MY GOALKEEPER CLOSES HIS/HER EYES WHEN HE/SHE THROWS THE EXTREME
ARTICLE
José Ramón Alvite de Pablo / ARTICLE § Sports Director and Goalkeeping Coach, Club 1º Agosto de Luanda (Angola), NaNonal Handball Coach.
José Flores Rodríguez / ARTICLE § Sports Psychologist, Doctor by the University of Seville and NaNonal Handball Coach.
Many goalkeepers close their eyes and/or shield their face when a winger throws from a low angle. This situation is aggravated when the shot is taken by a right-handed player from the right winger who places the shot high up, close to the face. Why do they do it? They are afraid. They are instinctive, reflex actions that they do to avoid a ball in the face. The problem is that performing these actions does not help to stop more, because when a goalkeeper closes his eyes he is at the mercy of the attacker, he cannot perceive the arm arm arming, the adaptation of the ball, the thrower's gaze, etc. These actions prevent the goalkeeper from accessing very relevant sources of information to stop the shot. After 20 years of training goalkeepers, we have found that history repeats itself, whether in more or less professional clubs, in national teams, in the men's category, in the women's category, with children, with juniors, with seniors. Can we help our goalkeepers in this situation, can we improve this aspect, how? The aim of this work is to present some ideas to help coaches to design their training sessions, so that their goalkeepers can overcome these situations. Before explaining it, we would like to clarify that it is a proposal that has taken shape thanks to what we have learnt from our players, other coaches, teachers, researchers, etc. The proposal has two main areas of work: a) the approach to fear and b) the design and progression of the exercises. Both areas complement each other and work in synergy. Below, we outline the general lines of both areas of work: JOSÉ RAMÓN ALVITE DE PABLO
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JOSÉ FLORES RODRÍGUEZ
