At the younger age groups I have always found it a difficult job filling the position of goalkeeper. I’ve done various things, put my own son in goal, had two goalkeepers so one half they play outfield the other in goal but were never subbed – it helped but didn’t totally solve the problem.
Motivation, confidence and parental opposition are all part of the problem for goalkeepers. Team mates and parents can be very quick to criticise a goalkeeping error, whereas a missed scoring opportunity at the other end might go unmentioned.
This is one of the reasons why goalkeeper is a position that can be hard to fill; so when it comes to coaching your goalkeeper, you should do all you can to encourage him or her by making training fun, easy to understand and full of variety.
I always start with some simple sessions to give the goalkeeper some confidence. I swear by my EasiCoach goalkeeping sessions, such as Stop the striker 1v1 (U11-U12 game), which gets the goalkeeper coming off the goal line to smother the ball. For saving skills, try Stopping the ball (U7-U8 activity) and for skills with the feet, which are very important for goalkeepers who come out to support the defence, try Footwork matters most (U11-U14 activity).
You can move on to coaching the goalkeeper in game situations. My favourite sessions are those that keep the goalie involved in the game. A really good fun example is Airball, which has every player using goalkeeping skills so the keeper doesn’t feel like the odd one out. (It can also help you identify any players who could stand in if the keeper is injured or on holiday.)
For older goalkeepers use the session Cover plus – it gets them thinking about positions on the pitch and covering behind the defence when the defenders go missing. I find it one of the best for getting keepers to anticipate when they need to clear the ball.
Finally, for very experienced goalkeepers, use the session Goalkeeper positions. It was designed by Keith Boanas, former head coach of the Estonia women’s team, for a club in Finland that was having trouble with the goalkeeper staying glued to her line.
in Email newsletters, Fitness and Diet
It's been a long lay-off for some of us and getting back into shape for the season ahead is an important part of coaching preparation. And not just for you the coach. This week I have been coaching at clinics for teams to get them back into playing contact games before they go to play friendly matches. MORE
This fun pre-season training session for goalkeepers is based on one used by former Arsenal and Germany keeper Jens Lehmann MORE
Get your goalkeepers back into the swing of things with this pre-season training workout that tests their handling and distribution. MORE
in Email newsletters, Set pieces
My team will be back to normal training in just a week leaving the best part of a month to get ready for match play. There is all sorts of things to work on but one thing that is often neglected is working on set pieces. MORE
in Email newsletters, Small Sided Games
At my club we are going to coach right through to the new season with no break. My players are desperate for some contact games but I am careful they don't go too full on because they haven't done contact for some time. MORE
in Email newsletters, Pre-season
With the move back to contact in my area of the world it is now a great time to run trials to build your squad for next season. It is not something I have given time to yet because trials when play is non-contact is not ideal. A player might be brilliant with individual skills but put them in a match situation and they will show a different side – and that includes player attitudes. MORE
