We haven't won a game all season. How do I boost confidence?

Despite your poor run this season, spirits remain high, the chances are you are doing many of the good things well already.

It sounds as if many of your players take on board something called a ‘growth mindset’ – that means they will recover from setbacks by believing they can improve and the outcome next time might be different. The alternative to this is a ‘fixed mindset’, essentially players lacking the belief to think they can improve.

Vocal encouragement and an overall positive outlook on the sport feeds this mindset, and by all means feel free to inject humour into training. It reduces the element of pressure.

But if you’re looking for a visible, physical boost, how about altering parameters in the warm-up that you do before a game? On a practice pitch, experiment with making the goals smaller, or play games in a very tight area where players don’t have much time on the ball. Alternatively, instruct players to only use their ‘wrong’ foot, or perhaps use a size three or four ball instead of the standard size five.

This will be tough on your youngsters but you’ll find that when the match begins, and they are free of all these conditions and the task is easier, then the goals will ‘appear’ bigger, as will the pitch and the ball!

They’ll instantly sense a boost in confidence and, psychologically, they will find the task in hand easier.

Answered by Mark Smith, a Chartered Sports Psychologist from Nottingham.