Goalkeeping Tips, Tidbits and Random Thoughts

Chat with Marcus Hahnemann

The Guardian's Small Talk chats with US international Marcus Hahnemann of Reading.

Labels: Goalkeeping News and Analysis

The ability to deal with mistakes is crucial

Malcolm Gladwell wrote:

Charles Bosk, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, once conducted a set of interviews with young doctors who had either resigned or been fired from neurosurgery-training programs, in an effort to figure out what separated the unsuccessful surgeons from their successful counterparts. He concluded that, far more than technical skills or intelligence, what was necessary for success was the sort of attitude that Quest has--a practical-minded obsession with the possibility and the consequences of failure.... "I began to develop what I thought was an indicator of whether someone was going to be a good surgeon or not. It was a couple of simple questions: Have you ever made a mistake? And, if so, what was your worst mistake? The people who said, 'Gee, I haven't really had one,' or, 'I've had a couple of bad outcomes but they were due to things outside my control'--invariably those were the worst candidates. And the residents who said, 'I make mistakes all the time. There was this horrible thing that happened just yesterday and here's what it was.' They were the best. They had the ability to rethink everything that they'd done and imagine how they might have done it differently."

Replace "surgeon" with "goalkeeper". No matter what you do, the ability to deal with mistakes is crucial. That goes especially for people like surgeons and goalkeepers, for whom a mistake can be oh so costly.

Labels: Psychology

Look, no gloves

The Knowledge over at the Guardian Unlimited Football puts forth the question: "Who was the last [English] league goalkeeper to play without gloves?" One wag responds: "Simon Farnworth of Bolton didn't wear gloves in the Freight Rover final at Wembley against Bristol City in 1986."

Any JB Goalkeeping readers remember otherwise? If you know, let them know.

Labels: Equipment

Blunders

Here's a brief collection of clips of some horrible goalkeeping blunders.

Lesson 1: Don't make divots in the turf! Learn to use the field markings and goalposts to orient yourself. Plus, marking the field like that can be considered unsporting behavior.

Lesson 2: If you accidentally throw the ball into your own net, you won't be the first. I was surprised that a quick google turned up not just one, but at least two professional keepers who scored an own goal by tossing the ball over their own goal line.

Labels: Matchday observations