What to do against cold days
Winter is one of the greatest enemies of a goalkeeper. No matter if amateur or professional goalkeeper. No one loves the ice-cold and eternally long winter preparation. Especially in test games, where you are challenged for 90 minutes little or not at all. If rain, snow and icy cold are added during this "waiting period", it becomes extremely difficult to keep concentration high. That's why we'll show you all the tips on how to focus on your game:
TIP 1: The right goalkeeper equipment
The right clothing is extremely important for goalkeepers. Functional underwear such as underwear, special winter shirts and pants and of course the matching headgear keep valuable warmth. In addition to the susceptible but extremely important zones (fingers and toes), special goalkeeper gloves or underwear gloves and football boots with an insulating effect protect you from the cold!
TIP 2: Sufficient clothing
Besides the "what", the "how much" is extremely important. Half time breaks in rain or snow are deadly for the keeper. The break usually lasts so long that you have already got used to the dry and warm weather when you go out. The second half feels even colder! Therefore we advise you to change your clothes, especially those in direct contact with your skin, between the two halves of the game.
TIP 3: Intensive warm-up programme
Goalkeeper coaches around the globe swear by long and intense warm-ups before the actual start of the game. But in snow, rain and cold the coaches advise to increase the intensity even more. The physical exertion will release adrenaline that won't let you think about the cold during the first minutes of the game. Otherwise you should stretch or move again and again during the game. However, it always depends on how much you get to do in the game.
TIP 4: Always stay positive
The real difficulty for the goalkeeper in freezing games is that you have to focus on two things at once. On one side you have to keep moving, on the other side you have to focus on the game. That's why your mind plays a big role. Negative thoughts about the cold temperatures are not conducive to your performance. As always, keep your concentration high for over 100 minutes!