SINCE the dawn of time humans, or more specifically homo sapiens, have been excellent creative problem solvers.
Being able to solve problems in a creative manner was a massive survival benefit and has been theorized as a possible reason why they prevailed over their neanderthal cousins around 40,000 years ago.
Compared to other humanoids, the homo sapiens showed higher levels of creativity which providing them with innovation, flexibility, forward planning and cognitive prerequisites for symbolism and self-confidence.
Igor Zwir and his team of researchers based in the University of Granada have provided evidence that our ancestors had 267 genes that are critical to our creativity and problem solving that are neanderthal cousins did not. These genes were specific to us modern humans and gave us a survival advantage due their possible links to the coordination of complex processes of adaptation and plasticity, two processes heavily involved in the development of learning new skills.
Being human allows us these creative problem-solving abilities and by using various problem-solving methods we have evolved into the complex beings that we are today. The array of new skills and levels of intelligence we have since reached have multiplied exponentially from the days of our earliest ancestors the homo sapiens. It is being able to learn new skills and adapt to new environments that have allowed us to prevail for so long.
In a sporting context it is these genes that help us to learn the skills of our game and specifically the skills that we consistently use within the position we play on the pitch. The more we encounter a problem the more likely we are to configure a positive response to that problem and inevitably overcome it. But conversely because these genes are also linked to self-awareness and self-confidence, they can also have a negative effect whenever we continuously fail to overcome the same problems.
This is especially true whenever we think of the younger players who are developing their skills as they grow. The more encouragement and positive reinforcement younger players receive with regard to the problems they face when developing their skills, the better equipped they will become whenever they face these problems in the future. It also allows them to develop coping mechanisms for whenever they make mistakes giving them the ability to use their forward planning, innovation and adaptability to overcome their mistakes. This means young players need to be given the freedom to make mistakes in a safe environment that will allow them to grow correctly.
For the past three years I have been coaching a young, aspiring goalkeeper. He absolutely loves playing in goal and is so keen to both learn new skills and improve their goalkeeping ability. One of the main aspects of goalkeeping the young ‘keeper wanted to improve on was kicking ability and more specifically their ability to kick the ball off both the ground and the kicking tee.
It has been a continuous work in progress with the usual mix of progression and regression, but they have come on so much in the past three years not only in their kicking ability but in both their self-awareness and their self-confidence. It has been the self-confidence that has been the hardest to encourage into this young goalkeeper but slowly but surely, we did it together.
It has angered me to find out that whenever he attends his age group’s training sessions and matches the so-called ‘coaches’ do not allow him to take any of the restarts and have one of the outfield players take them instead. As a young goalkeeper this is completely detrimental to their development in terms of their skills and ultimately their performance. But on top of this, the psychological repercussions that this will also create are astronomical.
Essentially these ‘coaches’ are destroying the young goalkeeper before they even fully develop. The message this sends to any player, never mind the young developing goalkeeper, is very bad. As the coach of this young ‘keeper they should be encouraging them to keep trying to improve their kicking by allowing them every opportunity to perform during competitive games and training sessions.
Without regular exposure to that environment the young goalkeeper will not adequately improve their kick-outs to the required levels the coach desires.
For me, these people should not be permitted to call themselves coaches as their practices are centered more around the winning of games rather than the development of players. They fail to see that their measurement of success is completely wrong and as such have failed to realise that by improving players’ ability to perform will ultimately bring the success they so desire.
The young goalkeeper I am coaching is lucky to have a goalkeeping coach to provide reassurance about their kicking competency and that the issues lie with their ‘mentors’. It makes me wonder how many young goalkeepers across the whole of the country are receiving the same treatment but have absolutely no goalkeeping coach or influence to counteract the negative practices of these ‘Keeper Killers!’
Email: pmgoalkeeping@hotmail.com
Facebook: @MSoG11
Twitter: @MorSchGk
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