Over coming negativity · Total Goalkeeping

Over coming negativity

So most of you are fully aware I am still playing (although vastly reduced now only charity games) at the Age of 46. Now we all hear that Goal keepers peak later in life than outfield stars, we gain our temperament and our understanding of the game to perform at our absolute best.

But what also comes is that at a young age g age and then as we progress Goal keepers have to learn more than anyone a skill so hard to describe and that is ‘HOW TO OVER COME NEGATIVITY’ now this can be simply, sorry you are not good enough go away and develop more when we are young. It could be as I have experienced this past week - No your old and past it we want someone young not to pull someone out of retirement.

So how do we over come that negativity, how do we as a goalkeeping community rally round someone who has faced such negativity. Also for those of us coaching how we rebuild someone who has had that negativity thrust upon them!

Part of it is in our mindset. We grab the gloves and want to prove a point. But that only masks over the cracks. That Negativity can cause.

So when you reflect you analyse and you plan how you can make those improvements, maybe show how you can rove folks wrong but most importantly how you don’t just paper over the cracks. If I have a keeper working with me in my coaching sessions and they are not as good as other keepers in the group. Do I put them down - NO, do I paper over it - NO, I encourage, I give extra support, provide them other material to help get the coaching points across for them to improve.

If a Keeper from anywhere comes to me and has received one of those Famed excuses - YOU’RE TOO YOUNG, YOU'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH or YOU’RE TOO OLD. How do I as a coach or fellow goal keeper address it? How would you address it?

So there’s a famous part in Evan Almighty I like to use for this - If you Ask God for courage, does he give you courage or does he give you the chance to be courageous, If you ask for Patience, does he bless you with Patience or give you the opportunity to be Paitent?

We as goal keeper have to turn to each other but we have to and we develop this critical skill. Especially when driven as a youngster

But how do you deal with it in the later days of your playing career, when the young guns have come of Age, your being told you’re too old. But you know you still have so much more to give in a match situation. How can we boost the senior players to maintain that resilience.

This community rallies around so much it is amazing and we know those who will be on every post supporting other Keepers and Parents. They are young, Enthusiastic and most of all have a passion for our trade that is admirable beyond limits. Remember whilst you have that ability now to keep that drive bottle some up for later life. Support each other but also know when the next generation is coming through. You need to give that support so you hand over the baton to them with confidence. But remember you’re still there in the back ground your skills don’t fade. But you want those young up and coming to support you as you cannot just switch this off.

Goalkeeping is a special way of sporting life. But just because someone thinks you’re too old there’s still so much you can offer on and off the pitch especially when sides are still so desperate for people to pull on that lonely shirt. That is why we must always find a way to overcome negativity and keep the positivity of this lonely road we walk and dive our way through.

So I suppose where I am getting to over all with this post is that you don’t know what that Keeper at the other end of the pitch or always on the bench is going through. But be there for them. Support them like they are another member of this forum. Because we are an elite set of individuals but we have to rise as one or fail as individuals.

Thank you for your continued support all From

@Ray Newland

all the way down.

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