Thursday 24 November 2011

A Valuable Lesson For Valdes




Interesting article courtesy of askmen.com:

I have just found an anecdote that helps explain what makes Barcelona’s coach, Josep Guardiola, special. It appears in A Life Too Short, Ronald Reng’s excellent new biography of his friend Robert Enke, the German international goalkeeper who lay down on the train tracks and committed suicide in 2009. In a book about depression; the Guardiola story is about joy.

It’s told by Victor Valdes, now the longtime owner of Barcelona’s goalkeeping shirt, but who nine years ago was still Enke’s junior rival for the position. Like Enke (and like most goalkeepers), Valdes was obsessive. He didn’t enjoy keeping. He was driven above all by fear of never making mistakes. “You know, between the ages of 8 and 18 there was so much pressure in my life that I couldn’t find peace,” Valdes told Reng (himself a keen and knowledgeable amateur keeper). “The mere thought of next Sunday’s game horrified me. Playing in goal was, to put it mildly, a special kind of suffering.”

Lessons From Guardiola
Valdes was already Barcelona’s established keeper, and a European champion, when Guardiola became the club’s coach in 2008. “Pep” told Valdes that he didn’t just want good players. He wanted players who actually enjoyed soccer. As Valdes recalled for Reng:

"Victor, said Guardiola, if you go on like this, eventually your career will be over and you won’t have enjoyed this wonderful job for a single day because you’re always tense, because success is the only thing you want. Watch some soccer on TV, try to understand the game."

Guardiola transformed the way Valdes experienced his profession. “He taught me to lower the intensity during a game and coldly analyze what was going on rather than just lurking there with grim resolution,” Valdes says.

Reading about Enke, you almost wish he’d met Guardiola!

MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

Sunday 20 November 2011

Interesting!




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4GOALIES
by MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
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Saturday 19 November 2011

Goalkeeper Psychology





Take a look at this fantastic article by MINDSi Sports Performance coach Tom Fawdry -
http://blamethekeeper.blogspot.com/2011/10/goalkeeper-psychology-with-gavin-wilson.html

MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

Toby - Loving Life At His New Club!





Monday 7 November 2011

Pepe - Superstitious? A Little!

Now, here at MINDSi Towers we are firm believers that luck, whether good or bad, should never be relied upon in the preparation of goalkeepers. The reason? Luck is outside of your power of control and influence and vital energy is wasted on any aspect of your preparation and performance that you have no control over; so go focus on the things you can influence.

However, we are firm believers in routine but even we were amazed at this crazy pre match preparation from Liverpool and Spain keeper Pepe Reina:


THE NIGHT BEFORE:

“I stay at my home and go through the same steps as always, out of a fear that if I do anything even a little bit differently it could stop things from turning out the way I want them to.

“That might sound strange and there will be plenty of people who say it isn’t logical to be like this, but the smallest details can make the biggest difference in football.

“Once I find something that works for me, I stick to it no matter how hard it can sometimes be.

“Before I go to bed, I have a couple of cheese and ham toasties. Then I have a glass of wine.

“Fitness experts and nutritionists would not advise that kind of diet for a sportsman but I never feel able to eat a proper meal the night before we play, and the wine helps me to sleep.

MATCH-DAY:

“I get up and have a shower, put my suit on and then head out to the car to buy petrol that I usually don’t need.

"Six hours before kick-off at Anfield, and before I can even think about the game, I have to get to a petrol station.

“After getting into the car, I turn the engine on and look at the fuel gauge.

“It is almost full. I still need petrol, though, so I head to the same garage that I always go to when Liverpool are at home, a small filling station almost exactly halfway between my home and the stadium.

“I get there, open the petrol cap and begin to refuel. I am only at the pump for 20 seconds or so before the tank is full, so I go in to pay. The cashier gives me a bit of a funny look.

"To be fair, I cannot blame him. I have just pulled on to his forecourt, queued up for five minutes behind other motorists and all for £8 worth of petrol, just so my tank is full to the brim.

“He does not know it, but I do the same thing before every home game. It is one of countless rituals I have to perform to make sure I am in the right frame of mind to play for Liverpool.

“My desperation for success makes me superstitious.

“If I have done something on the day of a game and we have gone on to win the match I try to repeat it the next time we play.

“When I get to Anfield, I always park in the same space – bay number 39 in the car park in front of the Centenary Stand.

"I have tried number 41 and 42 and a few others, but when I went to 39 we kept clean sheets two weeks in a row and so I have stayed there ever since.

“We have to be at Anfield for 11:15am when it is a 3pm kick-off and after we’ve left our cars there we get the team bus to Melwood.

“We always have a walk at the training ground and after I’ve had my pre-match meal of pasta and fish, I have a shower just to make sure I’m fully awake before the manager gives us his pre-match team talk."

AT THE GROUND:

“I always get undressed in the same order – jacket, tie, shirt, shoes, trousers and socks – and then I get onto the massage bed, so that Rob, our physio, can work his magic on me.

“I lie there, reading the match programme while he is bending and stretching my legs. Then I strap myself up and put my kit on. I always sit in the same place - just next to the wall as soon as you walk in, right next to Carra [Jamie Carragher].

“I go to the toilet to have a pee about three or four times in the hour before kick-off because of my nerves. Then I go out a little bit before the rest of the lads to do my warm-up."

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF:

“I have to make sure that I am the last one out onto the pitch before kick-off, and I always touch the This Is Anfield sign with both hands as I walk down the tunnel.

"When I cross the white line I have to do it twice with my right foot. Stepping on, then off and then back on again. For some reason – and probably not a very good one – it helps keep me calm.

“Then I head towards my goal, but before I get there I have to touch fists with my back four – except Carra, who doesn’t like doing that, so we share a high five instead – and then clap the supporters on the Kop to show my appreciation for their support of me.

“As I get to my goal, I go straight to the right post, bang my studs against it, then touch the crossbar, then bang my studs against the left post, then go back to the middle.

“Next, I take six steps to the edge of the six-yard box, another six steps to the penalty spot, another six to the edge of the 18-yard box and then do the same thing in reverse.

“Then I stretch up, do some high knees, jump, sprint to the right, jump, sprint to the left, wave hello to my wife in the stand... and then I’m ready.

“Anyone watching me must think I’m crazy, but it works for me.”

Yes Pepe, you could be right!

Jessica De La Souza
MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com

Saturday 5 November 2011

Don't Quote Me!





Some insightful quotes from Goalies, for Goalies. Enjoy!

“Being a goalkeeper gives you a unique perspective on things. You are part of a team yet somehow separate; there are no grey areas, with success or failure being measured in real time; and you have a physical job which you can do well only by paying attention to your mental well-being. A great goalkeeper has to have the keys to a great mindset. To be able to work well in the box, I believe you have to be able to think outside of the box” (Brad Friedel)

The Qualities of a Goalkeeper

The attributes a goalkeeper needs?: “Massive, massive mentality. The mental strength, you’ve just got to have that because you get a lot of stick, as a goalkeeper you’re the last line of defence. When a goal goes in everyone looks at you, you’ve got to be able to deal with that. If you make a mistake, it could be a bad mistake, how are you going to recover? Are you going to react positively or are you just going to cave in?” (David Seaman)

Playing Tips for Goalies

“As a goalkeeper you need to be good at organising the people in front of you and motivating them. You need to see what’s going on and react to the threats. Just like a good manager in business” (Peter Shilton)

“Of course a sports psychologist can help – it’s certainly helped me. People think you must be crackers if you’ve got a psychologist but psychology is part of the building bricks to make a top athlete” (David James)

“Being fit will keep you mentally sharp and people forget that” (Peter Shilton)

“Every goal is like a knife in the ribs” (Gordon Banks)

“The main factor in a penalty shoot-out is luck…you need to stay calm and focused but the biggest thing you need is luck” (Peter Shilton)

“You don’t feel sorry for yourself, you get on with life” (Jens Lehmann)

Funny Goalie Quotes

“You’ve got to believe that you’re going to win, and I believe we’ll win the World Cup until the final whistle blows and we’re knocked out” (Peter Shilton)

“The atmosphere’s given me goose bubbles” (Jens Lehmann)

Inspirational Goalie Quotes

“Wake up every morning, be happy that you are here and achieve as much as you can every day” (Peter Schmeichel)

“We’re not bothered what anyone says. Put a ball out there, put 11 versus 11, and we want to win. It doesn’t matter what the competition is” (Tim Howard)

“Winning the treble with Manchester United and saving Bergkamp’s penalty against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final was not a surprise. You have to believe you can win” (Peter Schmeichel)

“The joy of seeing Yuri Gagarin flying in space is only superseded by the joy of a good penalty save” (Lev Yashin)


Gavin Wilson
MINDSi SPORTS PERFORMANCE
www.MindsiOnline.com