A Mindset of a Goalkeeper

Being a goalkeeper is one of the most unique positions in football. It’s the only position you can use your hands and even the uniforms that goalkeepers wear are unique to any other position. As football matches are determined by a single goal, it is therefore arguable that goalkeepers are one of the most important and fundamental positions.

I have experienced first hand how goalkeepers have often been perceived as a hinderance to a football team. In my opinion this is due to the cultural perceptions of goalkeepers in football whereas in Ice Hockey goalkeepers are often revered. They can’t win you a game of football as a striker can, however they can prevent you from losing or at least maintaining a lead. Therefore, the goalkeeper is a crucial position. Having been a goalkeeper since I was 13 years of age, I have experienced many coaching strategies and ideas how a goalkeeper should act to perform at their best. Almost all of these strategies have included the concept of the presence of a goalkeeper, a mental side, or a mindset that is needed in order to perform. That is not to say that other positions do not require a distinct mindset. However due to the unique nature of being goalkeeper in a football setting, I wanted to write about this further detail based on my experiences practically and academically.

I’ve been wanting to talk about the mindset of a goalkeeper for a long time and I could write a book about it. During my career I’ve met many budding footballers and goalkeepers in particular, all seeking for advice. One of the common questions that I get asked is, “What is it like to be a goalkeeper” or “what is it like to be a professional footballer?” For me this is not an easy question to answer because it is firstly subjective, and my understanding of a goalkeeper has held a different meaning at different times in my life.

As mentioned, goalkeeping is not an easy position in the sense that it is widely expected that goalkeepers should not make a mistake when of course humans in nature make mistakes all the time, especially in high pressure situations. Furthermore, if a goalkeeper was to make a mistake they are metaphorically “hung and quartered” by the mob for ridicule and judgement (e.g., Lloris Karius in the Champions League Final or David Seamen at the 2002 World Cup). This could explain why the better keepers in the world are typically a little bit older. They have a better understanding of how football is played through experience. They hold a mature temperament needed to perform, based on the countless hours spent working on their craft when typically no one is watching. This experience allows older goalkeepers to understand how to execute movements in a split second moment more so than a younger keeper would. They can handle these pressure situations more effectively and what to do when things don’t go to plan, compared to a younger keeper. However, this does no mean younger goalkeepers cannot perform to a high level either.

For me goalkeeping is a bit like being a firefighter in many respects, you are forced into situations to put out fires no matter the odds, and often this is a thankless proposition. One where the odds are against you, where a mistake can lead to drastic failure and huge cost for the whole team. With that said, there a goalkeepers in the world who are able to perform incredibly well over long periods of time such Gianluigi Buffon or Iker Casillas. To a lesser extent in my opinion, anyone who can compete in 200 games or more in their life professionally has a high level of mastery. This means there are competent goalkeepers of varying levels who don’t reach the heights as a Casillas or a Buffon, however have played even or over 500 games. What I am alluding to is that better goalkeepers will perform at higher levels and consistently over their careers then lesser goalkeepers. Stating the obvious!

So I can hear all the young goalkeepers ask “How can I reach such a level such as a Buffon or a Casillas?” “How can I be great” or “How can I have a career in professional football spanning 500 plus games?”

The answer in my opinion lies to the countless hours needed to achieve task mastery or self mastery. Are you listening? Because this is the gold! In other words, you have to spend a lot of hours beating on your craft. You have to suffer habitually to the point where it forces you to change and to evolve, and you have to learn to love this process. If you persist, you will develop a by-product known as resilience and determination. This resilience and determination culminates to what I like to call striving or having a purpose. 

Understandably this might have a negative connotation (that you have to suffer in order to succeed) however the point is that if someone wants to be competent at something, they must put conscious time and effort to achieve that competence. Furthermore, suffering does have to be a negative concept if the individual chooses this process to acquire a competence in a field. In fact I would suggest this is leans towards a harmonious passion, because the person chooses to do this. To all young athletes reading this and thinking that they understand the concept of hard work and rewards, I recommend you consider the notion of enjoying hard work. This means you pursue something because you enjoy learning the task or skill, and rewards are the by-product of this application of effort. 

For me resilience and determination are fundamental concepts that can help us all in our day to day lives. Even as an adult today I value my life more so due to my experiences as a footballer. It has forced me to challenge myself and develop these characteristics albeit at times excruciatingly so. To come to the realisation that I actually may not be as good as I initially thought. Importantly willing myself to take the hours to develop this lack competence and mastery can often be excruciating. However, it is this challenge or opportunity of overcoming and learning to improve that is the gold of life.

It is about the process, the learning, the striving, the understanding of moments and finding the solution to these moments in order to succeed. I really feel that youngsters get caught up in the fact that they failed as opposed to the reaction to the failure. Most importantly, it is the obligation for people of importance (parents, coaches, and other stakeholders) to lead and direct the youth to this fact. To direct them to this persistence of overcoming failure in order to succeed.

Hours spent training can improve one’s ability.

So to anyone reading this let me be clear, my mindset as a goalkeeper is subjective and is closely linked to me as a human being. It’s this duality that has allowed me to develop in both contexts. I adopt a growth mindset in contrast to a fixed mindset, allowing me to understand that failure is a learning process, a challenge, and an opportunity to improve. That often the things I perceive as a threat are really an opportunity to learn. This learning gives rise to determination and resilience which is born out of a striving for a purpose in life that allows one to persist. It is the responsibility of people of importance to direct the next generation to this understanding through spending time and effort to mentor these players to the next level. In other words, people of importance can complain that does Australia do not produce resilient or technically gifted players or they can be part of the facilitation process that fosters their development. In other words, it’s important for coaches, parents, and stakeholders to guide the next generation through direction to betterment and improve them as footballers but more so and most importantly as people.

My Mindset Formula:

Purpose gives rise to the understanding of striving towards goals. This striving yields activities in which one identifies in order to improve. Improvement is a by-product of the continual application of effort, through determination, persistence, and resilience, after countless moments of failure. Therefore failure is a vital ingredient to the route to success and coaches certainly in a development context need to reinforce this fact. Failure is impossible to avoid, therefore the focus should be on the understanding of management of failure. This improved understanding will allow one to have improved well-being and consistent motivational levels to achieve desired goals. The desired goals formulate one’s purpose and success most importantly is a by product of the application of this purpose. 

In summary, purpose combined with continuous striving, through the by-products of determination, resilience, and persistence yields the development of success. Success is not a given, it is a by-product because success is largely an outcome and cannot be controlled, merely influenced through daily habits. Therefore focus should be on the process and not the outcome of a goal, and in my opinion goals should focus on the process based on a vision, to maintain the integrity of intrinsic motivation (acquiring skills, etc.) as opposed to extrinsic motivations (rewards, attention, and adulation). 

As always, I encourage people to leave comments and their viewpoints. My ideas are given to provide people an insight to my experiences, to my philosophy, and ultimately to foster the development of the next generation in Australia.