Goalie Mental Game?

Question

I am a goalie in ice hockey just struggling to adapt to ice and play for my high school. I am extremely inconsistent due to my low self esteem. One of the players on my high school team makes fun of me because "I suck" even though i am just as good, if not better than the other freshman goalie. I need help with my mental game if i am ever to overtake the other freshman goalie and bring my ice game to a new level.

Answer 1

Take baby steps.  Make things easier on yourself.  Go out and play to win each period you play.  Don't feel as if you have to make every save spectacular.  Also don't force things on yourself.  Let the game come to you.  One save at a time.  If you start stringing together saves, you will start to develop more and more confidence and that will show.  You will start to feel bigger.

Psychatrists always tell atheletes to imagine themselves making plays.  Imagine yourself starting and making quality save after quality save and maybe that will relax you in the crease.

Don't worry about what people say.  What does one person's negative opinion of you matter in the long run anyway?  Get out there and have fun.  It's a game, right?

Answer 2

I'm a goalie too and I played high school goalie so I know where you're coming from.  First get over being told you suck because if you let it get you off your game it's true.  You're going to have people yelling at you trying to get you off you game and you can't let them do that.  What separates good goalies and bad goalies is how quickly they can get over being scored on, and if you're getting thrown off your game by someone who doesn't even play goalie my guess is you're not great at recovering from being scored on.  

As far as mental prep goes it's very different from any other position.  If you're a forward you want to get pumped up so hard you're ready to drive you car through a wall, but as a goalie you want to be smiling and in a good mood.  If your the former you'll be stupid and let your anger and intensity blind you.  Stay happy centered and confident and know that you're not Bordeur and you will be scored on from time to time you just need to stay in the game or you'll let in more.

Answer 3

Just ignore him. That's all you can do. Honestly, if the person is so pathetic where they have to make fun of you....they're not worth the time.

You can also tell the coach. Yeah I know, you don't want to be a whiner, but what else are you going to do? If you don't tell someone you only have yourself to blame for not saying something.

Answer 4

Happened to me too.  I suggest that you practice harder than the other goalie, and you'll get there in a few months.