Goalkeeping: Playing without training

Argh, it’s game day and it’ll be the first time in a week that you have pulled the gloves on! You feel sluggish, nervous and unconfident about the forthcoming 90 minutes, so what can you do about it?

I know full well that training is not always possible for a variety of reasons; work, family, illness or injury and that there will be thousands of footballer up and down the country that can’t train between games, so it is not an uncommon scenario to be involved in. (Though what I can’t accept is the Semi-Pro Level Clubs that don’t train! There are several of these Clubs, and I just find that inexcusable!)

To my mind, preparation for the game begins the day before – an old saying of “Proper Preparation and Planning Prevents P**s Poor Performance” is particularly applicable to goalkeepers: The day before is when you should be preparing your kit bag, polishing your football boots and making sure that your goalkeeper gloves are clean and ready to pull off that top corner worldy in the dying minutes! I was also meticulous in ensuring that my car had enough petrol, in and that my shirt, trousers and Club tie were always ironed and ready. By simply preparing yourself the night before also helps with your mental preparation for the game. Your mind can focus entirely on how you are going to play, rather than worrying whether you packed your shower gel or not!

The pre-match routine is vitally important, as this is what will entirely prepare you for the challenges of the game. A good warm up is the equivalent of a light Friday morning training session spent focussing on your shot stopping strengths – so choose your warm up partner carefully!

If you haven’t trained, then focus your warm up entirely on your strengths – what are you good at? If it’s handling then get your server to ping quality serves into your “comfort zone”, if it’s shot stopping then feel free to fly around your goal with “saveable” strikes from your server.

In short, warm up your confidence first and your body secondary.

As a goalkeeper, you should be used to being a sole warrior amongst your team mates. Use this solitary to begin visualising some of your greatest goalkeeping moments. Remember how good you felt when you tipped that dipping volley over the bar the other week, or when you emerged from that one on one situation with the ball? Channel these feelings into positive energy when you return to the changing room prior to kick off – use this preparation time to fully focus on exactly why you play in goal in the first place!

At grass roots level, training can be a luxury so it is always down to the individual to be fully prepared for the game ahead. First and foremost for any footballer is to enjoy their game, so remember that there is no pressure on you – pressure can cripple a footballer, specifically a goalkeeper as we can over think saves and make basic elementary mistakes, but when we are relaxed and playing with a smile on our face then we can be unbeatable.

If you haven’t trained then it really is not the end of the world, providing that you have prepared properly, however if we can’t enjoy what we are doing then this will reflect in our performance.