I can’t claim to have been immersed in soccer for years like some. I can’t even say I’ve played for more than one season, or even watched a full season outside of the World Cup. When it comes to soccer, I will be the first to admit I am relatively new to the whole sport. I’ve already mentioned in previous posts that I’ve already become pretty obsessed with it, and am at the point where, although I’m new, I use this to fuel my fire toward rising through the ranks of goalkeepers. Yet, there is one thing that seems to simply hang in the back of my mind like an anchor.
Being a goalkeeper is all about keeping the ball out of the net. A task that seems to be easier said than done. The nets in soccer are quite large, especially compared to the size of a person. We have all seen the highlights of goalkeepers getting fully airborne to stop laser shots heading towards the top corners. Yet, goals do happen and more often than not, players simply have to pick the right spot of the net to render a goalkeeper useless.
Now, you must remember that I come from the world of hockey, where goalie save percentages are in the high 80’s and 90’s. Yet, when I came across Gigi Buffon’s save percentage I was quite surprised to see that it was in the 70’s. At first I couldn’t believe it, to think that one of the best goalkeepers of all time had a save percentage in the 70’s. But, when I stopped to think about it, it began to make sense. I mean the net is huge!! Then the realization hit me. I must be okay with the idea of goals zipping passed me. Realistically, everyone gets scored on, whether your Buffon, Neuer, or De Gea; someone will score.
As a goalkeeper, these things have to be able to slide off your back. You really can’t save every shot sometimes but you do the best you can. I can already tell this will be the biggest problem of mine. I expect to make every save, regardless of whether it’s a top corner shot, or a slow lob. I should be able to stop them all. I even think about going to Drop-In soccer, and actually get a slight pang of anxiety thinking about getting scored on and being perceived as a bad goalkeeper. While this may sound ridiculous, I also believe it is a necessity. To stop any ball, you have to believe you can stop every ball. Yet at the same time, you must be able to put passed you the ones that you couldn’t stop. Each shot is a new shot, with a new chance for them to score and for you to save it. But I do have a tendency to let little mistakes snowball. This is exactly what I need to avoid, and any athlete needs to avoid.
Realistically, mistakes happen. They can happen a lot some games, and rarely in others. This is why we train and practice. The idea is to limit mistakes as best as possible. Yet, when they do happen, it is up to the athlete to look passed these times of trouble and keep putting their best foot forward. It is about being confident in yourself to know that the mistake occurred but you will learn from it and it will not happen again. This is why you can also never truly be a master in any sport. Mistakes will always happen, and will always need to be fixed. It applies to sports, and it applies to life. It is what makes us human. Yet, we must be able to separate our ego from our learning, take those mistakes, and turn them into successes. It is a necessity and a requirement in order to get better at anything in life.
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