feeling down?

[W.E.Lax]

hav you guys ever feel like you no longer hav wut it takes to be a goalie after a really bad game? or you feel like crap after letting every shot in during practice?

[viking goalie]

i think every goalie has had that feeling, but it passes. You have to be mentally strong enough to tell yourself, "it was just a bad day, everyone has them." What's important is how you come back from something like this, that will tell you if you still have what it takes to be a goalie.

[smalbikpro]

I used to get those really bad, like even if we won a game like 11-3, i would still feel terrible about letting in those goals and not be able to enjoy the win even with everyone saying what a great job i did and whatnot.

[czechinthepipes]

I am my worst/hardest critique on myself. Even though I don't play goalie I always was really hard on myself even if I had a good game, it always made those feelings of uselessness worse. This always happened with all the sports I played not just lacrosse. If I would have given in to those feelings I would not be who I am today and I wouldn't be on this forum. I'd probably be some fat kid that sits at home all day eating ice cream.
You just have to analyze the good out of those feelings so you can get better then forget them so you don't let them get under your skin. Just remember there will always be another day to play and you know you'll do better that time. If it really bothers you, and you can't shake the feelings, give it an hour then go find someone to shoot on you to build your confidence back up.
The key is to remember that it was only one bad day, you have many left and they won't always be bad. Keep you chin up, be positive and try to have fun, don't let these feelings get to you.

[EHSLAX12]

I am my worst/hardest critique on myself. Even though I don't play goalie I always was really hard on myself even if I had a good game, it always made those feelings of uselessness worse. This always happened with all the sports I played not just lacrosse. If I would have given in to those feelings I would not be who I am today and I wouldn't be on this forum. I'd probably be some fat kid that sits at home all day eating ice cream.
You just have to analyze the good out of those feelings so you can get better then forget them so you don't let them get under your skin. Just remember there will always be another day to play and you know you'll do better that time. If it really bothers you, and you can't shake the feelings, give it an hour then go find someone to shoot on you to build your confidence back up.
The key is to remember that it was only one bad day, you have many left and they won't always be bad. Keep you chin up, be positive and try to have fun, don't let these feelings get to you.
dont be hatin.....
lol

id say im also the hardest critic of myself. i do hate when i get talked down to or criticized by others, they dont understand how hard it is to do what we do. you should get used to getting down on yourself, but you have to be able to bounce back from it.

[rynolax]

I hear ya man. I had a really bad game in the spring, and it mentally took me out of the next couple of games. (see my old thread). But you just have to get used to the fact that the position of goaltender has its ups and it downs. But everyone has those days, just forget about it and move on. If you let things get to you, it's not going to help you build back confidence. Don't worry about one game, you'll have many more to prove to yourself and to others that you are able to take everything that comes at you as goalie.
Hey, a couple games later I came back and shutout the best team in our league. Just remember that if anyone gives you crap, just say here put on my gear and remind them that they don't have the cajones to step in the crease and face those shots.
I agree with ehs and czech, everyone is there hardest critic, and if they aren't, well...

[sirfartsalot295]

without the low points, we can't enjoy the highs

[Sjrlax69]

Stay strong my fellow goalie, believe in urself and ull be fine. I get down all the time just stay focusd and stop the next one.

[TrapDoor]

I actually consider myself really lucky because being a goalie can really kill you mentally, but I can usually keep my cool unless we are getting crushed. My team also knows how hard it is to be goalie, and they just let me be when I get ticked off (I like to repeat things to myself and make noises that sound like I just got stabbed or something). OT losses are the WORST, but I get by. I let it become motivation for the next game, because I refuse to feel like I did after that game again.

And I hate when people critique my goaltending when they know probaly nothing about the position. I'll change my freakin stance if I want, seriously. When it's a goalie, it's like OK, you probaly know more, thanks for the advice. But otherwise...

[bethsc]

I tell my brother to hang in there when he has a bad game as well, but what I can't stand is when my brother wants to come out of cage now and then, there is total dead silence from the entire team, and parents, when the coach asks,"Anybody want to go in the cage" Proves my point, they are all chicken.... to go in. I tell my brother, "Look around bro, none of them can even look at you! Case closed

[dta06]

A goalie should never blame themselves for a bad game. If there's anyone to blame, it should be the defense. Every coach I ever had said the same thing.

[laxgoalie66]

I had one today W.E. We played you guys today, I was the goalie who played second half with the green helmet. Usually I start, but I wasn't feeling it today, as it showed during the game. So basically yea every goalie will go through that feeling don't quit or give up. My D was lacking when I jumped in goal today.

Just think of it this way, youre only as good as the six teammates in front of you.

[THE_1protector]

im not really hard on myself cause i mean there is no point in it cause youll just freak yourself out. but. our other goalie gets pissed, i mean PISSED when he has a bad game. leaves all his stuff on, helmet and all, head down and just doesnt want to talk to anybody. idk why i mean its only one game and you cant put all the weight on the goalies shoulders. its just not fair cause like were only one person, its not like there isnt three other defenders and another three middies that have a chance to keep it away from us. yea?

[mumbojumbo1989]

i consider myself to be a somewhat decent goalie. however, my team has very VERY limited abilites in all aspects of the game...defense, midfield and attack. besides me there's only 2 other ppl whove played lax for more than 3 years.
Last season we bascially got crushed every game, 16-3, 14-0 and i was really depressed and got down on myself. i dont want to sound like im blaming my players but its difficult to stop any shot when your defense screens you and they havent a clue what they're doing. what can i do to keep my focus on the game even though we get smashed every game?

[laxgoalie66]

just keep your head up, try to help out your D and other teammates and point out what they're doing wrong to help them improve, but mainly work on your game

[laxgoaliebm16]

just brush it off keep your head up, that big save will come and you will get your swagger back, but you cant expect to stay on top with out practice

[W.E.Lax]

just brush it off keep your head up, that big save will come and you will get your swagger back, but you cant expect to stay on top with out practice

but it is during the practice that really gets me down with me having a really bad week and not able to get those grounders...

[TOOLx3]

Yea, it's tough sometimes. Longpoles constantly blaming you for
them getting beat by some little attack guy.....FILM DOES NOT LIE!
And crap like "so & so could have stopped that" Somedays it's tough.

[Lacrosse4life31]

hav you guys ever feel like you no longer hav wut it takes to be a goalie after a really bad game? or you feel like crap after letting every shot in during practice?

yea.... Definatly, one time during practice I let in EVERY shot... I felt like crap for the rest of the week...

[Blake101402]

yea bro every goalie goes through those times... the hardest part to being goalie is the mental factor for me... just remember the times when your a wall

[JazzyJake]

(I like to repeat things to myself and make noises that sound like I just got stabbed or something)

i just start singing metal (screaming at times) to the attackmen and they get weirded out.
it sets them off a bit, and helps me chillax lol

but i know what you mean, those days are horrible

[brickwall500]

yea those days are hard to get over- just take them as another experience getting shots on you to help you improve- YOU know youll dominate next time- you do all the time thts why ivce realized that these games are supposed to happenb they have to happen to help us grow as goalies they are inevitable- Just focus on next time to DOMINATE

were goalies the hardest job in america-

no 1 else really gets it-what we think and go through-

[akalata]

when i have a bad day at practice, i feel like straight **** and it passes, but i remember that during the games and then i played like ****. that was last year, my first year of goalie. now when i have a bad day, i stay for like an hour after practice and have someone take shots on me

[g04L13 iNSANiTY]

We had a game yesterday and i did really good but today i had like 5 tests and i have a ton of other stuff going on tomorrow and I was absolutly horrible in practice. I made 1 save. Literally. Now i dont want to play in our game tomorrow because i'm afraid it will be the same.

[laxgoalie89]

i had the same problem. last year was my first year as a goalie and i did well and my teammates always said "good job!" or "good save!". and this year i had high expectation from myself and I thought i should be better than last year. so I started out with a bad season. had about 8saves a game (i play first half) and let goals in...so i pretty much just saved about 50%. and i felt like crap cause i know i could do better.

you just gotta get over those feelings and start everyday as a new day, have confidence and be positive. think that youre going to save shots, you always start with a clean slate every game or practice. its how you get back that counts. now im getting better by just being more positive and not letting the goals bother me that much, just think of ways to prevent the next goal and fix your mistakes.

[laxlosergirl]

today, the varsity coaches decided to have an impromptu scrimmage between jv and varsity and me and the other goalie (there's only two of us) weren't warmed up. so when the varsity scored two on me in the first half, i was shattered. i felt like crap. in the second half, they scored three more on me, and the scrimmage ended 5-0. the other goalie did fine, so blocked everything.

my coach kept saying i was blocking a lot, but i knew it was a lie, because most shots just bounced away from the goal w/o me touching it.

there are days when my teammates/coaches said i did great in a game or practice and i don't believe them.

being a goalie really attacks one's mentality.

[Bulldog51]

I had one of those this week. We had no practice for two days before the game and then the coach wanted me to work on the defense with the slides so I did not get warmed up. Then in the first quarter a person from the other team took a shot from outside of the box it tiped of two of my defenders and then bounced over my head and in. I then faced mabe two shots for the next two quarters and made the saves. But with like four minutes left in the fourth and our team winning 12-1 my coach decided to put our worst defenders in and in the last four minutes I faced five shots and let three in. They where ok shots but I should have made the saves. After the game I was really upset becuase I had played so bad.

[g04L13 iNSANiTY]

Oddly enough, after having the worst practice of my life i had the two best games ever.

[joobs]

goalie=hardest position in any sport. its mentally straining. professional teams higher sports psychologists for goalies (no joke..) for me, i never blame the defense......i blame myself or nobody. stuff happens, and its hard to shake off because you are the goalie and you are the last line of defense so you feel mentally responsible no matter what. its really hard to just shake it off, and putting the blame on someone else doesnt really do it (at least for me) plus imagine how that defense man must feel if you yell at him. bottom line, everybody makes mistakes. i played like crap for two weeks and changed my warmups and now im playing extremely well. could be other personal stuff getting in the way too.

[buckdpole]

Yes, remember, we are one of an entire team. If the team loses, it's much more than just your fault. The guys on the other end have to be doing the scoring. Also, remember that your teammates respect you for being willing to take on the role. How many people are breaking down the door to take your spot? There you go.

[Hopkins Lax#7]

One thing you got to remember is, it goes through 9 other players before you. Also there is this one kid who is his first year playing, and I have to yell top right and etc: he is playing defense and starts yelling that stuff and starts ordering around the defense and totally screws with it. Then since the defense is all messed up his man gets the ball right in front of the crease and scores. Really really pisses me off. Can anyone tell me what to do about it?

[McLaxGoalie]

I hear from my own team telling me I suck so I don't even need to be all that hard on myself but I still am

[thechux1]

every few weeks after a great game i get over confident and totaly just suck. then i have to basically start from scratch again.

[buckdpole]

Don't feel bad unless you know you were lazy or didn't do your best, got distracted too much, etc. Compare yourself only with your last performance. It's true that you're just one of the team... the job of your D is to keep the ball away from the crease in the first place. Also, remember, how many others are willing to take your place? So take courage and keep up the fight, man.