There’s nothing quite like the tension of a penalty shootout in football, capable of rendering even the largest stadiums eerily silent and testing the mettle of the toughest players.
For two legendary Australian footballers, mastering this high-pressure moment hinges on meticulous preparation and a solid process.
According to Andrew Redmayne, a former Socceroo now playing for the Central Coast Mariners, getting ready on the field is straightforward.
“After 120 minutes of play, you’re already physically warmed up,” Redmayne explained to SBS News.
In light of this, he emphasized that a player’s approach to the game is crucial.
“There are some technical things that you can work on in training.
“The biggest thing in recent history is data, analytics and videos of where players go historically, and under what circumstances they go to each side … you do your research in that regard.”
‘The pressure’s on the striker’
Former Matilda and Noongar woman Lydia Williams guarded the net for Australia for almost two decades.
She said despite all eyes being on the goalkeeper, the pressure rests with the striker.
“The pressure’s on the striker, so you want to put doubt in their mind,” Williams said.
“Whether that’s not going to your line right away, doing up your shoelace … you buy time for yourself and put pressure on the striker.”
Williams would often grab a drink of water or take time tightening her gloves.
Not only would it spook the striker, but it also gave her valuable time to step through her process and stay grounded.
“You do all of the work prior, through training, through video sessions — so when it does happen, you kind of already have an awareness, you’re calm and at peace and going through the process,” she said.
The art of distraction
With over 21 years of experience in the A-League, Redmayne celebrated his 300th game in the competition in April.
In 2022, his save of the intercontinental play-off penalty shootout against Peru in Qatar secured Australia’s ticket to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Like Williams, Redmayne has his own unique process — involving a “jig”.
“Players are really set in their focus and their processes … We came up with my little jig and routine to try and distract the taker,” he explained.
“Anytime you can … take someone’s mental clarity, or train of thought away from their process, even for a split second, then you’re winning the battle.”
In that monumental moment in Qatar, failure never crossed Redmayne’s mind.
“I never envisaged failure. It wasn’t till I got back that a good friend of mine asked if I ever thought what would happen if I went on and did my thing and it didn’t work? And in that moment, my heart literally sank,” he said.
“I was almost physically ill in that moment; failure had never crossed my mind — and that was probably a good thing.”
Redmayne expressed his sympathy for Socceroo Mat Ryan — who didn’t save a single penalty shot against Egypt in the World Cup knockout round.
“He’s copped a lot of flak. I feel so sorry for him because the pressure isn’t on the goalie here,” Redmayne said.
“He’s gone out and executed this to the best of his abilities, and it just didn’t work.”
How to cope with failure
Both Redmayne and Williams have their methods of coping with failure.
“Whether you have a positive action or negative action, communicating is huge,” said Redmayne.
“Goalkeepers can be a bit disjointed from a team; we’re at the back for large parts of the game … staying involved in the game can help distract you from the bad things and pull you back down from any highs you have too.”
For Williams, the best way to stay grounded was to self-reflect.
“For me, it was visually learning. So, going back and watching games, talking things through with my goal coach and players to keep everything level and make sure everyone was on the same page.”
In situations where things didn’t go to plan, Williams stayed committed to moving forward.
“If you do save it, you continue to play. If you don’t, there’s probably another opportunity in the match, so you just continue doing what you’re doing,” she said.
“And there was always another game the following week … I’d just go to training the next day, make sure I caught the balls, and I didn’t let it affect me.”
Redmayne still uses an old trick from “park football” in the big moments.
“I had a coach say to me … bad action happens, scrunch it up in your head and look around and find a bin around the local park and mentally throw it in the bin,” he said.
“Getting a bit older now, I do like to pause in those moments and take a few deep breaths … that just grounds me.
“It also reminds me that you’re not going to play forever, so enjoy being out there, soak in the atmosphere and find the positive.”