I heard this a long time ago, and it has always struck me as nonsense. Sure, mindgames are useful, but for elite athletes technique is second nature. In soccer,

I heard this a long time ago, and it has always struck me as nonsense. Sure, mindgames are useful, but for elite athletes technique is second nature. In soccer, you're better off telling someone their sister is a whore (ie Materazzi to Zidane), kicking them in the heels, or exaggerating contact. Maybe complementing someone works better in individual sports like golf or tennis, but even then I think it would only work on the naive. I've gotten compliments in the middle of soccer games, and I usually laugh them off. I can't imagine being fooled with that sort of amateurish tactic.