems?
People assume that when an official is working with a Mental Toughness & Resilience trainer, it’s because something is wrong with them and they need help. But this isn’t always the case. People sometimes work with me simply to improve on their skills and practice techniques to give them that matchday edge.
It’s not just focusing on bad things – it can include working with the referee to analyse what they’ve done well and how they can carry on improving. I am giving them strategies to use when performing to help them with all areas of their performance, not just the bits they struggle with.
I am the extra person in their team, that is there to listen to them and support them with their training and preparation for appointments.
Is a Mental Toughness & Resilience Trainer Just Like a Therapist or Counsellor?
People hear that I work on the psychology of refereeing and think I am like a therapist or counsellor, sitting on the sofa talking to an official and making them get better. But this isn’t all that I do.
As explained above, it’s not just about working with referees who have problems. I work with all types of officials to help and contribute to them becoming the best referee that they can be. The focus is on performance and how you can deal with the pressures of training and and matchdays, to help you improve and perform to your best when it matters.
Who Do Mental Toughness & Resilience Trainers Work With?
Mental Toughness & Resilience trainers, such as myself for example, work with a range of officials, from the grassroots to the professional game, and all of varying ages. Some people argue that it is only for elite referees who need to perform under extreme pressures, but Mental Toughness & Resilience techniques can very much apply and transfer to those operating in the grassroots game. Even when officiating is a hobby, most people want to improve their performance to some extent.
In my work at The Third Team, I have worked with lots of different referees, young and old and who operate at a range of different levels and in different continents. Some of these include the UK & Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, France, Hungary, New Zealand, the Philippines and many many more. My officials operate at a variety of levels, from youth football, basketball, rugby to semi-professional football, cricket, hockey, lacrosse, to professional football leagues such as the EFL, Serie A, Major League Soccer, A-League and La Liga amongst others, in addition to Olympic boxing and martial arts.
One of the questions I’m most asked is, who is the most high profile referee you have worked with? Something important in the world of Mental Toughness & Resilience training is confidentiality. This relates to practitioners not revealing their clients’ identity, or what their concerns or treatments are. This is important because this is the client’s personal information, and they should get to decide if they want this known or not.
So, I am not allowed to disclose which officials I work with.
Final Reflections
If you want to boost your performance and become the best referee you can be, working with a Mental Toughness & Resilience trainer will help you do just that! I want to help you reach your full potential, overcome your fears and perform with confidence!
At The Third Team I work individually and in collaboration with different professionals where I have developed workshops and 1-2-1 sessions associated with Resilience and Mental Toughness Development to help referees. The workshops and 1-2-1 sessions are interactive, where referees are encouraged to open up and share their experiences to help themselves and each other.
Feel free to contact me if you’d like to know more about my workshops or 1-2-1 sessions and how I could help you or your officials.
Best Wishes,
Nathan Sherratt
Referee Educator & Managing Director of The Third Team
Nathan Sherratt
Nathan Sherratt, Referee Educator, Resilience Trainer and Managing Director of The Third Team. A Mental Toughness Practitioner based in County Durham, North East England.