Are
Goalkeepers |
No. Definitely, not crazy. In fact, "true" goalkeepers love their position and dislike sharing it with anyone else on the team. They see the keeper's spot as the best, most important, and most interesting position. Where else can you watch the entire game, see all of the players on the field, and boss everyone around? Keepers are a different breed, though. There is a distinct keeper personality - independent, confident, fearless, controlling, dominant, defiant, and territorial. "Don't come into my territory, because you'll have ME to deal with. Just try it. Come on. Make my day." That's a keeper talking. The captainship of many high-level teams is held by their goalkeepers. It's a highly-respected position that direct traffics, controls the placement of defensive players, and starts counterattacks. When a keeper says, "Cover #9," that is an order that is taken seriously by teammates. I like to say that "Goalkeeping isn't soccer." While the modern keeper has to be much more proficient with his/her feet than the keepers of one or two decades ago, they don't really "play" soccer. The goalkeeper skill set is pretty much separate from the skill set of field players. Catching, distributing, punching, punting, and diving - field players learn none of these. Also, goalkeeping is anaerobic while field play is aerobic. That's why keepers condition differently and are held to a different set of fitness standards. (Not lower standards, just different standards.) Goalkeeping isn't for everyone. While the elementary goalkeeping skills should be taught to all young players, this must be looked upon as simply part of the "keeper identification process." Nobody should have to play in the goal if they don't want to. For someone who isn't cut from goalkeeping cloth, being in the goal is a painful experience than usually ends in "failure."
Roy Henninger, a goalkeeper's parent, has this to say: "Goalkeepers
make mistakes like any other player. But, there is one big difference. Youth
soccer field players often give the ball up to the other team even when not
pressured by a defender. These mistakes usually have no negative consequence,
because the other team gives the ball back before they can score. Goalkeeper
mistakes are often highlighted by a goal being scored. So, the pressure on a
goal keeper is greater, because mistakes are punished.
" Getting scored on doesn't bother a "true" goalkeeper unless he/she has done something wrong, and even then, it's taken as a learning experience. True keepers get right back into the game after being scored on as much as they get right back up after being on the ground. |