Why Wout Weghorst uses mental exercises before matches

Wout Weghorst’s unusual pre-match routine helped attract attention before FC Twente’s meeting with PSV Eindhoven, but a professor of neuropsychology says the striker’s movements may help prepare both his mind and body for action.

The Netherlands international was seen carrying out a series of mental exercises before the start of the second half in the Dutch league match. Some supporters mocked the routine, finding the gestures performed by the tall forward somewhat strange.

However, ESPN spoke to Erik Scherder, a professor of neuropsychology, to examine the possible impact of the exercises.

“To move your hands, you need large parts of your cerebral cortex,” Scherder said. “After all, your hands have unparalleled coordination. By doing this, you activate large areas of your brain. You are simply preparing your body. In doing so, you activate your brain.”

Scherder said the routine could also help Weghorst increase his alertness and reach the right mental state for the match.

“He is preparing himself and bringing himself into the right state of mind,” the Dutch professor added.

Scherder explained that similar routines are often seen in other sports, although he said football presents a more complicated challenge.

“We see this often with high jumpers as they prepare to jump,” he said. “But football is more complicated, so perhaps Weghorst saw it once and thought: ‘This suits me too.’

“Everyone has their own method, but I have not noticed a specific pattern that makes me think: you have to do this if you are going to play football.”

The routine was followed by a decisive contribution from Weghorst, who scored twice in the closing stages as FC Twente came from behind to beat defending champions PSV Eindhoven 3-2 in round seven.

He found the net in the 79th and 83rd minutes, completing the comeback and securing a victory that inflicted PSV Eindhoven’s first defeat of the season.

The result lifted FC Twente to 16 points, level with PSV Eindhoven in fourth place. Weghorst’s two goals also took his total for the campaign to four, leaving him second in the Dutch league’s goalscoring standings.