Now let’s go to the other end of the pitch:

The left winger as again dummied his full back and whips his cross in, the goalkeeper has seen this and made the decision to come and gather however he is trying to come through defenders and attackers alike. The goalkeeper makes his assessment and attacks the ball but as he leaps he is legally obstructed by their centre forward and as a result gets nowhere near the cross, which is planted into an unguarded net whilst the goalkeeper remonstrates with the referee. “Keeper, what are you doing?!!” comes the call from the dugouts, “You Useless Idiot!” is directed at the goalkeeper from the stands. The goalkeeper stands head bowed; taking a torrent of abuse for something that wasn’t entirely his fault….

 Will the Goalkeeper attempt to claim another cross in similar circumstances? Doubtful

Will the “Overhead Volley” Striker try this skill again in the match? Very likely

Why?

The crowd like to see excitement and flair so will encourage the striker to try again, and with the positive words from the sidelines feels that he has nothing to lose, however the goalkeeper has been subjected to abuse and questions (even though it was the correct decision) so much so that he now doubts his own ability. The life of a goalkeeper is a solitary one, no one will put their hand on his shoulder in the event of a bad decision but every single person will immediately point an accusing finger at him instead. Every body is an expert when it comes to goalkeeping, but it is only those who have chosen to live their life between the sticks that fully understand the pressures and self belief that is paramount to a goalkeeper’s development.

 A goalkeeper without self belief stands out a mile, the body language is all negative and almost hidden and naturally team mates and opposition alike will pick up on this. To my mind, any goalkeeper suffering a period of self doubt needs to be taken out of the public eye as it is not something that can be played through. Goalkeeping is the most psychologically demanding position in football, and any bluffing will be cruelly exposed so more often than not it is better for the goalkeeper to be honest and tackle the confidence head on whilst perhaps being rested from the pressures of the first team. There are many recent examples of top flight goalkeepers suffering a dip in form and being lambasted by the media, who are taken away from the public eye or even transferred clubs who return even stronger than previously.

 Without self belief a goalkeeper will stop the fundamentals of his position, he will stop demanding and showing for the ball, he will be fearful to leave his six yard box and tiny mistakes will creep in to his handling a decision making process. By going right back to basics in training and doing the things that the goalkeeper naturally excels at is a fantastic way to restore this confidence by re-teaching the goalkeeper why he plays in goal in the first place! I have been involved in sessions where I felt the goalkeeper was mentally vacant so rather than persist and damage his confidence I have stopped the session and we’ve taken a rain check until the next day as confidence is critical, and it would be thoroughly unprofessional to try and push through regardless.

I honestly don’t believe that any one other than goalkeepers fully understand the weighty pressure on our shoulders and this is where goalkeeper coaches really earn their money - mentoring. It is invaluable for a goalkeeper to be able to take advice from someone who has experienced the incredible low when the ball squirms through your hands, or you drop a cross at the striker’s feet or worse still, slice your clearance.

I have also fully maintained that the pre-match warm up should focus on 90% mental preparation and 10% body for the goalkeeper, all shots should be achievable and the goalkeeper should be able to enter the field of play full of self belief. I know that Arsenal legend Bob Wilson will pull his goalkeepers out of a drill the very second that they have pulled a “worldy” save, as this allows them to walk away with their chest out and head high, and I confess to agreeing with his train of thought over this.

 Confidence and Self Belief cannot be taught, it can only be created.

(article first published at Goalkeepers Locker.com)