“Easy the life of a goalkeeper!” is the typical phrase you hear on the pitch from the football players addressed to the goalkeeping group, thinking that in that role there is no effort.

Obviously this is not the case and those who work with top-level football players, such as the trainers at the Mapei Sport Research Centre, who have been trusted by Italian and international clubs in the top divisions for over 25 years, know this well. Along with technical-tactical work, when training a goalkeeper it is necessary to stimulate the character and emotional aspects necessary for the role, paying attention to the mental ones as well, but in no way can performance be underestimated.

«Speaking of goalkeepers, one must definitely keep in mind the area of performance, then the physical-athletic development, creating a good general strength base and developing the explosive one; individualised programming; injury prevention; without neglecting recovery and monitoring» explains Matteo Lissoni, sports and fitness trainer at Mapei Sport. «The typical week in season is developed with the match day as a reference, which tends to be Sunday. The training session is divided between specific physical training and integrated work with teammates. Functional evaluations cannot be missing from the programme. Before getting goalkeepers to this level, we will have to operate in the younger age groups by consolidating basic motor schemes, the initiation and development of pre-acrobatics, coordination skills and, above all, a didactic of gestures» continues the expert.

A hero does not need a cape, just a pair of gloves. And a good workout, like the one U.S. Sassuolo players, from the youngest to the first team, undergo and which we show you in this latest episode of Cubetti di Sapere.