+1 on adrenaline. I fell into goal keeping because I have naturally quick reflexes and can pick the ball right out of the air. I also enjoyed barking orders to the defense as well as the heightened level of aggression involved with being goalie. Not a lot of people really appreciate how you are literally throwing yourself into the strikers legs on a close breakaway or launching yourself into a mob of people during corner kicks.

My kid loves the adrenaline rush.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She thrives under pressure and loves that she's in a position that the team relies on. She's also loves diving and contact. Flying into the ball and the plant leg before an offense player can get off a shot puts a huge smile in her face

+1. Mine (for some insane reason) loves nothing more than taking on an opponent 1:1 with a PK in the box. She's also a natural leader who loves to call plays from the goal. It's really helped her cultivate a solid relationship with her team.

+1 also. Spot on. Adrenaline. It is about "roasting" the player who dare tries to get that ball past her !!

Anonymous wrote:My son is a keeper and I have no idea why he likes it, to be honest. He normally doesn’t like high stress environments. He does like the physicality of it. It has taken much more work with extra training and much more mental conditioning to understand that missed goals are not always his fault - even when a-hole parents say so.
I have trouble enjoying games because I am usually stressed watching balls being kicked at his beautiful face. All in all, you have to be crazy to be a goal keeper or goal keeper parent!

My son has been a keeper for a while. He's is not a kid that likes stress, but seems to connect to the position. He's athletic and I think for him - although he doesn't like being in the spotlight normally - being a goalie keeper brings him attention that is generally positive and makes him feel good about himself. Its the only thing he seems to stand out at and its about the only thing I've ever seen him work really hard on and really care about. Early on I was stressed - now I've seen so many games and scenarios that I've gotten better at just watching the game. For him - losses can be hard - but the hardest one's are one's where he felt he could have done something differently. During one of his specialized training sessions they had a sports psychologist talk to the keepers - it really helped him put into perspective his involvement in the game, handling loses etc. I have to think that this will be a great thing for him through out his life- making decisions under pressure etc.

I’ve been surprised this season as two of my kids have taken on GK roles on their teams. I personally would never pick that position so it has been interesting to watch.

I think my DS likes the extra skills he is learning. One of his coaches runs extra goalie clinics and DS is one who would spend his entire afternoon on the field if he could. He also likes the control he has and his ability to work with the whole team. He is still young and that last part is still a developing skill but it has started to come out more this season.

DD had never liked soccer until this season when she started playing positions. She also enjoys playing defense but loves playing GK. She raves about how many saves she made during the game and for sure has a focus on that rather than the ones that got past her. She thrives with a clearly defined role and GK may be the most clearly defined role on the team.

I’ve had many conversations with the two of them about how they need to think of themselves as the last line of defense. In a perfect world, their defenders would do their job and get the ball out before it even reaches them. I know DD has taken that to heart because one of her teammates was giving her a hard time after she missed one and she retorted with some comment about how she was just as responsible for the goal as she was. DS has recently gotten a bit superstitious and it’s often harder on him when his team loses. He also has a kid on his team who will give the GK a hard time after a miss and we’ve talked a lot about shutting that down if he is on the field.

DS loves playing striker as well as GK so it’s an interesting combination. I think he realized early on that he gets more play time when he is willing to play GK. It also allows him to reserve some energy when he plays GK during the first part of the game so he can also be an asset in other positions later in the game.

Anonymous wrote:How many GK parents on this forum have had their kid lit up for 8+ goals in a half or match? How did you help them deal with that? Are they still a GK now?

Yes and yes. It's tough, but generally when the loss is lopsided like that, it means the offense failed by not being able to get anything to connect and the defense failed by letting it get past them every time. Those losses are demoralizing for the team but not disproportionately demoralizing for my DD as the GK. The ones that sting are the games where they draw after leading or lose by 1 after a PK or a fumble. It's a high-pressure position for sure. The feeling guilty and responsible for every loss gets better with age as they are better able to analyze the game in their heads.

Anonymous wrote:How many GK parents on this forum have had their kid lit up for 8+ goals in a half or match? How did you help them deal with that? Are they still a GK now?

Absolutely. At 12, DD was left in for all 60 minutes of a 16-0 loss. We looked at it as a learning experience -- some days things aren't going to go your way, and you just get up and try to stop the next shot. Same thing when we get placed in higher brackets of tournaments and get crushed in 3 straight games.

1-0 and PK losses are infinitely worse. Kids aren't stupid. They know when their team is clearly overmatched. It's when they think "if I had made that one save" that things get rougher.

Anonymous wrote:She thrives under pressure and loves that she's in a position that the team relies on. She's also loves diving and contact. Flying into the ball and the plant leg before an offense player can get off a shot puts a huge smile in her face

+1. Mine (for some insane reason) loves nothing more than taking on an opponent 1:1 with a PK in the box. She's also a natural leader who loves to call plays from the goal. It's really helped her cultivate a solid relationship with her team.

DD is really aggressive and loves the adrenaline rush as the ball is coming towards her. You can see it in her as she’s watching and then she dives. She just loves it.

Command and control. Joy sticking the defense.

I was a varsity field hockey goalie and loved it. I enjoyed the challenge and knowing how important my role was to the team. I also loved doing drills with my friends outside of practice. Field hockey camps and clinics were a great way to meet other goalies and improve my skills.

When our son was younger (9v9), his coach told him, every one of those goals got through 8 other players before it got through you. Plays goalie for his club and his HS now

my DD described it like this one day at age 10, "I love the balance of the game in my hands."

She also feels she helping the team..she asked to be goalie the first time because her team was not very good and she was tired of losing. it was during a futsal game. The coach put her in because no one else wanted to do it.

The thrill of it.
All or nothing.
Momentary attention.
DD does not scare.
DD likes the heavy responsibility but also, like another poster mentioned, would be able to learn from her mistakes and know what is not her fault.
Being a leader.

After being out of goalie, now 2.5 years, DD recently said, she would play goalie again. My head turned like on a swivel.

Anonymous wrote:How many GK parents on this forum have had their kid lit up for 8+ goals in a half or match? How did you help them deal with that? Are they still a GK now?

My son has absolutely had that happen to him. If there are any that were the result of his own errors, he’ll pick those apart a bit but they won’t actually get him too down because saving those likely wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the game. When the other team is running up the score that much, it’s usually not really on the goalkeeper, it’s reflective of a broader breakdown of the team and/or a completely mismatched competition. That’s where the mental component of goalkeeping comes in - hey have to be able to shake those off and move forward or they’ll never last as GK.

Anonymous wrote:How many GK parents on this forum have had their kid lit up for 8+ goals in a half or match? How did you help them deal with that? Are they still a GK now?

You video the games and have good GK coaches. While my dh works with my son to improve after each game, we don’t allow him to believe that every goal is his responsibility. There are just some that can’t be stopped and some that the defense just flubbed. It is still very hard and there have been many tears over the past 8 years.