APPROACH TO THE GOALKEEPER’S IDEAL PSYCHOLOGICAL SKILLS

The incorporation of sports psychology to football is now a reality. More and more football clubs have in their organization staff professionals specialized in the mental area. However, their inclusion  is being slower than expected considering the psychological needs of the players.

The goalkeeper possess great technical and physical qualities but also must develop psychological skills that allow him to observe, perceive and analyze contextual information during the match before making decisions and executing actions effectively. Also, he/she must have enough resources to overcome the difficult moments that arise during his/her personal life, as well as those that arise during the course of a match. Finally, to achieve maximum sports development it is essential that the Goalkeeper have personal qualities such as humility, respect, discipline, the capacity for sacrifice and the desire to progress. The goalkeeper must know how to work in a team, valuing his/her teammates and accepting the role assigned to him/her, although keeping alive the desire to progress.

It is known that there are a significant number of psychological variables to achieve maximum performance. Given this situation it is essential some questions are apparent: can we do anything to improve these qualities? How can we promote its development? The answers to these questions are found in the so-called psychological training.

Professor and Psychologist Isabel Balaguer, the University of Valencia, defines it as “the application of a series of theories and techniques from psychology, aimed at acquiring or improving the psychological skills necessary to deal with different sports situations, in a way that allows to improve or maintain sports performance, as well as help in the growth and personal well-being of its athletes”. In short, it is a procedure based on scientific psychological theories, on techniques that have proven effective in improving the psychological skills of athletes, which allow them to improve their performance and enhance their emotional balance.

In the following articles, we will further develop what Psychological training is about.