"I feel like I'm not really there anymore, I'm overthinking, I feel slow." This is the testimony of one of the professional players guided by mental health coach Laurent Edriat, highlighting an often overlooked truth: "Everyone talks about physical recovery, cold baths, stretching, nutrition. But what about mental recovery? Nobody," laments the consultant at the Paris based Red Star F.C. academy, who has implemented a protocol for his players' recovery between matches. "Right after the match, I recommend turning off your phone for two hours to allow your brain to 'decompress' before processing your performance. That same evening, the player should establish a breathing ritual: '4 seconds inhale, 7 seconds hold, and 8 seconds exhale,' to calm the nervous system. The next morning, it's time for 10 minutes of positive visualization of the next match, to reprogram your mind for what's to come. Finally, 48 hours before the following match, you need to transform your stress into excitement," explains the specialist. The result? "My player followed these four steps and maintained the same level of intensity in consecutive matches." A useful reminder for coaches and their players: recovery isn't just about the body.
Like Ronald Araujo, FC Barcelona defender, players need to recover mentally. Laurent Edriat reveals his four steps to optimise this process / ©Icon Sport