Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A soccer goalkeeper has to be crazy, and a little bit anti-social. To be 100% in my soccer goalie personality I do fit the bill of the stereotypical goalkeeper mindset. That doesn’t mean though that if you’re outgoing and if you’re an all around normal person you can’t be a good goalkeeper. What’s really important to have in terms of a mindset to be a good soccer goalie? The first thing that’s important to point out is that the experience of playing in goal and playing anywhere else on the field is different. Training is going to be 100% different and psychological throughout the game your mindset does have to be different. We do have to develop thicker skin in general.
You have to understand that any mistake that you make as a goalkeeper is potentially going to have worse consequences than even the worst blunder that another player can make. Let’s just be honest about this, there are people who can’t deal with it. I’ve seen folks with a ton of talent not reach their full potential because they essentially weren’t able to develop the right soccer goalie personality. In fact, I could make the argument that this was the biggest reason why I wasn’t in the pro game for a longer period. I’m going to be drawing on personal experiences and my psychology courses in college for this article. By no means though, do I intend to make it sound like I’m a trained psychiatrist writing this article. What I am is a trained goalkeeper. I can tell you what you’re going to be facing out there.
Soccer Goalie Personality – Do You Have To Be Crazy?
This is the most common myth about goalkeepers. To be honest I’ve met a fair share of colleges through the years that really embody this idea. In fact, to be fair a lot of people I’ve met along the way may say the same thing about myself. Do you have to be crazy though? Not really, but there are a couple of things that you do have to do that are going to make you different and make people think that you’re crazy. Those elements of the game are essentially a prerequisite to be able to be successful in goal. The most tangible thing that you have to be able to do as a goalkeeper that will make people think you’re crazy is to put your body in harm’s way.
A lot of the things that we do in goalkeeper training are aimed at making sure that you are able to protect yourself and be safer in goal. Even knowing how to dive properly is a way to keep yourself safer. When you really look at it though, how many people would be willing to dive head first into an incoming shot if necessary? Who is able to put their body in a position to cover as much of the goal as possible? Even if that means taking a ball to the face or that part of your body where life begins. These things are unnatural in every sense. Resnobale people would try to avoid them. So, it has to be said that you do have to be a little on the wacky side at least.
The Highly Social Introvert Dilemma In Goalkeepers
This issue is very similar to one that we were referencing before. In the sense that, you have to handle things differently than maybe normal people would or even your teammates will. For a lot of us going to get the ball when it hits the back of the net makes us die a little bit inside. You have to deal with a lot of personal situations within a game. Many times you’re just alone with your thoughts. At the same time you have to be engaged particularly with your defense to make sure that they are always in the right position. You have to be very talkative. Maybe even more so than the other players on the team, yet you’re the one that is always alone.
In my personal experience I always found this dilema difficult. I was an introvert in my personal life, still am, that’s why I work alone in a room! The crazy part came naturally, the talkative part, not so much. The struggle is real for a lot of us introverts. To have to go out and maybe yell at teammates at a certain point. The best way to cope with this is to build relationships off the field. Make sure that the people we play with understand that what happens on the field doesn’t have to impact whatever goes on off the field at all.
Soccer Goalie Personality – Mistake Recognition
Another counterintuitive aspect of a soccer goalkeeper personality that you have to develop. Acknowledging that you made a mistake is the first step to fixing these issues and making sure that they don’t happen in the future. Now, if you make a mistake during the game it’s important to acknowledge it and move past it! The next play is coming and you don’t want to be mentally stuck on the previous. We see some of the greats in today’s game struggle with this big time. In the analysis that I made of goalkeeper mistakes a couple of weeks back in the Premier League Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson came across this issue that I’m referencing.
He makes a terrible judgment call on a corner where you could argue he was fouled. At the end of the day the foul wasn’t called and the goal was given. Later on the game in another corner he comes across an obviously similar situation, and he’s again out of position and concedes a second goal. When you recognize mistakes it’s important to move past them and not try to overcompensate or do more just for the sake of it on the next play. That usually leads to more and more mistakes. Play your game, and do what you know is right. Go by the book there’s a reason why it’s been written!
Parents & Coaches Need To Help
I’m going to try my hardest to not bash some of the volunteers that are coaching at youth levels in certain leagues. If you are one of those coaches and you’re reading this though, understand that you need to treat your goalkeeper differently at times. When you concede a goal there’s no one on the pitch that’s going to take it as hard as a goalkeeper. It likes pitchers in baseball who have to take the L. Also, some plays may look from the outside as a blatant goalkeeper error. In between the white lines though, the ball can move any which gets deflected, you don’t see the ball at some point. As a coach gets closer to your goalkeeper, ask them what they saw, and what happened. I’m not saying don’t coach them hard. Having a closer relationship though can help.
Parents should understand that coaches aren’t always the people who can take on the entire responsibility of a player’s development. Also, if a coach has never played in goal, or even played the game in general, they probably won’t understand the soccer goalie personality traits. I can tell you right now that most of my regular coaches didn’t get it. It wasn’t until I was doing goalkeeper training full time that you really get a sense that you encountered a coach that gets it. As a parent you may realize that your kid is more bummed out after losses than most other kids. That’s because the other kids don’t carry the burden of responsibility for the loss like goalkeepers though. Not all that matters is having fun! Help your kids be competitive, and deal with failure. It’s an opportunity to learn great life lessons.
Soccer Goalie Personality – Not Losing Focus
Staying along the lines of being competitive, it’s important to keep focused as a goalkeeper. Even when it’s been what seems like years since you’ve had to block a shot during a game. There’s no question that it can get boring. One day during one of those games when I was very young, nothing’s really happening. I went ahead and sat down in the middle of the goal. My dad got heated! He started yelling at me to stand up. At the time I didn’t get it. Nothing’s happening, why can’t I just sit down and wait? What he explained to me later was that sitting down was a sign of disrespect for my teammates. Who were doing their best to make sure no one got near the goal. Which was their job.
This is a part of the game that field players potentially don’t have to deal with. If you feel tired then you can raise your hand and get off the field. A lot of times with goalkeeping though being vigilant even in boring times is a part of a soccer goalie personality trait that you have to develop. Again, it’s one of those things that’s a teaching point for other elements of life in general. Keep your eyes open, you never know what’s going to happen and when someone is going to need your help. Also staying vigilant is a sign of respect for the people around you. You are showing them that you value the fact that they are doing their job so that you can have some time off. Things balance out in the end,games where you are called on a lot also come around.
Is It Worth It?
I don’t want to get too poetic about this, but there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t thank goalkeeping for what I am. My soccer goalie personality is a big part of who I am off the pitch as well. I actually like myself a lot! So, definitely I’d have to say that it’s worth it. Now, I do have to say that the path is much harder for goalkeepers than it is for field players. I’m talking about making the pro ranks, and dealing with the ups and downs of life and the game itself. As I mentioned, other players don’t deal with the burden of a loss like a goalkeeper does. If you can’t care enough to deal with the burden then should you really be a goalkeeper?
Going back to something I talked about in the being crazy part of the article, you have to be willing to put your face in the same spot that another person is putting their foot. Plus, they are wearing a shoe that has spikes on the bottom of it! There’s a psychological, and physical toll that you’re going to pay if you decide to go down this road. On top of that, you’re going to just statistically minimize your chances of a pro career or getting to go to college for free by playing goalkeeper. Looking back on it, you do have to be pretty crazy to take up this mantle!
Soccer Goalie Personality – Conclusion
Can you be a completely well rounded individual and still develop a soccer goalie personality? Sure, you don’t have to be the wild goalkeeper with questionable behavior, or that lonely outsider to be able to play between the sticks. It’s just that you are going to have to be willing to do certain types of things that will go against your natural instincts when you’re playing goalkeeper. In that sense, your soccer goalie personality better kick in or you’re not going to make it far in your career that’s just a fact. I just mentioned the often used phrase that states you have to put your face where other people put their feet. A lot of people say that to reference a brave person. In goalkeeping that’s literally what you’re asked to do.
As long as you are willing to do that, you’re going to be able to at least try to play goalkeeper. When it comes to dealing with the grief and the disappointment that comes with conceding a goal and making mistakes, that’s also something that you’re going to need to get good at. A lot of these elements though can help you in other aspects of your life. Playing goalkeeper can help you get hands-on training for real world issues that you’ll face sooner or later in other parts of your life. That’s why I think it’s worth it.
