Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

Asian Soccer Star, London – Football centres of excellence or academies are what all young, talented footballers are aiming to get signed to. But before we even think about these centres of excellence, Asian Soccer Star readers need to understand where the real centre of excellence lay.

Aristotle first laid the foundations for the real centre of excellence when he said  “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

For those that relate to a more modern day sporting icon,  Shaquille O’Neal was spot on when he said “Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do”.

So what does this mean for our Asian Soccer Star readers?

It means that excellence is something every young football player should aim to achieve in every area of their game. And if excellence is achieved through repetition then players must form positive habits.

Dr. Maxwell Maltz, in a book titled ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’ introduced the 21-day concept.

Dr Maxwell Maltz was originally a plastic surgeon and noticed that it took 21 days for amputees to cease feeling phantom sensations in the amputated limb. From further observations he found it took 21 days to create a new habit.

What this basically means is that the human brain produces neuro-connections and neuro-pathways only if they are bombarded for 21 days in a row; in fact 21-days is the minimum and 30-days is the accepted norm to change old habits or formulate new habits.

Whether it’s a particular skill, a positive self-image, confidence, quick feet, awareness, technical or tactical understanding or any other part of the game; research says that you can form a habit, good or bad, by practicing it everyday for 30-days.

This rule applies not on to the game of football, but to life in general, so go ahead and try it… what have you got to lose?