Mindfulness Training in Professional Soccer

Abstract

This chapter offers a practitioner’s account of implementing a meditation-based mindfulness training (MT) intervention with a professional male soccer team in Norway. Drawing on prior research with military aviators, the author walks through each phase of the intervention—from initial meetings with the coach and players, through a 10-hour introductory course, four plenary follow-up sessions over four months, and a final debrief. Key themes include the importance of leadership buy-in, transparent communication about both the benefits and limitations of MT, and strategic management of skepticism. The author describes five common obstacles players encountered—restlessness, the search for optimal conditions, falling asleep, becoming less accepting, and slipping into autopilot—and provides practical guidance for addressing each. The chapter concludes with reflections on what worked, what could be improved, and what remains unknown about MT’s direct impact on soccer performance. Despite its limitations, the intervention demonstrates that mindfulness training can be feasibly and meaningfully implemented in elite sport, with reported benefits including reduced stress, improved focus, and a calmer team atmosphere.