Mental Toughness
It is comforting to know that every goalkeeper, throughout the history of the game, has experienced at some time, the utter despair of making mistakes that have cost crucial goals. Sometimes these mistakes are highlighted as the error affects the result of a game or even the fortunes of a whole season. The 24 hours immediately after the game are the worst, when the goalkeeper constantly re-lives the incidents in their mind, longing for the next training session when they can un-do the mistakes of the last game.
It is how a goalkeeper deals with the mistake that truely sets the great goalkeepers apart from the rest. Rather than let one mistake or poor performance damage confidence and lead to poor form, they put the mistake down to experience and work hard in training to ensure it does not happen again.
No-one can turn the clock back. We can only deal with the present, and by adopting this attitude the keeper should be able to concentrate on the remainder of the match. Unless a goalkeper can handle the pressure of dealing with mistakes they will never fulfil their potential.
There are three ways in which a goalkeeper typically responds to a mistake in a match.
- Looses confidence in ability and goes into their shell, frightened to continue their game the way they know they should do.
- In a desperate attempt to undo their mistake, the goalkeeper will go for balls that are not for them, leading to more mistakes.
- The correct way is to mentally tough, and to play a normal game, forgetting the mistake and working on being as consistant as possible.
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Leon is Regional Director for UK International Soccer Camps