If you’ve been dropped from the team, now is the time to double-down on your efforts to improve as a keeper. It can be tempting to let this get to your head and kill your motivation, but if you are determined to improve and love being a keeper then you have no choice except to up your game.
In this post I’ll give you some ideas on what you can do to help you get back on the pitch.
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Develop your advantage over the other keepers on the team.
Now more than ever it is imperative that you work out what your value is as a keeper. You need to find the time to put the extra training in and build on your strengths as well as improving on your weaknesses.
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Become too good to refuse.
What is the one thing that you can do better than the other keepers on the team? Are you more consistent than them overall? Is there any area that you are lacking? Think about examining those other keepers and work out what their weaknesses are and take advantage of them by improving that skill in your own game.
It’s likely that the coach will have noticed the same things as you and if you can solve that problem for them, you are way more likely to be put back on the team roster.
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Be enthusiastic.
The value of a keeper isn’t just how many shots they can stop, but how they affect the other players around them. A keeper who is extremely enthusiastic about the success of the team around them and does everything in his or her power to help the team be the best they can be is a valuable asset to any team.
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Be positive.
Much like my previous point, a keeper who has a great attitude and keeps a positive head on their shoulders is much preferable to a keeper who is known for being negative. Coaches don’t want to see their players passing off the blame to other people or bringing down the energy in the room by telling teammates how bad they are.
Be aware of your attitude off the pitch as well. If you’re bitching about another player to a teammate, that will reflect badly on you too and will permeate throughout the team.
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Never give up.
It’s not easy. You have to be realistic about your chances of getting back onto the team. Once you’ve been dropped, you really have to prove yourself and your dedication to the team. Any improvements you make to your game won’t be immediately apparent to everyone right away, it will take time. Just make progress one step at a time. Just make sure to never give up on the thing that you love and work as hard you as you can and eventually it will shine through.
