Jackson Runkle on Perfectionism, Trusting Your Training, and Staying Present
In this episode of the Lax Goalie Rat Podcast, Coach Damon sits down with high school goalie Jackson Runkle to discuss his introduction to the position, the mental challenges he has faced, and the lessons he has learned while developing his game.
Jackson became a goalie after his middle school coach asked whether anyone had experience playing goalie in another sport. Because Jackson had played soccer goalie, he raised his hand and was immediately assigned to the position. Although his first practices brought frustration, he quickly became passionate about lacrosse and began carrying his stick everywhere, playing wall ball at school, and searching for every opportunity to improve.
A major theme of the conversation is Jackson’s perfectionism. He admits that he often expects himself to save every shot and can become overly focused on the few goals he allows, even after an otherwise excellent performance. Jackson shares how this mindset has sometimes prevented him from appreciating his saves and enjoying the game.
He and Coach Damon discuss the difficult balance between holding yourself to a high standard and accepting that no goalie will finish every game with a one-hundred-percent save percentage. Jackson explains that realistic expectations, focusing on positive plays, and controlling the controllable factors have helped him develop a healthier approach.
Jackson also shares how he stays present during games. Rather than analyzing his performance after every shot, he focuses completely on watching the ball. He previously used verbal mental cues such as “see the ball” or “explode to the ball,” but eventually found that those reminders caused him to think too much. He now tries to trust his preparation, quiet his mind, and allow his body to react naturally.
The conversation explores Jackson’s technical development as well. As a shorter goalie, he realized that copying the stance of a taller player did not work for his body. He moved away from an extremely low stance, reduced the bend in his knees, and changed the angle of his stick to avoid getting handcuffed on shots.
Jackson emphasizes the importance of studying goalies with similar physical builds. Instead of attempting to mirror a six-foot-three goalie’s style, he studies smaller and more explosive players such as Logan McNaney and other goalies whose movement better matches his own game.
Jackson also discusses experiencing a slump in which many shots came from close range. After allowing those goals, he became frustrated, carried that frustration into later shots, and entered a negative mental cycle. He explains that telling himself not to think about mistakes only made them more difficult to forget. Instead, he learned to redirect his attention toward the present moment and stop giving the mistake additional mental energy.
Meditation, visualization, journaling, and watching personal highlight videos are also discussed as tools for building confidence. Coach Damon encourages Jackson to create a “confidence reservoir” by recording positive performances and returning to those memories when he needs a reminder of his abilities.
The episode concludes with a conversation about college recruiting. Jackson shares his dream of playing college lacrosse and asks what he should be doing as a high school sophomore. Coach Damon recommends creating updated highlight videos, contacting coaches, attending prospect days, and consistently sharing tournament schedules with programs of interest.
