GROSICS, THE UNBREAKABLE - PSYCHOLOGY OF GOALKEEPERS 3.

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Source: GROSICS, THE UNBREAKABLE - PSYCHOLOGY OF GOALKEEPERS 3.

So far, Gábor Király and Szabolcs Balajcza have talked about the secrets of goalkeeping in their own careers. In the last part, I remember Gyula Grosics from a sports psychology point of view. The reason for this is that his career and his human values are an example for today's football community. The following article is based on my personal in-depth interview with Edina Grosics, the daughter of the legendary goalkeeper, and on the Crossbar based on an analysis of the documentary film.

Gyula Grosics, the innovator

The legendary goalkeeper of the Golden Team wanted to be a field player as a child, but the athlete with excellent athletic qualities saw goalkeeping as a lonely profession. Nowadays, playing with the feet is a fundamental requirement, with future goalkeepers often training to be field players until the age of 10 or 12. However, Gyula Grosics was the first goalkeeper to bravely leave the penalty area and enter the game with his feet. All this happened 70 years ago, and he was a genuine pioneer in the development of the modern goalkeeping game.

Gyula Grosics' life took a decisive turn at the age of fourteen when the coach of Dorog's adult team put him in goal, as none of his goalkeepers came to the match. "Son, today you will play." - his future coach whispered in his ear. The boy who had been picking up the ball in training suddenly found himself in goal in a second division match. This real-life situation shows that one of the most important skills people had at that time was to adapt. Nowadays it's the other way round. Football academies are adapting to the needs of young players, competing with each other for the favour of the athletes. They offer a complex service and athletes need only focus on their performance. However, this means that they grow up in a bubble and may lack the life situations in which a truly deep commitment to sport can develop. This is what Gábor Király the other great goalkeeping legend of the Hungarian national team, during the interview with him.

Also known as the Black Panther, Gyula Grosics during his active career garduated at the University of Physical Education, where he studied coaching - and later worked in Kuwait as coach for two years - and worked for many years alongside football. However, it is now less accepted within the sport to go to university or even run your own business while building a professional career. "It takes the focus away from maximum sport performance"ytől” - often heard from professionals. However, in my work with athletes, I find that this is often just an explanation to grab onto during otherwise natural ups and downs. In my opinion is just about good for the long-term physical and mental health of athletes if they have more than one leg, as the intensity of the crisis can be reduced in the event of injury.

                                Gyula Grosics in the 6:3 Hungary-England, photo by Barrats/PA/Getty Images

Gyula Grosics was also a great innovator, inspiring 15 million people to perseverance and sacrifice. "There was nothing but bitterness in the country at the time" - as he said in the documentary about him. Following the victory at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, the whole Hungarian nation experienced the glory of "We won!". This victory had a special meaning for the Hungarian people suffering under socialism. The national team of the time gave people hope for their Hungarian identity, which is what made the Golden Team so special. And that is what makes the Hungarian football team of today so special. I regularly see children on TV asking for the national team players, holding up sheets and cardboard: "Please give me your jersey!"

Gyula Grosics the team player

In 1949 - the period after the Second World War - Gyula Grosics decided to go abroad to play football with a number of his colleagues in the hope of a better life. However, a day before departure, the action, banned by the state, was cancelled. But the legendary goalkeeper was not told, so he turned up at the appointed time and place, where people with AVH were waiting for him. Then began a fifteen-month period of interrogation, psychological and verbal abuse, which "You can forgive, but you can't forget" - as the goalkeeper said. But it was impossible to break Gyula Grosics, who would not name any of his colleagues. He was a man of great respect, as his perseverance and sacrifice made him a role model for a generation. He was a team player not only on the field but off it as well. He experienced sacrifice for the community as a child. He and his mother went out to a mobile concentration camp to feed prisoners of war over the fence. One day, a soldier noticed this and, in front of 6-year-old Gyula Grosics, he shot his mother in the back with a rifle. It was one of the defining childhood memories that taught the future Golden Team goalkeeper that sacrifice for others can be painful.

"Get a good goalkeeper!" - is what the experts say when they are working on building a team that can hit the ground running. Back then, Tatabánya had that. Even though the Golden Team goalkeeper was sent down to the mining town as a punishment, he did not react with resistance. "As a goalkeeper for Honvéd, I had little to save in a match, and even if I conceded one goal, Puskás scored two in front. In Tatabánya I experienced that even one goal can decide the result of a match." - said about this period. His goalkeeper qualities are shown by the fact that for years Tatabánya conseded the fewest goals in the national championship, although the team did not play a dominant role in the Hungarian top league. This could be because he saw goalkeeping as the most responsible position. Szabolcs Balajcza has similar views on the issue of the responsibility of goalkeepers Szabolcs Balajcza also the current goalkeeper coach of Puskás Akadémia, who was an excellent goalkeeper for Kaposvár and Újpest a few years ago.

Gyula Grosics and the Providence of God

The legendary national team goalkeeper has worn the jersey 86 times, and in 2011 he was awarded the title of National Athlete by the Hungarian state. To achieve these outstanding results, he needed determination and perseverance, the seeds of which were already in him at the age of four when he had a fight with his mother at home and decided to leave the country. Of course, such a statement is sometimes made by a child of that age, but Gyula Grosics did walk to the railway station and jump on a train. His mother, for some reason, sensed that he might be at the station, so she got out just in time to order him off the departing vehicle. The boy jumped from the wagon and landed 10-15 centimetres from the train wheels. Later, the legendary goalkeeper said that it was the first time in his life that he had experienced the providence of God that had guided him through difficult times. In fact, becoming a goalkeeper requires a very strong inner faith. Gábor Király, for example, used to cry until he was 12 years old after a goal that made him emotional. Szabolcs Balajcza, on the other hand, barely got a chance to play between the ages of 14 and 16 under his coach. Yet all three goalkeepers have gone on to fantastic careers because of their inner belief in each of them.

To know where we are going, it is also important to consider where we started from. Throughout his career and throughout his life, the Black Panther has stood by his decisions, and it has taken great courage to do so. With this courage, he set an example not only to his current club team and national team, but to the whole Hungarian nation. As a patriot, on and off the pitch.

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" Even during my football career I was able to listen to my teammates' problems"- interview with Levente Szántai

Source: " Even during my football career I was able to listen to my teammates' problems"- interview with Levente Szántai

Not many professional footballers start a career as a sports psychologist, but former Nb1 and Nb2 goalkeeper Levente Szántai has built his own professional existence with a university degree and a wealth of experience from football. His work is very diversified and successful, which is reflected in the fact that many clubs, organisations and athletes ask him for professional advice. 

You teach at the University of Szeged, give workshops and lectures, do group and individual sessions, while you are constantly training yourself and editing your own website. How do you manage your time in addition to your family?

It was during my university years that efficient time management became a necessity. I was a full-time professional footballer and both my sons were born during this period. The skill of time management is still present in my life today. Family time, for example, is sacrosanct, and I mute my phone and am not available.

A lot of professional footballers do not plan their post-career life consciously and do not know what to do. How have you structured your post-career?

I made logical choices. I finished my active football career at the age of 37, but I still had two or three years left in me physically and mentally to continue. I consider it a key factor that I was able to let go of competitive sport and start working at the Csanád Grosics Academy in Szeged as a freshly graduated psychologist. Thanks also to the club's management.

Why did you want to work in psychology within sport?

Even during my football career, I was able to listen to my teammates' problems, and I was present in the discussions with a clear understanding. And as a team captain, a problem-focused approach to communication was essential in case of conflict. The ability to listen to others and solve problems was something I wanted to take forward in a profession that would allow me to stay in the sport and be credible in what I do. That's how sports psychology came about. 

This discipline has burst onto the scene in sport in recent decades. What do you think is the reason why mental preparation of athletes was not considered before?

In the West, the first sports psychology laboratory appeared in the early 1900s, while in our country the science of sports psychology began to spread in the 1990s. The training of sport psychologists was introduced in 2007. This shows that sport psychology in this country is still in its infancy, although there are signs of progress. In the past, coaches were all-rounders, but nowadays they work in teams with doctors, physiotherapists, fitness coaches, dieticians and sports psychologists. This increases the effectiveness of the different areas, which ultimately results in the physical and mental health of the athlete.

During your career, did you consult a sports psychologist or were you worked on at team level?

No. Recently, the use of sports psychologists has spread in Hungary, which can be linked to the emergence of sports academies. Previously, this service was available only at the national level. Recently, for example, there was talk of me helping with the mental preparation of a first division team, but the owner thought this was an extra service, so the deal was not done. This also shows that mental coaching depends to a large extent on the attitude and openness of the club's management.

How did you prepare for a match mentally?

I had my own rituals, the match was a celebration day for me. But without a sports psychologist, I developed my own practices. For example, before a match, I would imagine how I was going to stop the opponent's players shooting. I didn't know it at the time, I was using imagination, which is a classic sport psychology technique. 

Every professional footballer has highs and lows in their career. How do you think it's different to deal with a failure than a success?

Failure can put the athlete at a low point. This period is useful for deeper mental work, talking through the background and possible factors of the more difficult period. In the case of success, the focus is more on keeping the framework in place, keeping the sense of liberation and enjoyment. In the case of failure, we therefore lift the athlete, strengthening his/her self-confidence. In the case of success, we keep the athlete grounded in reality, helping to maintain optimal self-confidence.

Let's talk about your current job. Do many people contact you as a sports psychologist at individual and organisational level?

Yes. On an individual level, I currently have a lot of people coming to me, from different sports, different ages. At organisational level, the work is much more complex and requires an open minded approach from athletes, coaches and managers. In my experience, there is progress in this area too, with more and more sports leaders seeing, feeling and experiencing that mental preparation is essential for effective performance.

What motivated you to create your own website where people can turn to you for help or advice?

Promoting the profession of sports psychologist. I watch with concern as people start coaching athletes after a few sessions of suitable coaching training. By contrast, becoming a sports psychologist is a 7-year process. I think it is essential that people who take coach training courses recognise that these courses are really effective for their own self-knowledge. However, working with athletes is a multi-faceted process, where the ethical principle of "Do no harm" also needs to be taken into account as a professional.

What are the common problems and mental gaps that athletes come to you with? Can you give a specific example?

The wonderful thing about this profession is that no two cases are the same, just as no two people are the same. In the case of performance anxiety, for example, negative automatic thoughts may need to be reframed. However, it may be that physical reactions come to the fore, in which case relaxation techniques are more effective. There are several aspects to consider when choosing the right intervention techniques as a professional.

How do you feel the feedback on the site is positive?

Rather, information is passed on to each other by the athletes involved in the process of sports psychology counselling. It's a common practice for a competitor to come to me having heard about me from a teammate. Adding that he sees an improvement in his teammate's performance and that he needs it too. The website is more of an insight into the activities and process of the sports psychology profession. This will help to dispel the fear that people have that psychologists can see inside their heads or that only mentally ill people go to psychologists. These are misconceptions, which I see it as my job to change, that's why I have this website. Sport psychology counselling is a collaborative development process for balanced physical and mental health.

What is the essence of the workshops you hold?

It depends on the order. Most recently, I gave a training course for coaches on effective conflict management strategies, before that I worked on a request for developing sports confidence. I create the topics according to the needs, which the participants can see clearly from the first moment. This allows us to work together within the right framework.

The website also features your patients' opinions about their time with you. Does that give you a sense of satisfaction?

Satisfaction is shown by the client. On my part, it is more the pleasure of a job well done, indicated by the athlete's physical and mental balance. I am also pleased when athletes report on their on- and off-field successes. Because it is a co-creation process, within normal boundaries, the success and failure of the athlete is shared. We experience difficulties together and celebrate successes together. That's how it should be.

Have you thought about becoming a professional goalkeeper coach for a team or would you prefer to stay in the field of psychology in the future?

The profession of psychology requires a whole person, so it was not compatible with the coaching profession. I have the advantage of having been in the locker room, on the field, on common trips, training camps and so on for more than 30 years. My job also means that I work with coaches all the time and understand the professional language they use. However, the coaching profession also requires a whole person, which is a wonderful profession. The coaching profession should remain the field of the coaching colleagues and mental coaching the field of the sports psychologist.

What are your goals and plans for the future that you want to achieve?

For the last three years, I have been working mainly in the youth sector. My plans include working with the Hungarian national youth teams and I would like to work more often in adult team sports. Finally, I am constantly training myself, participating in method-specific courses such as transaction analysis.

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