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85% Mental, 15% Physical
by Bill Daye
September 2002
 Playing
in the MLL was an experience I will never forget. I reached a point
in my career when I stopped worrying about the little things us goalies
always find ourselves worrying about. The mental aspects of the position
that almost drive us nuts! I often tell young goalies learning the position
that “goaltending is 85% mental and 15% physical.” The funny
thing about this statement is it’s true! Instead of focusing your
energy on seeing the ball and stopping it, you often find yourself thinking
about the weather, the playing conditions, the star attackman on the
other team who just came off a 5 goal 2 assist game or whether or not
you’re wearing the right shoes. These are little nuisances that
seem to get into your mind and stop you from focusing on your primary
objective of stopping the ball. Like every goalie, it also plagued me
in high school, college and even a few games in my first season of the
MLL.
It wasn’t until the end of last season that I finally overcame
the mental obstacles that hindered 4 quarters of consistency. The first
game of this season, I had a swagger when I walked out on the field
against Long Island. When I refer to it as a “swagger” I
don’t mean cockiness, but confidence. There’s a big difference
between being a cocky goalie and being a goalie with confidence. We
all know what a four or five goal barrage can do to one’s confidence,
but when you’re able to shake it off and get back in the saddle
and make the next six or so saves, that’s when you are truly confident
in your abilities and athleticism as a goalie. When you stop worrying
about the facets of the game that are out of your control and focus
on the one thing you can control: making the save- is when you mature
as a goalie and develop confidence in your skills.
 I
can share numerous stories being in different situations in a game when
I was thinking about everything else except my one job, stopping the
ball. Here’s one:
My junior year at Carolina, we were playing in the semifinals against
Princeton. (The year after we won the National Championship and the
year they were the eventual Champs.) The game was played at Franklin
Field in Philadelphia, where the playing surface is Astroturf. I had
two pairs of shoes with me and I wasn’t sure which ones to wear.
You see two of the previous four games we played on turf that year,
I wore the sneakers and we lost. The other two games on turf that season,
I wore turf shoes and we won. After going back and forth before the
biggest game of my career at that point, about what shoes I wanted to
wear, I finally decided on the sneakers. It turned out Princeton came
out on fire and lit me up the first half of that game. I was not focused
on stopping the ball, but rather I was thinking about why I chose these
shoes! At half, I switched shoes, cleared my mind, and believe it or
not, I was able to get back into the game and make a few saves. Unfortunately,
we lost the game and were eliminated from the tournament. This is a
classic example of worrying about something else besides stopping the
ball- 85% mental.
It was an early point in my career that every goalie at one time or
another experiences. I had a few other instances in my career where
I experienced similar encounters. About 2/3rds the way through the 2001
Major League Lacrosse season, I finally stopped worrying about little
things that I have no control over. I realized how much fun this position
can be when you sit back and enjoy what you’re doing while focusing
on saving the ball! Before I ended my career this season, I was having
more fun than I have ever had on a lacrosse field. I realized I got
to where I am by working hard, being dedicated but most importantly,
realizing that when a shot flies by your ear and makes that popping
sound when it hits the top corner, it’s ok…….because
I’ll get the next one!
A Glance at Our Guest: Bill Daye
Brine Product Manager
Former Goalie, Boston Cannons
Starting Goalie Inaugural Major League Lacrosse (MLL) All-star Game
Brine Outlaw Lacrosse Club
2x 1st Team All Club
1996 USCLA Player of the Year
1991 National Champions
All-American, University of North Carolina
Be sure to check out Bill's Goalie Nation monthly feature as the AnswerMan!
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