GOALKEEPER PLAYOFF FOCUS: CONFIDENCE, NERVES, & SEEING THE BALL MORE “SLOWLY” By Jack Bowen

With the playoff season upon us, the spotlight—and, thus, the pressure—on goalies increases. But, along with that comes a slight shift for goalies in both their mental and physical preparation. Just as baseball pitchers experience a heightened sense of responsibility in the playoffs, so do goalies. As such, what follows are some reflections for goalkeepers as they approach the excitement of the playoff season and look to embrace the opportunity to help their team moving forward.

Seeing the Ball More Slowly

A few years ago at this time an article came out which focused on an important home run hit in the baseball playoffs. The article mentions the feeling, often experienced by top batters, of seeing a 95 mph fastball moving "slowly." It also discusses the psychological aspects of hitting, in which batters fail more often than they succeed: thus, a batting average of .300—a 30% success-rate—is considered very good. This essentially emulates what goalies are doing: trying to track a fast-moving object and get their body in the way of it while also dealing with the failure inherent in the job: luckily for us, 60% saved is considered good, so we don't fail quite as much as the batter. And with proper preparation, we too can see the ball move more slowly.

Nerves & Visualization

The article references sport psychologist Ken Ravizza who also worked with the 1996 Olympic Team I was a part of. He guided us through a very similar visualization process I do with my own team and with goalies at certain sessions including our Playoff Focus sessions prior to high school playoffs and Junior Olympics. The idea being, you get your brain on track with the rest of your body and also in tune with what you want to be doing in that big game. 

In addition, he mentions how we should use the nervous energy felt by nearly all athletes at the time of the playoffs to our advantage: use that energy to benefit you and don't see it as a hindrance. Being a little nervous before big games is not only “okay,” it’s beneficial. It increases your focus, heightens your adrenaline and, really, just means you care a lot about what you're doing.

Post-Season Training and Taper

As you get closer to this part of your season (nearing the week of your first playoff game) you should begin your taper: cut down on eggbeater conditioning and focus on technique and explosiveness; if you've been lifting weights, this should come to an end soon too so that your muscles can recover and perform at maximum strength and shift to a focus on stretching.

Your training should now focus on explosiveness, balance, and core fundamentals. And try visualizing a bit on your own. We did this at all levels where I played: high school, Stanford, National Team. There's real science behind it (and it’s fun and relaxing too!).

Lock In: Be the Goalie You’ve Trained to Be

As I always say to goalies who are headed towards big games/tryouts/etc.: Don’t try to do something new and different; instead, do what got you there and do that to the best of your abilities. If you try to do too much, and over-commit, you’ll get out of your own spring-position and will actually be less effective. This is why we do “Mike’s Drill” (taking off the outside 6 square feet of the goal) during Goalie Combines this time of the year: Your job is to cover your responsibilities and trust in your teammates to do their part!

Earned Confidence

Lastly, given what I know about nearly all of the goalies I train, they are genuinely committed to their training and focus as a goalkeeper. Trust in that and rely on it as you go forward into the playoffs. I always believe confidence is earned—earned through an off-season and a season's-worth of fundamentals focus and diligent conditioning. If you've done this, then you really should be confident going into these big games: See the ball more slowly, quickly move past any goals scored, be the Defensive Captain your team needs, and have just a bit of fun all the while.

-Jack Bowen
Menlo School Water Polo Coach, Author, & Head of Bowen Goalie Combines