We Should Always Act Like a Goal Keeper

“The conditions you need to be a good goalkeeper are exactly the same conditions you need to be a good Architect. You must have a very good connection, in both professions, with time and space.” - Eduardo Chillida  (Spanish sculpture,  considered one of the greatest artists of the 2nd half of the 20th c., 1924-2002)

The position of goalkeeper in a team is one of the most demanding emplacements in all sports. The goal keeper must be agile, sharp, flexible, energetic, enthusiastic, he has t have stamina, decisive alongwith other skills; the quickness, the toughness, correct mental attitude, determination, self belief, all combine to create a great keeper. But without one of these, the goalkeeper is average, not the best. Even the most talented athlete can fall short if they do not have the mental preparedness to make it in this tough arena.

If we mull over our life to compare the skills of a goal keeper, in life, we should also act like a goal keeper, we need the same skills, talents, confidence, mental toughness, attitude, self belief, determination, etc. etc. for achieving our goals and ascend to the ladders and to become successful. The below mentioned qualities of a goal keeper, shall more or less applicable in our life too.

Decision making capability. The soccer goalkeeper is one of the most important players on the field - they are the last line of defense and the first line of attack. To play the position well requires special skills and training. His quick decisions will change the course of the game in a split second, shame or glory, even the great strikers can fail in 10 times, but never ever an average goal keeper fail, then it will be fatal for the team. In our life too, we do not shy away from the taking decisions at the time, when it is required to take, we can not put off the decision making for long, we should decide now what we do next.

·         Correct Mental Attitude: The position of goalkeeper is one of the most psychologically demanding on the soccer field. Mistakes are final and fatal for him and his team. The glory is usually reserved for the players at the other end of the field. It's not a position for everybody. You can't be stupid and play goal, but perhaps you must be a little crazy. Our waywardness may cause disarray in our life, if do not have the correct mental attitude to decide our destiny or goals.

·         Only focus on a goal at a time. The position of Goalkeeper is designed and defined for playing only in a specific area, at the goal; it is not desirable that the goalkeeper moves wherever he likes, if he blunders, which puts the team in awkward position. Like goal keeper, in our life you do not go for attaining various goals at a time, focus should be put on one major goal at a time and once this goal is achieved, one can focus on another goal or set fresh goals.

·         Stay positive at any circumstances. Even when goals are scored against his team, then also the goal keeper must be positive.  Goalkeepers need to be able to put mistakes behind them quickly and recover, so try to put a positive spin on things. We should also try to stay positive when obstacles disturbed us from moving ahead, so that we can surge ahead and once we de-motivated, then everything goes against us, we will float over the water without moving anywhere.

·         Give credit to others. Sometimes the opposing team has just made a great play; give them credit - it's not always a mistake by the keeper that lets a goal in. When somebody excel than us in an area, where we can also perform well, however if our competition does well, we have to appreciate him for his achievement, it is not our mistake we pushed to the wall. A lot of people comes into our life and give proper help and guidance for us to prosper and now or later on we should give the appropriate credit to those help us or give proper guidance, irrespective of whoever give those valuable push.

·         Continuous improvement. Focus on the skill that needs work, not the fact that the goal was allowed. Very often it's just basic footwork or catching that needs brushing up. We need to improve upon our skills according to the needs of the hour and situations, we should learn various new skills and the update the changes we already have in line with the requirements of circumstances.

·         Aggressiveness. A keeper can keep the soccer ball out of the net in more ways than making a direct save - forcing a missed shot gets the job done too. Aggressiveness goes a long way here - by making the shooter decide too early, a keeper can force a miss or a pass on an otherwise open shot. A goalkeeper who can get into the heads of opposing forwards early has a huge advantage.

·         Keep confidence. This applies to both coach and goalkeeper. Give the keeper time to internalize the save (builds confidence), calm down, give field players time to recover, and look up-field to restart the attack. Six seconds is plenty of time to do all this. If you stay calm, you're showing that you have confidence in the keeper's ability to control the ball and the game.

·         Training is the key. Teach them good technique, and then hammer it in with repetition. Don't allow any lazy or sloppy technique, even when they're not officially doing drills or playing. Good habits will show themselves in games just like bad habits. Repetition is the key; doing it right every time (consistency) is what separates a good goalkeeper from a great one. We should undergo to get updated and learn and develop new skills, the present day scenarios demand more learning to survive.

·         Fully committed. Every shot deserves an attempt at a save, even if it seems futile. Eventually, the shots that seemed impossible to stop before will start coming into range. If the effort is there, the results will start to come. We should always fully committee to what we do with passion and perseverance. We should also commit to the job in hand as well as to the team, in which we are members.

·         If things aren't going well, do not blame. Many coaches will pull a keeper if they are getting shelled, but be aware of the repercussions of this. Some players will take this as a sign you lack confidence in them, and only go downhill. Make sure you stay positive, and point out you're not pulling them because they are a poor player or person, just that it's not their day. Nobody is perfect and everybody make mistakes at any time, however the greatness lies in not repeating the mistakes again.

·         Inspiration makes the difference. There isn't always time to properly train a keeper in normal practice sessions, especially when that player needs to develop foot and field skills as well. Encourage them to attend club or private training sessions, goalkeeper camps, rent or buy books or videos, or visit this and other web sites. A player who is serious about goalkeeping needs all the extra training and practice they can get.

It is important to remember that the goalkeeper position is an important one. It is not the most recognized of the positions in soccer, however. But if a person can successfully play this position, they will be satisfied they have helped their team win the game. Defending the goal is the only way to keep the other team from winning. Goalkeepers must keep in mind that they are the last defense between the other team scoring points. Keeping their self-confidence level high is as much the coach’s responsibility as it is the goalkeepers.

When a goalkeeper knows what they are doing and are aggressive on the field, they will be successful. It is impossible to catch every goal, but when a goalkeeper is doing his job, he will feel satisfied that he did the best job he could for the team and for the game they just played.

Let us follow the footstep of a goal keeper rather than of a striker, as the goal keeper’s job demand everything, what are required in our life to succeed.