Talking to yourself might make you a better soccer player

This study looked at whether using specific self-talk phrases can help soccer forwards (strikers) perform better and feel less stress. Thirty-six male university players were split into three groups: one used motivational self-talk (like 'I can do this'), another used instructional self-talk (like 'keep your eye on the ball'), and a control group used no special technique. Over six weeks, researchers measured their shooting accuracy, game performance, and stress levels to see which approach worked best.