It's decided in the head - In pursuit of the secret of success in Kecskemét

In the new section of NB1.hu entitled "it is decided in the head", psychologist Levente Szántai, former NB I football goalkeeper, tried to find an answer to the secret of Kecskemét TE's great performance.

Source: It is decided in the head - Following the secret of success in Kecskemét - NB1.hu

Source: kecskemetite.hu

How is it possible that the team with one of the smallest budgets in the OTP Bank League, the second lowest average age, and thus the smallest NB I routine, is in second place before the spring start? Along with many professionals, this question is also exciting for me, which is why I examined success from the sports psychology point of view. I prepared the sports psychology analysis based on KTE interviews and video recordings published over the past two years.

Growth mindset
According to the growth mindset, talent is a fundamental component of success, but it is not enough by itself. With the right amount of effort, talented players become truly outstanding. This kind of thinking is characteristic of the employees of the Kecskemét club, from the owner, through the coach, through the players, to the doorman.
As part of the system, KTE footballers renew themselves week after week, working hard and consistently in training, leading a sportsman's lifestyle off the field as well.
The attitude in Kecskemét is that if someone makes a mistake, they correct it together as a team. As a result, mistakes are seen as an opportunity for development, which is an essential condition for becoming outstanding. This also includes the fact that the Kecskemét head coach realistically evaluates what he saw in the match, if necessary, criticizing his players and acknowledging the opponent's efforts.

Goal setting, realistic result goals and process goals
An essential element of conscious career building is that the club's management, the coach and the players have realistically achievable short, medium and long-term goals. It is then necessary to continuously monitor these goals and, if the situation requires, to modify them. Even before the start of the season, the players mentioned obtaining a minimum of 36-40 points as the long-term goal necessary to fight for staying in the league. At the third of the championship - which can be considered a medium-term goal in this case - the team has already collected half of this, so 20 points. And as a short-term goal, we can think of preparing for the current matches in this case. In addition to the fact that the players focus on achievement goals that can be achieved in terms of points, a key issue is whether process goals also appear in their case. During process goals, they focus on what they have effect on. A good example of this is the tactical formation they use, which they practice a lot during the week, and although little changes may appear during a match, they basically focus on their own strengths.

Consistency, trust, supportive attitude
Consistency has a stress-relieving, anxiety-reducing effect in a player's career. The head coach from Kecskemét consistently accepts the current game system, which can also be used in the longer term. The professionals of Kecskemét use a system of criteria designed for specific positions, based on game skills, physical parameters, mental and sportsmanship aspects. Another good example of consistency is that, according to one of their players, even if they weren't doing so well, they would still have order and discipline.
The club, including the owner, provides a calm atmosphere for the team's functioning, as well as the framework after promotion, which strengthens stability and a trusting atmosphere. This trust is available for everyone in Kecskemét and benefits everyone from that. In addition, the use of rotation maintains equality between players, which increases the healthy competitive spirit of joining the team.


An excellent pedagogical sense is necessary so that the athletes can accept the coach's criticism. For this, they need to feel that their coach gives feedback on their performance with good intentions and in their interest. The "nice word can even open an iron door" type of functioning indicates that there is a supportive presence by the head coach of Kecskemét, István Szabó, during communication with the players. This is how a coach, as a reference person, can convey such values ​​to his players as consistency, trust, credibility and mutual support. These values ​​can also be observed among teammates during league matches.

For the emergence of the basic psychological need to belong somewhere, for the formation and maintenance of the consciousness that "We are a team", it is necessary that a task-oriented and relationship-oriented atmosphere be present in the life of a team. The task-oriented atmosphere is aided by jointly developed rules, as was also done in Kecskemét. Because the players participated in the creation of the policy, they became committed to it and could identify with its contents. This increases the sense of responsibility, which ultimately serves the presence of sportsman behavior on and off the field. The relationship-oriented atmosphere is supported by the celebration of birthdays, as well as the fact that, in some cases, players can be more happy about a team-mate's goal than their own. In this way, the club, coach and player can function as a secondary family, where there is a place for a good atmosphere and mutual respect. The result of this is that the players like to go to training, the team captain gives interview with an ear-to-ear smile after scoring his first NB I goal at the age of 30. 

Intrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivation is when a player is only motivated by money and changes teams accordingly. Before the match against Ferencváros, one of the fans from Kecskemét said that luckily their players have not been infected by money yet, they drive from the heart. This is confirmed by the fact that it is important for the KTE team to consider the mental aspect when selecting a player. Sometimes it is difficult for a footballer to get to where he belongs, but if he gets a chance, he will be grateful for the trust. This is a strong intrinsic motivation. Kecskemét football players are hungry for success and want to prove their place among the best. This is also true for loan players, who are partly building their own careers, but the team also benefits from their good performance. The coach regularly uses new motivational tools, according to the needs of the team. My favorite story is when they were in NB II, with eight rounds before the end, he drew a podium on the dressing room board, on which there were still eight steps left until the end of the championship. Then, after each game day, he wrote down another number: seven, six, and so on. Because of this, they were still dealing with the current opponent, what mattered was that they won that weekend.
 
Is it even possible to explore the secret of Kecskemét's success, or is it better to understand it? In 2008, the team of Kecskemét beat FTC and won the Eastern group of the NB II, making it to the top for the first time in its history. In their first year, they finished in 5th place in the first division championship, and in 2011, the 100th year of their existence, they were able to celebrate a cup victory. Since the club's exclusion from NB I in 2015, they have continuously made efforts to return to the highest division by fighting its way up from 4th class. Over the years, consistent work and the desire to improve have become part of the club's internal culture, which are manifested in actions instead of empty words. Their success story is unique in its kind, which is why it cannot be copied, although it is recommended that other clubs also consider the mentioned sports psychology elements.

The case of one of my athletes comes to mind from the history of KTE. The 15-year-old player really wanted a brand-name football shoe, the price of which is close to HUF 100,000. Since the family's financial situation did not allow it, he worked as a construction worker on weekends in addition to training and school. When the money was collected, he bought it with great excitement and joy. During one of our counseling sessions, I asked him how he felt about his shoes. He replied that he can appreciate it very much, he cleans it after every training and proudly plays in it, because it includes his efforts, how he got the football shoe. Plus, he plays well in it. This is what is happening now with the Kecskemét team.


Levente Szántai is a psychologist and former NB I football player

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