Director's Corner

Part 1: Goalkeeper Fundamentals
November 2, 2008

Goalkeepers as a result of the back pass rule and now the six second rule has caused the role of the goalkeeper to change. These restrictions not only affect the keeper, but they also affect the team as a whole.

As I have said numerous times in the past, goalkeeper experts are not the best goalkeeper coaches. It is the game that is the best goalkeeper coach. However, a knowledgeable goal coach can guide the keeper by combining the assessment of technical efficiency, psychological makeup, and the physical aspects of training with the tactical aspects of matches.

When you fit the goalkeeper into the team training, you will be able to address such issues as: Shot handling and crosses under pressure, initiating the attack from the back, back pass strategies, defensive restarts, off side trap, spacing between the keeper and defenders, team communication, etc. It is also important that the goalkeeper's voice is familiar to his or her teammates. Not only the tone of the voice, but the terminology as well. A well organized defense sees fewer shots and thus concedes fewer goals. This organization needs to be trained. At Grampus, we are presented with a communication challenge. There are several different nationalities of players on the team and is thus critical for the goalkeeper to learn specific commands in each foreign player's language.

The goal coach/head coach relationship is important for many reasons. A line of communication must always be kept open. This will prepare your goalkeeper to meet the needs of the team without having any surprises or being unprepared.

The goalkeeper warm-up should reflect the tactical theme of the training session. As an example, if the team will be focusing on attacking from the flanks, then your goalkeeper lesson plan should have a warm-up that prepares the keepers to handle crosses. The goalkeepers should always be informed of the activities of the team training. Always give sufficient time to prepare the keepers for the demands of the team training sessions.

Part 2: Playing off their line
November 2, 2008

The ability and knowledge of how to be a sweeper/keeper will make a difference in how successful you are as a keeper now and I believe that in the very near future, it will make a difference in whether you are a keeper or not as it really looks like that is the direction the position is going. The question for you as a keeper is whether you want to keep up or fall behind?

Too many keepers seem content to stay on their line and be a shot blocker as opposed to really playing the role properly (see http://finesoccer.com/goalkeeping_edition_80.htm) for more on where to stand). Rather then having a 10-person team plus a keeper, with a better understanding of the sweeper/keeper role, a keeper can add many facets to the game.

When an opposing team plays high pressure against your team, http://finesoccer.com/goalkeeping_edition_80.htm one of the easiest ways to relieve this pressure is to play balls back to the keeper. When an opposing team plays low pressure against you, one of the easiest ways to spread them back is to pull them out of their bunker by playing balls back to the keeper (notice a pattern here?). When your team pushes up hard after playing a ball forward, the keeper must go with them (partially) in order to cover the space over the top. When an early diagonal ball is played into a corner, the keeper must be prepared to win that ball. When an opponent is pressuring the last defender who is facing her own goal, the keeper must make herself available for the pass back. As you have probably noticed, in none of these instances does the keeper have the option of using her hands so she MUST be prepared to use her foot skills as if she were any other field player.

What is the best way for a keeper to prepare for this situation? She should play as much soccer as possible. When she can't be in goal, play as a field player (if you have read my views on most indoor soccer, you shouldn't be surprised to find that I consider indoor soccer to be a great time for keepers to work on their field skills). Most of the better keepers I have been around have actually been quite adequate field players as well (I do realize I will be hearing from some of these keepers for calling them adequate field players since some of them consider themselves to be much better then adequate but the truth hurts sometimes!).

A keeper also must be prepared to handle bad passes back as well as balls they must play out of the box. In order to do this, balls should be served into the keepers that aren't easy to handle and they should practice both bringing these hard to handle balls down to their feet quickly as well as clearing them first time. One of the keys is the first time clears must be able to be done with either foot.

Also, a keeper must be able to distribute safely and accurately from the keeper/sweeper position. The last thing a team wants when they play a ball back to their keeper is for her to kick the ball aimlessly downfield (unless, of course, she is under tremendous pressure). This is where the ability to hit an accurate ball between 20-40 yards is extremely important (and equally important is the ability to know where to hit the ball to).

Part 3: How Far Off The Line Should The Goalkeeper Be?
November 7, 2008

Too often I see keepers camped out on their goal line while the play is going on in the other keeper's box miles away. This leaves a giant space behind the defense for a dangerous long ball to be played. The goalkeeper is the General out on the field. The keeper needs to stay connected with the defense to communicate and organize the players. This requires a keeper to be close enough to communicate with the team and cover the space behind the defense but at the appropriate distance to not get caught by a long shot from an unpressured attacker.

Goalkeepers should take up the line between the ball and the middle of the goal and position themselves at a place off their goal line to act as a sweeper - keeper. Younger keepers, youth coaches, or keepers without foot skills will not be terribly comfortable with this but it is a critical part of team defending. Goalkeepers can offer themselves as a back pass option or clear away any long through ball behind the defense if they adjust their positioning on the field based on the looming threat.

Positioning is based on ball location on the entire field.

Part 4: Characteristics and attributes of a quality Goalkeeper
January 4, 2009

1. TECHNIQUE

   • Footwork
   • Minimizing the space and 'standing still' when a shot, cross or pass is struck
   • 1 v 1
   • Joining game play outside of the penalty area
   • The back pass
   • Punt; volley and drop-kick
   • Goal kick
   
   

2. TACTICS, POSSESSION AND POSITIONING

   • During play, with: shots, crosses, through balls and 1v1.
   • During set plays: Free kicks and throw-ins
   • Mastering the areas: - in front of goalkeeper (depth) - besides goalkeeper (flanks) - behind goal-
   • keeper (lobs)
   • Choice and moment of holding the ball, kicking to clear the ball, change the point of attack
   
   

3. PHYSICAL

   • Endurance
   • Speed - course speed
   • - handling speed
   • - reactions
   • Coordination
   
   

Part 5: Dealing with the through ball
February 1, 2009

One of the hardest technical and also part tactical skills to teach a young goalkeeper is when and how to deal with through balls effectively.

When the ball is at the other end of the field, many keepers tend to stay in the comfort of the shadow of their goal posts. Then when a long ball is played through the defense, the keeper finds herself going 1 v 1 against a fast striker. If the goal keeper learns to play well off her line, she can often get to the ball before the striker and clear it out of trouble. Because this often means that the keeper must get to the ball while it is outside the 18, the keeper must develop confidence in her ability to clear the ball. This set of drills is designed to help develop that confidence.

For all the drills place a cone about 50 yards away from the goal about 10 yards in from the sideline. The cone serves as a target for the keeper. The keeper wants to clear the ball to the cone. Never let the keeper work on clearing the ball without a target.

Start with an easy ball played through that the keeper can control with little trouble.

1. Start with the keeper at the top of the 18 in the middle of the field. Slowly roll balls toward the keeper from about 30 yards out. The keeper should sprint out and clear the ball to the target. Make sure that the ball is rolled slowly to the keeper. You want to start the training with success. Stress getting to the ball quickly, clearing the ball so that it gets up in the air, and clearing the ball to the target. It is important that the ball gets up in the air (the importance of getting the ball up in the air is demonstrated by the US Mexico game when Keller cleared the ball into the Mexico attacker and into the goal).

   
   

2. Once the keeper is able to handle easy balls with no pace, add pace. But not too much. You want to make sure the keeper is successful. Start placing more emphasis on hitting the target. This is an example of the keeper being the first line of offense.

   
   

3. Move to mid-field and start kicking the ball to the keeper. Kicked balls tend to bounce and do funny things and are harder to deal with than rolled balls. Again add emphasis on hitting the target. If the keeper has trouble dealing with kicked balls, go back to step 2. Build confidence by making sure that the keeper succeeds.

   
   

4. When the keeper can deal with kicked balls, add passive pressure either with another player or a cone. The keeper should learn to one touch the ball away from the pressure and then clear it. Again you want to make sure that the keeper hits the target.

   
   

5. Add active pressure by having a striker follow the kicked ball. Start with the striker going at about 50% remember you want the keeper to build confidence. As the keeper's ability improves, the striker can go 100%. The striker should start about 10-15 yards behind mid-field at first. If the striker is having trouble putting pressure on the keeper, let her start at mid-field.

   
   

6. Use the following activities on decision making and when to come out ...click here

   
   

Note: Although the emphasis on dealing with through balls should be on starting the attack, the keeper should also be taught the idea of safety first. If the pressure is high, then instruct the keeper to kick the ball out of play in any direction necessary. Usually this means kicking the ball over the sideline.

Part 6: Dealing with breakaways
March 3, 2009

Breakaways can be the most fun part of being goalkeeper. Nothing is more fun than stuffing a striker who is sure that she/he is going to score. And nothing lifts your defense and whole team more than stuffing the striker as she/he is about to score!

The first thing to remember about dealing with breakaways is that the pressure is on the striker--the striker is supposed to beat you. There is no pressure on you. So be confident.

Dealing with breakaways begins before the breakaway ever happens. You must constantly pay attention to the game and how it is developing. And you must be aware of where the last defender is and concentrate on the space between you and the defender. You must be able to control this space. If you can control this space, you can avoid having to deal with a great many breakaways.

The key to dealing with breakaways is aggressive play. You must be ready and willing to commit to exploding off the line with these objectives:

Option 1: Get to the ball before the attacker does. (See dealing with through balls)
Option 2: Get to the ball before the attacker shoots. Many times an attacker will make a mistake and allow the ball to get away from her before she shoots. This is the time to get the ball.
Option 3: Get the ball as soon as she shoots.
Option 4: Get set into position and get the ball just after she shoots.

As you can see the whole idea of dealing with breakaways is to get to the ball as soon as possible. If you can not get to the ball before the attacker does, get out to a spot where you leave the attacker a little of the goal to shoot out as possible. Take up a well balanced position and force the attacker into an error. Make the attacker commit first. You must retain the ability to change the speed and direction of your attack on the ball. Even in mid-air. This ability is often what separates the good from the excellent keepers.

When you are going 1 v 1 remember that you can use your hands. So, when you dive cover the near post with your hands and the far post with you legs and feet. The dive should be a parallel dive. Attacking players try to avoid shooting at a keeper's hands. So they will often shoot wide of the near post in an attempt to keep the ball away from your hands. Attackers are also afraid of the keepers feet and legs, so if they go far post, they will often attempt to go wide around you. This gains time for your defense to recover. And often the attacker will kick the ball out of bounds.

Avoid attacking feet first. When you attack feet first, you reduce the area of the goal you can cover. This puts you in a position that makes it difficult to recover for a second attack on the ball.

Because it is scary going at an attacker's feet with your hand (and also your face), many keepers attack feet first. Work with a friend at slow speed to develop the technique of attacking with your hands first. When you are comfortable with the idea, have your friend pick up the speed.

Additional comments on dealing with breakaways

The best way to deal with breakaways and 1 v 1 situations is to prevent them by controlling the space between the keeper and the last defender. If this fails, then you need to prevent the goal. Here are some tips for dealing with the situation.

1. Attack the shooter by coming out hard and low and under control. You come out low to force the shooter to shot high. That's the lowest percentage chance for the attacker. Don't' get beat low.

2. If the attacker tries to chip you, leap forward and attack the ball. This reduces the angle available to the shooter and give you the best chance to make the save. Be sure that you leap forward and not back or straight up. If you lead back or lean back away from the shot, you give up more of the goal. If you watch lots of soccer, you'll see that many keepers lean back in this situation. You don't want to do this. Remember attack the ball.

Part 7: Decision Making
April 5, 2009

Drills for decision making on coming out for the ball
The decision making process of a goalkeeper in coming out of the box after a ball must be learned, but Joe DeMay, GK Coach for the Youngstown State University women's program and for Mahoning Valley Premier FC has provided a set of drills to help the GK learn to make the proper decisions. Give these drills a try at your next practice.

"This is a tough situation to fully replicate in a training session, but there are a couple drills that can help. When I say it is tough to fully replicate I mean that a lot of the decision making process is left out....you can do all three of these drills as much as you want but they never make up for match experience (which for the GK is the most important thing, perhaps more so than any other player on the field).

Anyway, these drills can be changed, enhanced, etc. to any extent, I'm just going to present them in their basic form.

GK Activity 1
The first one is really simple and has a few variations. You need a server around the mid circle and a line of attackers about 10-15 yards in front of the server (the distance will vary on the type of ball being served. The server plays the ball long (ground, air, bouncing, doesn't matter), the attacker runs to it to try and play it, and the GK must decide what to do. The options are fairly simple: a) come out to the top of the box to collect before attacker gets there b) come out of box to clear it before the attacker can run on to it c) challenge the attacker with the ball at his/her feet at the top of the box or d) stay back a bit and wait for the attacker to get further into the box before challenging. The elements that go into the decision the GK makes are quite numerous. The speed of the ball, the speed of the pitch, the speed of the attacker, the speed of the GK, the strengths and stature of the GK, any information on the attacker the GK might know (left footed, likes to chip on breakaways, favorite move, etc.), the relative position of defenders and trailing attackers, how well the attacker has the ball under control, the angle of the attacker's approach, how composed the attacker looks if the ball is at his/her feet to name most of them. Seems like a lot and almost impossible to do in a split second, but as GK I've got at least that much going through my head when I see a potential breakaway coming. If I make a mistake on any one of those judgments I can usually tell you exactly which on it is as the ball is flying (or rolling) toward the back of the net. Not a good time to figure it out, but realizing your mistakes is a great teacher.

Anyway, you can add variations to this by adding a trailing defender, a defender coming from the side, etc. You can also vary the service points, that is, serve it from the flanks with the attackers coming from the same position. Return to top

GK Activity 2
The second drill can involve the whole team, which I know GK love because it makes them feel more involved with the team. Divide the players up into 3 or four lines of 4-6 (depending on your squad size, of course) about 25-35 yards from goal. The first player stands with his/her back toward the goal, legs spread shoulder width apart, and a ball between their feet. The second player taps the ball between the legs of the first player, the first player turns to attack goal and the second player chases as a defender. It's a clear breakaway, so the GK needs to decide how and when to come out. The possibility that the defender might recover to challenge for the ball also exists. It's unlikely that the defender will recover to get the ball, but you should stress to them to recover to a position behind the onrushing GK to cover their line should a ball slip by. This may be a bit advanced for some age groups, but it's something that may be useful one day. On the club team I play with I happen to have the luxury of playing with the sweeper I played with since I was 14 so we know each other pretty well. On breakaways we know each other well enough that I delay the attacker long enough to allow Josh (my sweeper) to get into position should I not be able to come up with the ball. Once he has arrived at that spot I can now attack the ball with the comfort of knowing I have help behind me. I snuff out enough breakaways on my own, but I cannot count the number of times Josh has cleared the ball off my line. It's much better going in for a ball knowing I've got some help back on my goal line. Ok, probably a lot more info than any of you wanted:))).

The variations on this one are fairly simple. Have both players sit, kneel, lay down and on a signal of your designation get up and score/defend. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that you designate line numbers for each line and you call out which number goes next, that way it makes things a little less predictable for everybody. Return to top

GK Activity 3
The final thing, that most closely replicates match related play (besides full scrimmaging) is 1 v 1 and 2 v 2 either in the box or on a 25 or 30 x 20 field. Even if you go with two goals on the small field, let the players on both teams attack at either goal, it will create a lot more breakaway type of situations. Don't concentrate too much on what the field players are doing, focus on the GK's decisions and technique. There are tons of different ways to set this up to get what you want. Sometimes I'll set up and arc (with field marking paint) in front of the goal (similar to the three point arc in Bball) and tell the attackers they can only score from INSIDE the arc. This insures that the attackers will be dribbling at the GK and taking shots at close range, which forces him/her to decide if they're staying back or coming out.

Hope this helped. There are other drills, but these are the best ones and they're also easy to incorporate into a full team practice as I know most of you aren't afforded the luxury of a GK coach. Any questions will gladly be answered."

Part 8: Communication
May 3, 2009

Communication is a key for every player on the soccer field, and especially so for the goalkeeper. Once the keeper has made a decision, the defenders need to know what it is. The goalkeeper also must be a organizer and general on the field - they are the only player who faces the field the whole time and are the best positioned to see the development of the play.

The keeper should know at least these two basic calls:

"Keeper!": this means the goalkeeper is making a play on the ball, defenders should get out of the way.
"Away!": this means the opposite - the keeper is not going after the ball and the defense should pursue it. It is usually used for crosses or corners. The keeper must yell these commands loudly and repeat them if necessary. There must be no doubt in anyone's mind who's ball it is! This even includes the opposing team - forwards will sometimes back off if they think the keeper is coming hard.

The keeper should also direct traffic and position defenders on the field. Don't expect a lot of this to occur with young keepers, especially those who don't play in goal full time, but with experience a 14 or 15 year old full-time goalkeeper should be able to scan the field and the set the defense as necessary. To do this, the keeper must be a student of the game - they must know:

KNOW....The defensive scheme used by the team and how the coach wants the defenders to play
KNOW....Tendencies and strengths of the opposing team and opposing players
KNOW....The role of first defender, second defender, third defender to make adjustments on the fly
KNOW....The role of first, second and third attackers to help anticipate how the attack may develop

In short, they must be a second coach out on the soccer field. This is a tall order for a youth soccer player, but here are a few points that will help develop this.

1. Be loud and repetitive. It can be hard to hear out on the field, especially for someone on the ball with their head down. Make sure the message gets through.

2. Be individualistic and specific with commands. Yelling "Mark up!" or "Who's on #10?" often isn't enough - tell specific players what to do ("John, mark #10" or "Ashley, Kristy, shift one mark to the right").

3. Work from the ball outwards. The keeper should focus on the ball carrier first, and arrange defenders near the ball first. When danger is less imminent, set the defenders who are further away.

4. Arrange to get feedback from defenders. It can be eye contact, a wave of the hand, a verbal okay, but have defenders let the goalkeeper know they were heard. The goalkeeper will be able to shift focus knowing the defender is set, and the defender won't have the keeper yelling at them for something they already heard.

5. If keeper does not call then its the players ball. If they keeper does not call, the defenders must take responsibility. The defense should never assume the keeper has a ball unless the keeper calls for it; they should go for the ball unless they hear otherwise. A few collisions with their own defense in practice should quickly teach a quiet keeper the value of calling loudly for the ball!

Communication between the goalkeeper and defenders is a key to making the defense function as a unit.

Part 1
April 6, 2008

I have a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and have a passion for Sports Psychology. This section may be longer then others but if you can get into the minds of the players you can achieve greatness ! The psychological component refers to he intangible part of the game such as: Mental toughness, emotions, stress and attitude toward ones self.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF YOUTH SOCCER
COMPETITIVE READINESS?
“Most children are not psychologically ready for competitive sport until they are 10-12 years old”

COMPETITIVE READINESS
This perspective does not mean children cannot learn soccer skills, enjoy soccer, and develop fitness and health However, it does mean that children do not understand the competition process the way adults do Thus, adults should help children define and understand their soccer experience

COMPETITIVE READINESS
Cognitive maturity
Spatial ability
Understanding ability
Effort vs. ability
Realistic appraisal of ability

SOCCER MOTIVATION
Being with friends
Playing
Excitement
Learning
Improving

THE IMPORTANCE OF PERCEPTIONS OF ABILITY
“Sport psychologists believe that the major underlying reason for participating in and leaving sport are perceptions of ability.”

PERCEPTIONS OF ABILITY INFORMATION SOURCES
8-14 yrs vs. 14-18yrs
Evaluative Feedback: 1 vs. 3 dimensions (coach, peer, spectators)
Internal information: 1 vs. 3 dimensions (effort, skill, ease of learning)

HOW CHILDREN PLAY WHEN THEY ARE IN CHARGE
Potential evidence about how coaches may want to structure practice and games.

PROFESSIONAL MODEL
Entertainment
Success = winning
Failure = losing

Part 2
May 6, 2008

EDUCATIONAL MODEL
Multiple definitions of success
Success = learning, improvement
Success = love of physical activity, health, fitness
Success = developing desirable personal qualities (e.g., confidence)
Success = friendships, fun, good memories

EDUCATIONAL MODEL
Fewer definitions of failure
Failure = not trying hard, not persisting, giving up
Failure = poor sportpersonship, unethical behavior

TEAM GOALS
Think short and long term
The practice, the current season, next season
A lifelong love of physical activity and sport
Create an atmosphere so that children want to come to practice

COACH CREATED CLIMATE
Create a performance (vs. outcome) oriented atmosphere
De-emphasize winning: Its often uncontrollable and unrealistic
Children will be exposed to plenty of information stressing the importance of winning (e.g., fun, attention, rewards, etc.)

COACH CREATED CLIMATE
Emphasize controllable and realistic performance goals such as skill development, fitness improvement, learning, etc.
Create opportunities for fun and socialization

A FEW PARTING EMPIRICAL RESEARCH RESULTS
One of the strongest predictors of stress in youth sport is the child's sense of how important winning is to adults
Coaches who became more positive (e.g., encouraging) drastically reduced children's drop out rates and increase their self-esteem

PSYCHOLOGY OF YOUTH SOCCER
Wayne State University Detroit, Michigan

Part 3
June 6, 2008

INTRODUCTION TO SOCCER PSYCHOLOGY
What can a Sports Psychologist do to help soccer players ?

MOTIVATION
Throughout the season, the coach may have to deal with team motivational problems...

STRESS, ANXIETY & RELAXATION
Most players have experienced nervousness before a big game...

MENTAL IMAGERY
The process of practicing skills in your mind rather than through physical practice...

SELF-CONFIDENCE
A lack of self-confidence will have adverse effects on performance...

GOAL SETTING
An excellent way of developing confidence is to set your players different goals...

CONCENTRATION & MENTAL CONTROL
Very few players actually practice concentration as a real skill...

BUILDING A TEAM (PSYCHOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW)
Coaches must take into account the personality of players when building their team...

TEAM COMMUNICATION
Good communication skills are vital for any coach and player...

TEAM SPIRIT
Attitude, discipline and behavior all play a major role in deciding team spirit...

GETTING INTO THE ZONE
Guest article: Expert mental advice by Ed O'Keefe

Part 4
July 6, 2008

Concentration, confidence, control and commitment (the 4C's) are generally considered the main mental qualities that are important for successful performance in most sports.

Concentration - ability to maintain focus
Confidence - believe in one's abilities
Control - ability to maintain emotional control regardless of distraction
Commitment - ability to continue working to agreed goals

The techniques of relaxation, centering and mental imagery can assist an athlete to achieve the 4C's.

1. Concentration
   This is the mental quality to focus on the task in hand. If the athlete lacks concentration then their athletic abilities will not be effectively or efficiently applied to the task. Research has identified the following types of attention focus:
   
   Broad Narrow continuum - the athlete focuses on a large or small number of stimuli

   Internal External continuum - the athlete focuses on internal stimuli (feelings) or external stimuli (ball)
   
   The demand for concentration varies with the sport:
   Sustained concentration - distance running, cycling, tennis, squash
   Short bursts of concentration - cricket, golf, shooting, athletic field events
   Intense concentration - sprinting events, bobsleigh, skiing
   
   Common distractions are: anxiety, mistakes, fatigue, weather, public announcements, coach, manager, opponent, negative thoughts etc.
   
   Strategies to improve concentration are very personal. One way to maintain focus is to set process goals for each session or competition. The athlete will have an overall goal for which the athlete will identify a number of process goals that help focus on specific aspects of the task. For each of these goals the athlete can use a trigger word (a word which instantly refocuses the athlete's concentration to the goal) e.g. sprinting technique requires the athlete to focus on being tall, relaxed, smooth and to drive with the elbows - trigger word could be "technique"
   
   Athletes will develop a routine for competition that may include the night before, the morning, pre competition, competition and post competition routines. If these routines are appropriately structured then they can prove a useful aid to concentration.

   
   

2. Confidence
   Confidence results from the comparison an athlete makes between the goal and their ability. The athlete will have self-confidence if they believe they can achieve their goal. (Comes back to a quote of mine - "You only achieve what you believe").
   
   When an athlete has self confidence they will tend to: persevere even when things are not going to plan, show enthusiasm, be positive in their approach and take their share of the responsibility in success and fail.
   
   To improve their self confidence, an athlete can use mental imagery to:
   visualize previous good performance to remind them of the look and feel
   imagine various scenarios and how they will cope with them.
   
   

3. Control
   Identifying when an athlete feels a particular emotion and understanding the reason for the feelings is an important stage of helping an athlete gain emotional control. An athlete's ability to maintain control of their emotions in the face of adversity and remain positive is essential to successful performance. Two emotions that are often associated with poor performance are anxiety and anger.
   
   Anxiety comes in two forms - Physical (butterflies, sweating, nausea, needing the toilet) and Mental (worry, negative thoughts, confusion, lack of concentration). Relaxation is a technique that can be used to reduce anxiety.
   
   When an athlete becomes angry, the cause of the anger often becomes the focus of attention. This then leads to a lack of concentration on the task, performance deteriorates and confidence in ability is lost which fuels the anger - a slippery slope to failure.

   
   

4. Commitment
   Sports performance depends on the athlete being fully committed to numerous goals over many years. In competition with these goals the athlete will have many aspects of daily life to manage. The many competing interests and commitments include work, studies, family/partner, friends, social life and other hobbies/sports
   
   Within the athlete's sport, commitment can be undermined by:
   a perceived lack of progress or improvement
   not being sufficiently involved in developing the training program
   not understanding the objectives of the training program
   injury
   lack of enjoyment anxiety about performance - competition
   becoming bored coach athlete not working as a team
   lack of commitment by other athletes
   
   Setting goals with the athlete will raise their feelings of value, give them joint ownership of the goals and therefore become more committed to achieving them. All goals should be SMARTER.
   
   Many people (coach, medical support team, manager, friends, etc) can contribute to an athlete's levels of commitment with appropriate levels of support and positive feedback, especially during times of injury, illness and poor performance.