Sports Psychology Perspectives on Cognitive Aspects in Shaping the Pathways of Young Football Players in Indonesia and Malaysia

Cognitive aspects play a crucial role in the developmental pathway of football players in Indonesia and Malaysia, especially in building the foundation for young players to develop holistically. Children's cognition needs to be trained to improve playing intelligence, decision-making skills, understanding of their abilities and the ability to adapt to the high-pressure level of competitive football for players. This research aims to provide information regarding the cognitive aspect. This research focuses on the perspectives of coaches regarding football players. The study employs qualitative methods involving 25 coaches from Indonesia and Malaysia with a football coaching license and a minimum of five years of coaching experience. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews, field observations, and document analysis, which were analyzed using NVivo 14 software. The results showed that using imagery helps players imagine complex game situations so that mental readiness to face challenges can be done well. In addition, cognitive abilities are also associated with concentration, which helps maximize the ability to focus on the match. It is essential to deal with pressure to make decisions. The integration of cognitive training is vital to be applied by coaches as a strategy to develop the ability to control emotions and focus on spatial vision clearly so that young players can optimize their physical and mental potential and create potential football players in the future.