Many team sessions involve a single goalkeeper in the goal as a team completes a shooting drill involving repetitive shots with little rest for the goalkeeper and zero defenders. One could wonder if this is even really helping the attacker? They're learning to shoot with no pressure, and no distraction towards a goal with a tired and usually out of position goalkeeper. Yes I can accept that this style of drill is common and a big part of team training that isn't going anywhere. That's fine. However, it isn't goalkeeper training. It's teaching the goalkeeper to survive. It isn't building your goalkeepers confidence and they don't have an opportunity to play each shot as they would in a game. Many young keepers will complain that during this style of drill they're still on the ground when the next one comes in, most learn to just not go for the hard ones for fear of not being ready for the next one, inevitably learning to not go for a selection of shots. If planning these sessions and wanting to have the goalkeeper get something out of it, be sure to start from the goalkeepers perspective and build from there.

But this is about goalkeeper specific training, so lets switch our attention back there.

While what's happening at team sessions can be beneficial it isn't what's going to develop a goalkeeper. Realistically young keepers need to be attending goalkeeper specific sessions. There's many foundational pieces that go into goalkeeping and these should be broken down and practiced in a controlled environment to create confidence and comfort with them. To help with this predictable service is an important step. This allows the goalkeeper to prepare to use the technique, recognize the type of service and then execute the skill. The brain is given an opportunity to prepare and “cheat” a little by moving early knowing what to expect. There's a need for this step in development of the goalkeeper's toolkit or in the activation portion of an advanced session.

Many youth sessions involve a goalkeeper moving around the goal at speed making multiple saves. Most of these saves a predetermined. Move to near post get low dive to right, move to far post get mid dive left, move to middle get high dive right. Repeat. In addition, if things didn't go perfect (service or missed save) and look clean, the whole sequence would begin again from the start taking away the opportunity to learn how to move on quickly in the moment. A few years ago after watching many students grow along this path I started to notice that while they could technically make a save when they knew where it was going, they struggled on shots that could go anywhere. They would FREEZE with indecision. The technical aspects didn't transfer over into the game.

The decision is the hardest part and the final piece. Anybody can make saves look great when they know where it's going. But movement into an angle balanced and able to get set reading shooting ques and reacting to what comes is what a goalkeeper truly sees in a game. Your training should make you think, not just physically work. Once you have the foundational pieces you should see scenarios that represent the game you play. Layer on to this the ability to bounce back after getting the decision wrong and you're truly growing as a goalkeeper. As soon as I added these elements into sessions I saw an explosion in the goalkeepers ability to make decisions and react to the unknown with confidence.

Are you surviving, training or playing in your sessions?

KeeperTec is committed to do everything we can to keep our athletes and parents safe.  This is why we had ZeroBlast protect our facility with their antimicrobial surface protection.  

This is the same extra level of protection the Vancouver WhiteCaps, UBC Thunderbirds, FC Dallas, Coquitlam Metroford Soccer Club, TSS Soccer Centre and Vernon Toyota Sports Center all have implemented to ensure their athletes are better protected

ZeroBlast's antimicrobial surface protection is safe, non toxic, and does not off gas. Instead of using poisons, their surface protection attracts germs and microbes to a microscopic bed of positively charged "spikes" that terminate germs by rupturing their cell membrane. Simple, easy and safe.

Bonus Benefit - While our goal was protect everyone from COVID, the same ZeroBlast surface protection has been used for 10 years by offices, teams and facilities to reduce sick days from the flu.

As always, you can always reach out to ask any questions or to share suggestions.  If you have any questions about our antimicrobial surface protection, please checkout ZeroBlast.com.   ​

This editorial was written by Adrienne Cook and originally posted on tss.ca 

Over the past 10 years, TSS has been helping countless young female players get recruited to university level soccer. As you can imagine, this has produced many conversations with a variety of university coaches about their needs for the upcoming season. It’s been impossible not to recognize a common trend from those conversations: the need for a strong goalkeeper. Year after year, we hear this need echoed by coaches on the female side of the game. This demand is second only to that of strikers...but that’s a topic for another time.

Coaches at the top levels of the game understand the difference a strong and confident goalkeeper can make to their team. They know a goalkeeper can be the difference between a winning and a loosing season. For teams that do enjoy the benefits of a strong goalkeeper, there is always the nagging worry that if she gets injured, things may go sideways fast given the lack of depth in the position.

The unfortunate reality is that there's a low percentage of girls who choose to be a goalkeeper. And of those who choose the position, there’s an even lower percentage who receive the proper training at the right age. This problem starts at the grassroots level and ultimately manifests at the university level and beyond. 

Kids sign up to play soccer because they want to run around the field and kick a ball. This is the expectation of the parents as well. The concept of playing in goal isn't even on the radar of possibilities. At best, playing in goal is a bothersome necessity - in the same way that playing a rousing game of tag requires that someone be “it.” At worst, it’s a dreaded sentence. This is where the goalkeeper deficit forms its roots.

If you've ever been around youth soccer games, at some point you will surely see a young girl in tears because it's her turn to play in goal. The fear is real because it's an unknown. The position is often viewed by girls as the “goat” position, the one who shoulders the blame for any and all goals conceded. Pressure from teammates, coaches and those watching can be too great for a young mind to process. More often than not, it shuts down in fear.
In North American, the common approach is to rotate players through the goalkeeper position until age 11 or 12 with little to no training and then wait to see who continues putting up their hand to play the position. But by that age, they’ve missed some key developmental stages in becoming a goalkeeper. To make matters worse, she’s being thrown into a larger goal without the proper understanding of how to defend the smaller one she graduated from. It's like going from elementary school to high school despite the fact you were failing much of elementary school. In many soccer cultures, goalkeepers are receiving specialized training at younger ages and subsequently move on to higher levels of play in their young adult years. This cannot be achieved if we're only starting to train goalkeepers as late as 11 or 12. And by “train”, I say that loosely since most youth goalkeepers still only receive one goalkeeper training session per week. This applies even to the highest levels of youth play. Furthermore, few goalkeeper coaches are enlisted to attend the games so they can assess and instruct the young goalkeepers under their stewardship.

Hockey is the closest comparison available to soccer when it comes to goalkeeper development. Both sports have high participation numbers and both rely on a child stepping between the pipes. Theoretically they should be dealing with the same difficulties in finding girls willing to put up their hand. But the opposite seems to be true. “Once Hockey Canada mandated the use of smaller nets, kids looked forward to their turn in goal,” explained Brad Reynolds of Prospect Girls Hockey. “They were experiencing success and therefore had fun and felt like a rockstar." As a result, the fear of failure was reduced and replaced with positivity.

Similarly Jim Torrance, development coordinator at Vancouver Girls Hockey, describes a rotation system throughout the season. Each player on the team must play at least one or two games in the goal. However the difference is that each player is provided basic goalie training and development sessions starting at age 5. Additionally, Torrance is always sure to place an emphasis on publicly supporting the goaltender in all situations, as well as incorporating them into the defensive unit so they continue to feel a part of the team.
Our soccer system is currently not set up to identify and encourage female athletes to become goalkeepers. There's often a negative stigma attached to being a goalkeeper - the assumption that a player isn't good enough to play anywhere else. The goalkeeper is an afterthought - often forgotten about. They generally receive infrequent feedback and when they do, it's usually very positive or very negative. Too often, they'll receive discouraging remarks from teammates and peers. Goalkeepers are under constant pressure to be perfect without sufficient feedback or training on how to perform. Some will happily go in goal, only to be yelled at for making an inevitable mistake and yet not taught how to fix it. As explained by England National Futsal Team Goalkeeping Coach Tony Elliott: “If the content isn't delivered or the message isn't shared in the right way, this can impact the attitude towards the position.” This is where fear manifests because nobody wants to be yelled at or blamed for something they don't know how to do.

So how can we help our young female goalkeepers feel the enjoyment of this position instead of the fear? This process needs to start at an early age. We need to create success around being a goalkeeper. Our youngest ages can still rotate through but we must provide them with the tools needed to be successful. Using smaller goals would make the task easier. They will make more saves by accident and feel like a superstar. We need to provide basic goalkeeper skills to all players in the same way we teach players to pass and dribble. Coaches need to create a positive image around the goalkeeper position. Young developing players should never feel blame after conceding a goal. If a mistake is made, they need to be taught what to do the next time. Feeling supported, having fun and feeling successful will ultimately keep more girls involved in playing as a goalkeeper longer.

Once more players have a positive images of the position, we can start to look for those that consistently exhibit the attributes of the ideal goalkeeper. Does the player possess quick reactions and strong athleticism? Are they mentally strong and brave? Can they play with both hands and feet? Once these candidates are identified, we need to continue supporting them with detailed goalkeeper-specific training at least 2 times per week. This will allow us to develop as many goalkeepers as possible at every level and age group. As it stands, most teams will carry a roster of 15-18 players. That’s 15-18 soccer players being developed per team and yet most will only have one goalkeeper on their roster. Only one player per team being developed in a highly specialized position. If each team mandated 2 goalkeepers to play equal time then we would double the amount of goalkeepers playing the game. This again would bring more value to the position along with more support and, in turn, produce more camaraderie for the goalkeeper rather than isolation.
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From the outside looking in, it can appear that the goalkeeper is a thankless job. But those who come out the other side and develop into successful goalkeepers will tell you it’s the best spot on the field. They’ll tell you that every big save feels like scoring a goal. The adrenaline courses through your veins and keeps you elevated for hours. These goalkeepers know and understand the impact they have on the game. Just ask their university coaches.

Development is key to the success of any player at any position. So much more goes into becoming a goalkeeper. Not only must you be confident with your hands but with your feet as well. You really must be the complete athlete.

Learning is done in a very special way and we base our methods on the following theory as laid out by Fitts and Posner in 1967.

​They suggested that the learning process is sequential and that we move through specific phases as we learn. There are three stages to learning a new skill:

• Cognitive phase - Identification and development of the component parts of the skill - involves formation of a mental picture of the skill
• Associative phase - Linking the component parts into a smooth action - involves practicing the skill and using feedback to perfect the skill
• Autonomous phase - Developing the learned skill so that it becomes automatic - involves little or no conscious thought or attention whilst performing the skill - not all performers reach this stage

​The leaning of physical skills requires the relevant movements to be assembled, component by component, using feedback to shape and polish them into a smooth action. Rehearsal of the skill must be done regularly and correctly.

We use these 3 stages to develop and refine each skill involved in playing goalkeeper. We teach the player to understand how a movement feels and recognize when a mistake is being made and how to fix it. Next we repetitively practice the skill to a high standard so that it no longer requires thought to perform it during high pressure situations.

We will always focus on the Basics because it doesn't matter how old you are or what level you play at the basics are constantly used and are the foundation to development. When your able to do these things automatically and can build upon them, your individual confidence and self belief will rise. KeeperTec wants students to have fun and feel they can make a difference in a game.

When was the last time you learned something new? Or more specifically tried to learn a new sport? Something unlike anything you've done before, something that takes you out of your comfort zone and unbalances you? This is what kids feel constantly when we introduce them to a new sport. This post focuses on that concept... More specifically I'm going to share with you what learning a new sport in my 30's taught me about learning.

As a Canadian kid I grew up in a hockey loving family. Hockey was always on TV and my grandfather was an ex player and coach. In an era where girls barely played soccer, let alone hockey, I gravitated to the beautiful game. I started organized soccer at an early age and continued on until I hung up my gloves and started coaching instead. But realistically Hockey was in my blood. I don't even remember being taught how to shoot a wrist shot, it just happened. I played street hockey with the boys and spent hours out side with a stick, net and tennis ball. I loved it! As I got older I still enjoyed watching it, but as kids do, stopped going out to the street to play. ​

As I entered my 30's I was looking for a new sport to play. Not because I didn't love soccer anymore or wasn't thankful for the life it had given me. But it was my job now and I wanted to different physical release. I was always drawn to hockey and Im sure if I grew up on the Prarries it's the sport I would have picked. There was just one tiny problem... I didn't know how to skate! It's a bit of an issue if you want to play ice hockey. So I did the only thing I could think of, joined a learn to skate program.

Being older and learning a new skill is not only difficult, it can be scary. For one I had a lot further to fall than the average 4 year old. Of course on week 1 I was like Bambi. Completely lost and having to think deeply about every movement to avoid falling even while standing still.

As a coach myself I tried to apply teaching and learning techniques to myself. I started to put myself in the shoes of the kids I taught. In soccer I'd been playing since 4, everything was natural to me and second nature. I can read the game and react without thinking. Now here I was standing on a sheet of ice with two small blades under my feet. I was excited, but useless. Being an athlete I don't like being bad at things. I tackled this new challenge with the enthusiasm of a child, but much more self aware.

Throughtout the weeks I would repeat drills and practice on my own to work out the details of each movement. I took what I learned in a session and worked to improve it on my own. Being self aware of my learning helped a lot. Over time I continued to improve, to become more comfortable and eventually be able to add a stick and puck to my movement.

So what did this amazing experience teach me? More than I had realized at the time. Aside from the many personal things I learned about myself, I learned or remembered  even more about how we learn.

Here is the best advice I can give any young player learning how to be a goalkeeper.
- It's hard to learn new things
- Making a mistake doesn't feel very good.
- Making mistakes helps in learning
- Understand how a movement should feel
- Watch others and then repeat. "monkey see, monkey do"
- It's frustrating when your body doesn't do what your mind wants it to.
- Learning requires patience
- Learning happens in stages
- Have one focus to improve on each time, not everything all at once.
- Remain positive about small improvements
- Performing with with time is different than under pressure
- Competition makes you better
- It's important to be self aware of mistakes and how to fix them
- Ask questions
- Repitition
- Step back and think about it
- Never top tying to get better
- Be happy and thankful when others notice your improvements.

As adults we sometime forget exactly how much goes into learning. Try to remember this fact the next time your frustrated with your players for making what we perceive to be "simple mistakes". I can assure you, falling flat on your back from standing is most defiantly a simple mistake, but it still hurts tremendously. 

I attended a tournament recently and was amazed to see how many youth goalkeepers where disconnected from their teams when the ball was in the opponents half. Many youth goalkeepers where standing inside their 6 yard box. 

This confuses me to no end. Why have your goalkeeper stand so far back. They're completely uninvolved in the match, can offer no support to teammates and I'm sure contributes to boredom and the number one reason youth are turned off of being a goalkeeper. 

And I always have to remind myself that the reason for this has everything to do with the fact that these players have not been coached to do otherwise. The ball is away from them so they switch off and the coach allows it to happen by not holding them accountable for what they're doing away from the ball. Quite possibly the goalkeeper is the least of the coaches worries in this situation.

But a good coach will instruct all players, including goalkeepers. A goalkeeper is a part of your team, they are a part of the unit. When the other 10 players on the field move up or left or right, so should the goalkeeper. They should be connected and always offering a supporting angle or a helpful word. After all soccer is played with 11 players, not 10.

By having your goalkeeper push up to the top of their box, or further, it allows them to receive pass backs easily and improves confidence in the defender that the ball will get there. It will also allow your goalkeeper to play as a modern day sweeper on any long ball that's played over top. And most importantly by having your goalkeeper up near the rest of the team it will keep them engaged with what's going on in the match. They can communicate with teammates by offering instruction or feedback, and will have the ability to play the game in their head and remain mentally on top of what's developing.

We discuss the concept as a part of our goalkeeper training academy curriculum, but the best method for learning this part of the game is week in and week out during the match. It isn't easy to do. You must stay on your young goalkeepers and encourage them that it's ok. Fear sets in and they don't want the ball to go over their heads. Allow for mistakes, remind them to move up and push out of their comfort zone. All it take is looking back once in a while to remind them to be a part of the unit. This won't change over night, but keep on it and you'll see success.

The importance of having somebody there who believes in you and helps to guide you as a young athlete can never be underestimated. Especially as a goalkeeper. 

A memorable coach or mentor can ground you when your getting too high on yourself, or pick you up when your being too hard. They'll teach you how to overcome adversity or fix a mistake. Most importantly they'll be there to offer a high five or in a situation when it's really needed a hug. You can bounce idea's or emotions off of them and all the while trust that they have your best interests at heart. 

Goalkeepers need that person who can relate to them, probably more so than any other player on the field. 

Players should look to find somebody who they feel a connection with. Not every coach will be YOUR mentor, everybody is different and people connect on different levels or in different ways. But try to find a good fit. Because a little bit of support can go a long way. 

Physical Warm Up: Goalkeeper can take part in team warm up to get body going.

Volley's: Be sure goalkeeper gets plenty of clean catches. Increase power as confidence goes up. Focus on keeping body in line with ball, being light on feet and tracking the ball all the way in.

Diving: Get use to hitting the ground. I add in a one or two touch pass so goalkeepers are working both aspects of their brain at the same time.

Opening Up: (optional) If your expect your goalkeeper to recieve pass backs the having them get comfortable with their first touch when opening up to switch the play is a good idea.

Reaction: First time shots allow your goalkeeper to work on deciding which type of save to make. Start in close and then start to stretch them, you can always go back to saves to the body if need be.

Balls from distance: Serve balls from outside the 18 yard box. Start with skipping or dipping balls and progress to high balls and tips.

Shots: Your focus should be on the goalkeeper and their needs. The shooters desire to score top corner doesn't belong in a goalkeepers warm up. The goal here is to finish feeling confident and ready to go. Start with shots close to the body and then progress to further away.

Always end on a positive

Warm up doesn't need to be long or intense, it needs to get your keeper ready to play.

Most commonly I see two scenarios depending on if it's training or a match.

Training: Goalkeeper will take part in field session and be using their feet for 60 mins. This is great and keepers of all ages should be doing this. But what often happens is the coach has now finished with their technique and skill work and now wants to play a game. For the goalkeeper this usually means grabbing their gloves and standing in net immediately. So now after only using feet they're expected to perform as a goalkeeper. Their mind and body is not ready. Many youth goalkeepers will make mistakes that could effect confidence or get injured.

Match: The theory seems to be... your just one player and I have to worry about the other 10-18 players, so just go over there and warm yourself up. This will lead to some parents stepping in (sometimes reluctantly) to warm up their own child, or 1 or 2 team mates. It's before a match that some of the worst habits can be formed. Without good service or a proper build up a goalkeeper may not make any quality saves and their confidence will be shaken. Try to assign 1 person to always run the warm up, this can be a parent or team mate but they must understand their roll and be given some direction as to what to do. When dealing with younger goalkeepers, they don't even really know what they need.

Warm up does not need to be long or intense. Goalkeepers can do a physical warm up with their teammates and then perform their own skill related warm up. Additionally it's a good idea for your goalkeeper to get a few touches with their feet based on the same principal that if they only warm up their hands, the feet won't be ready to play.

What to focus on
- Catching balls at various hieghts 
- Moving body behind ball
- Light diving to allow the body to get use to landing
- High and skipping balls
- Shots from various angles

One of the biggest mistakes I see prior to a match is the team firing shots on their goalkeeper. The aim of a pre match warm up (or any warm up) is to get comfortable and build confidence in order to be able to perform. As a striker in warm up their goal is to score, the goalkeeper needs to make saves. These two needs counter act each other and therefore don't help either player.

What to avoid
- Team shooting gallery, if players need to take shots do not put your starter in goal
- Starting off with hard and impossible saves
- Inconsistent service
- Just throwing a player in goal

Spend some time to come up with a plan for your goalkeeper and work it into your session or pre game. Ensure everybody is on the same page and working towards the same goals. Your goalkeeper could be the difference between a win and a loss, you want them to be ready.

Goalkeepers are often forgotten (just as the title of this blog suggests) or are simply expected to know how to perform aspects of the position because they put up their hand and volunteered to play it. Goalkeeping is a special position and to be successful they require individualized training. But what can every grassroots coach do to help their goalkeeper develop?

1. Remind your goalkeeper to remain focused on the game and be involved in the play, even when the ball is in the opposite end. Too many times I see goalkeepers standing inside their 6 yard box day dreaming. This is one of the reason's parents don't encourage their child to play in goal. But the coach should be encouraging their keeper's to push up to the top of the box. They should be maintaining their angle as the ball moves around the field. In addition they should be communicating with their back line. These things will help a goalkeeper stay mentally engaged in the game. It will result in less mistakes and a greater success in a goalkeeper remaining a goalkeeper. A goalkeeper should be mentally exhausted after every game, regardless of how many shots they faced.
2. A soccer goalkeeper is a soccer player too, pass them the ball. Many coaches feel that because a goalkeeper wear's gloves they cannot play with their feet. This may have been true in the past, but the game has changed and the grassroots need to change with it. Goalkeepers should be taking part in field player sessions to increase their comfort level on the ball, they should be taking their own goal kicks, and they should be expecting to have the ball passed back to them. When a team passes the ball to their goalkeeper it helps the team relieve pressure and maintain possession of the ball. At times your goalkeeper will take a bad touch, or make/receive a poor pass resulting in a goal, remind all your players that it's ok because you've asked them to play that way. Soccer is primarily played with our feet, no player should be an exception to that.
3. Youth goalkeepers should all be encouraged to catch the ball. At the very young ages most shots are right at them, there's no excuse to not learn to catch. As players progress in their comfort this skill should also be applied to diving saves and crosses. When your goalkeeper catches the ball it creates less chaos and allows your team the opportunity to learn how to play out of the back. It will also build the confidence of your goalkeeper.
4. Many times a ball will go into the corner of the net and the coach will yell "dive", but the problem is their goalkeeper has no idea how. For many diving can be scary, with good reason. If not performed properly it can be dangerous and lead to injury. It's natural to initially be scared to dive, and takes a lot of bravery to learn. Coaches should not force a young keeper to dive unless they've been taught correctly how to do it. This takes time starting on the ground and learning to land safely and build confidence. Encourage your players to seek out help in this area.
5. Having shot after shot after shot go towards your goalkeeper is not goalkeeper training. Many times goalkeepers are in the goal for a team shooting drill. During this time they face an onslaught of soccer balls flying at them. Many grassroots players don't have the skill set to deal with this, and those that do still need a chance to rest or reset themselves. Being scored on consistently will not build your goalkeepers confidence. In addition to this point, when your team is going to goal try to make it as game realistic as possible. Many times I've seen a team run a crossing session where the goalkeeper is told not to come for the crosses and to allow the attacker to shoot. This results in shots being fired from 2 yards away as well as taking away a learning opportunity for the goalkeeper, after all come the weekend they'll be expected to come and collect those same crosses.

Goalkeepers are like any other player on the team. They're still a part of the team. They just happen to have a super power assigned to them within the game and get to wear fancy gloves. This is no reason to forget about them and their development entirely.