Dealing with anger/emotions

[kingwolf]

controlling my anger has been a real problem for me. Whenever a game really isn't going our way and i feel its my fault i pretty much snap and forgot my fundamentals i feel like it was my first time in the cage , and even though my team doesn't make me feel worse as the game progresses i get angrier. Is there any way to harness my anger or any tips for controlling it cause i really need to know this

[laxcanada]

chanel your anger towards the ball, that helps me when im mad
get in front of it and attack it like its the reason for all the problems in the world
it helps when making saves too

[Lacrosse4life31]

Yea i agree with what laxcanada said. in fact, getting pissed off actually improves my game play...

[bplaxg33]

lol yah that will help because the biggest fundimental on stopping a shot is getting to the ball, of course you still need soft hands or you will be giving rebounds out left and right. you should try to play with you mind clear if you can because the more you think the more you are likely to make a mental mistake. Turn your anger on the ball but also release it by talking and calling out ball position, cutters, and everything else you see

[Lacrosse4life31]

lol yah that will help because the biggest fundimental on stopping a shot is getting to the ball, of course you still need soft hands or you will be giving rebounds out left and right. you should try to play with you mind clear if you can because the more you think the more you are likely to make a mental mistake. Turn your anger on the ball but also release it by talking and calling out ball position, cutters, and everything else you see
exactly, but hehe like bplaxg33 said release it talking and stuff like that! hehe don't want to make a mistake like i did....-ground ball in the back right, i just ran as fast as i could towards it and laid this kid out, turns out that i broke 1 of his ribs (i hit him on the side when he was tryin to scoop) but the problem was, i got the ball and i was so pissed that i passed it RIGHT to the middle... where i WASN'T at... they scored.... oh well hope you liked the story!
by the way, we still one 7-2 but i felt so embarresed that i let something that easy in! i basically handed them a goal!
now i just yell... and lose my voice after every game..

[bplaxg33]

ohhh i forgot a solid poke check works wonders on your anger... guy coming from x along the crease is a beautiful target just don't lose your stick poking him off his feet... I got my stick back after the ball went through the crease and the other wing d cleared the ball.

[Lacrosse4life31]

ohhh i forgot a solid poke check works wonders on your anger... guy coming from x along the crease is a beautiful target just don't lose your stick poking him off his feet... I got my stick back after the ball went through the crease and the other wing d cleared the ball.

nice! lol i've never tried a poke check (with a goalie stick that is..)... must really hurt with a goalie stick!

[kingwolf]

my team does try to calm me down cause when i lose my temper they know i am know were near as good and i do try to channel my anger but it never really works out for me

[Lacrosse4life31]

well... can't help ya there... seems to me that when you get angry you just need to HIT something! i didn't mention this yet, but hit the post alot! i don't know if other goalies have this problem... but I smack the post SO much... the back of my stick is orange now... and dented... but it relives anger when you can't hit somebody, also, when I smack the post, that is a clue to my defense to STEP IT UP!!! or it is sayin good job! depends on the situation, but i know it sounds wierd, but hitting the post does acutally calm me down some, kinda gets me tired and all, then i get focused.

[Lacrosse4life31]

I really don't like it when goalies hit the post. If anything, I see it as a weakness. From my experience, showing your frustration and anger only gets the offense pumped up which obviously isn't going to help you or your defense. I know a lot of upper level coaches will rip you apart if you do something like that. It's one thing to get upset at the end of an extremely close game (Queener, Coluccini), but it's a completely different thing to do it game after game when you start to get frustrated. All you have to do is when the ball is the other end, take a deep breath and refocus. Figure out how you're getting beat and fix it. There's no need to make a big show out of it.

hmm... i understand what you are saying, its just a bad habit i guess. and i see what your saying when you say "gets the offense pumped" but i'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. I think the way i said it was wrong-- i don't hit the post like try to smack it and show anger, i just hit it to keep me focused and to "wake" my defense up and "tell" them they need to pick up their game or to tell them that they are being beat.
i think you have the wrong image of me: im not a madman hitting the post with all my might! (although i have bent shafts on it) i am merely hitting the post... ugh, this is hard to explain....

[kingwolf]

i don't get frustrated at a close game im fairly calm but today my team got murdered and they got a few easy goals , its just after get scored on by a shot that you knew you could save but you didn't really pissed me off

[RazzMaChazz]

breathe in the nose, out the mouth.
every goal starts a new game.

[SVLax2011]

My coach pulled me out of goal last game and put our backup goalie in (luckily it's just middle school) becuase he thought I was too upset to play so I ended up playing either D or middie I forget.

[dillz18]

Well let's just say last year when I played goalie, I made my own 20*-ish Crankshaft when I got mad by checking my position on the pipes a little too hard. Not all out of anger either, just to get pumped, or wake up my team, but sometimes out of anger.

[kingwolf]

im never gonna hit the posts hard cause i have a contender and i really dont want that to break, also today i had a game after every goal i took a deep breath and i even had a shut out in the first half!

[cnyminder]

All's i try to do when i am mad i just take a deep breath and try to relax.

[Laxman3221]

As a Doctor, I suggest Valium.


But you might try a good cry first. Maybe a hug, too.

[thepalehorse]

we all go through that somepoint during a game that ended badly. its rarely the goalies fault unless you do somthing stupid like flick it like n.carolina goalie. I me personally as a pole i get pissed because i always fell that i could have done that little extra thing to stop that goal or put the ball in their net. Best way to let it out is to talk with the poles and let them known that your getting anger and your skills are going down a little. just tell the d to buvkle down more and youll worry about the outside shots, just tell the truth. Play your best but tell you dmen that you need some extra help. the goalie is the leader so when the goalie falls apart so does the poles. thats happened to me when a goalie just doesn't care and then i get soppy. when you start to get a little pissy, just hundle quickly and let them know. Otherwise, anger is part of sports and you should feel angry if you or some one elses messes up.

[NALC24]

punch someone (behind play)

[fromthesideline]

I take a GI Joe doll out of my goalie pants and poke pins into it - Like a voodoo doll. It helps if GI Joe looks like their attack players.