I’ve been worried since matches stopped being played back in March… I knew the player I had picked out to be the goalkeeper for this season was leaving. So I’ve made it my target as soon as we got back to training to get hold of a keeper… and I have found a great one. It can easily be overlooked when you are the manager of the team unless you have a plan worked out for pre-season that includes your goalkeeper.
It makes a big difference to the start of the season if you have a goalkeeper ready to play matches and one that can help stop giving away silly early goals. They need to be ready to dive, to catch, to deflect… in fact anything to stop the ball going in the net! Confidence is a big one for goalkeepers – you can listen to my podcasts on coaching the goalkeeper Touchline Tales: Goalkeepers and Coaching the goalkeeper
Getting goalkeepers to dive safely and with confidence is key. The practice plan Coaching a goalkeeper to dive correctly is a great starting point for prepping young keepers. Believe me, diving stops lots of simple shots at all levels of the game!
Handling is another key factor in early season. Pre-season back to basics works on the technique for ball handling and shows some 1 to 1 sessions that will help your keeper get back into the groove after the summer break.
I swear by my EasiCoach goalkeeping sessions – try Stop the striker 1v1 (U11-U12 game). For saving skills try Stopping the ball (U7-U8 activity) and for skills with the feet try Footwork matters most (U11-U12 activity).
For older goalkeepers use the session Cover plus. This will get them thinking about positions on the pitch and covering behind the defence when they go missing.
For very experienced goalkeepers use Goalkeeper positions – it was written by Keith Boanas, the former Estonia women’s team head coach, for a team in Finland that was having trouble with the goalkeeper staying glued to her line.
Finally read Newcastle United head goalkeeping coach Simon Smith’s 6 ways to get your keeper sharp in pre-season on how to re-establish your goalkeeper’s sharpness for the coming season.
Jose Mourinho the Tottenham Hotspur manager says communication is not only difficult at youth level it's difficult at the top level as well. He said: “Sometimes people say the team has no leaders, it’s this, it’s that, but what we need is everybody with the same kind of mentality." How do you get players talking? MORE
I was asked by a coach this week about what a good warm up was for his U10 team. The answer that I gave him was to use Rondos. You can use them at any age group and they really work well to warm up players for training or matches and they don't involve much setting up. My favourites are the simple ones like 5v2 or a combination that works for your age group. MORE
in Ball Control and Footwork, Email newsletters
Last night I played 5v2 for half an hour with stops to show what it was I wanted the players to do when they were either trying to play the ball or working in pairs. Players make a lot of mistakes in games like this but mistakes are one of the best ways the players can learn and understand the game. MORE
in Arrival activities, Email newsletters
It was the first game of the season on Saturday and the local council had decided to close the main road leading to our club's ground. So the phone calls started coming in thick and fast: "Dave we are going to be late." MORE
in Email newsletters, Formations
PIcking a style of play for your age group is vital to a successful season. Your players will have more fun and enjoy playing much more if they are in a formation that helps them play the game. Find out which formation is best for your team. MORE
in Email newsletters, Tips and advice
When parents and players cause problems it can sometimes be a daunting task dealing with them. Parents especially can be a demotivating experience for many coaches and often causes a lot of anxiety when they are faced with a parent that does not agree with your outlook on the game, where you played their child or the tactics that you use. MORE
