Why the off season is the most important part of your career.

"There are three types of people in this world, those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened."

 The above quote couldn't be more true. Most professionals agree in that the off season is the absolute most important period in an athletes career. The off season, in my opinion, has a few different aspects to it: the recovery period, the strength period, and the developmental period. Each period is extremely important for an athlete's overall development, so lets start with the obvious one.

1) The recovery period.
This time frame is crucial for your body, especially for goalkeepers. Our bodies take a beating, even though the season is only 3-4 months long, our bodies require rest. Here is the misconception about rest, people generally relate rest with not doing anything. Putting the sport aside and focusing on other things. This is completely wrong. Our bodies should always stay active. In this period, we should focus on assisting our bodies. I used to do yoga to help relax and improve my flexibility. Not only was it calming and made my body feel brand new, but it also help me become more agile and flexible as a goalkeeper. Do your body a favor, focus on stretching, light running, cross training, and nutrition. This period should last about 3-4 weeks.

2) The Strength period.
The strength period is arguably the most important of the three phases in the off season. This is the time we begin to build our bodies. We, in theory, should be hitting the gym and lifting weights attempting to make our bodies stronger and more prepared for the beating that comes with the position. As a goalkeeper there are three areas of concentration: our core, our legs, and our upper body. We need to become more explosive and more powerful during this period. Leg workouts should include explosive movements so that our agility/quickness isn't compromised. We should work on our abs/core a minimum of 2-3 times per week to help stabilize and balance our body. And finally, we should bulk our upper body so that we can protect ourselves in the air and while hitting the ground. Eating correctly in this time period is just as essential as working out. You CAN NOT OUT WORK A BAD DIET. This stage should last about

3) The Developmental Period
This period can begin and overlap the other periods, specifically the strength period. This period starts our journey back to the playing field. I could argue this period last all year long but for this articles sake, I'll say that this period should start not later than a month before you season. Two areas where you can begin: getting touches on the ball and rebuilding your base fitness. It is time for us to begin preparing our bodies for the workload. Fitness is important. High School and College coaches will expect you to show up day one of preseason already fit. Not only that but they expect you to already have the rust off. One month (at minimum) before preseason begins, you should be running outside, sprints and long distance, while also getting your touch and comfort levels back to normal. As Goalkeepers we should also begin to introduce our bodies to the ground, start taking light shots, dive on the ground, get prepared for what's to come. What we do when no one is watching will define us as an athlete. I challenge you to work on your own. Be the best you can be. Don't settle more mediocrity. Take this off season seriously.

A Letter to My Goal

Gianluigi Buffon is consider by many to be one of the greatest Goalkeepers to ever live. "Gigi," as most call him, currently plays for Juventus and represents his native country Italy. This past year he was able to break one of the toughest goalkeeping records in professional soccer when he went 974 minutes with out conceding a goal. That's almost 11, 90 minute games. The 37 year old Goalkeeper released this poem as a reflection of his relationship with the goal.  The poem itself is simply beautiful.

"I was 12 when I turned my back on you, denying my past to guarantee you a safe future.

I went with my heart

I went with my instinct

But the day I stopped looking you in the face is also the day that I started to love you

To protect you

To be your first and last line of defence

I promised myself that I would do everything not to see your face again. Or that I would do it as little as possible. It was painful every time I did, turning round and realising I had disappointed you.

Again

And again.

We have always been opposites yet we are complementary, like the sun and the moon. Forced to live side by side without being able to touch. Team-mates for life, a life in which we are denied all contact

More than 25 years ago I made my vow: I swore to protect you. Look after you. A shield against all your enemies. I’ve always thought about your welfare, putting it first even ahead of my own.

I was 12 when I turned my back on my goal. And I will keep doing it as long as my legs, my head and my heart will allow.”

-Gianluigi "Gigi"Buffon

"Baby Deer on Ice"

I've been playing soccer for almost 22 years, of those, 18 of them have been as a goalkeeper. It is amazing how much the position has evolved in those 18 years. In previous generations, Goalkeepers were always the biggest, baddest, and craziest guys on the field with one job, to stop shots. Fast forward to today's game and goalkeepers are completely different. Sure we have the same goal as before, being big and bad, but in today's game we are being asked to actually know how to play soccer. The game requires us to be capable of using our feet just as good as the other ten on the field. Here's a stat for you. A goalkeeper's foot to hand ratio in a game is 8 times to 1. A GK will kick the ball eight times in between using his hands.  On average, goalkeepers will only be involved for 4 minutes of a 90 minute game with only 18% of touches being a catch, save or punch. Our feet are becoming more and more important as time goes by.

If you don't believe me, Watch Manuel Neuer play the position. He has single handily given us a visual on how our role has changed. You'll quickly notice that he is basically a sweeper and has a starting position of outside the box. His team has a significant advantage over their opponents because they practically have an extra guy on the field. Not only is he the first line of attack, but he's also the team safety outlet. When they're in trouble, they give him the ball to relieve pressure, at the same time, through balls are non existent due to his ability to start high and pick off every ball deep.

How do we start playing like Manuel Neuer? The answer is simple, Be a player first, Goalkeeper second. Obviously I want us to work on being the best shot stopper out there but we will never reach where we want to unless we know how to play with the ball at our feet.

I used to suck with the ball at my feet. I would play possession with my team and literally run away from the ball. I looked like a baby deer on ice trying to walk for the first time. But then I realized that my team needed me. They needed my help to be successful; so I learned, and it paid off. A Goalkeeper that can use their feet will be a weapon for their team. More importantly, coaches are now looking and expecting their Goalkeepers to be able to play the ball with at their feet. This is why we train footwork so much in practice.

Here's how this pertains to you and what I'm asking of you. take our training sessions seriously. When using your feet, know that we as keepers will be put in tough situations that our feet can get us out of. When you're with your teams training, ask for the ball, use your feet as much as you can. And finally, start kicking the ball around at home. Set up some cones, do foot skills, work on passing and receiving. It is vital to you and your development as a player to get better with your feet.

Let's not look like baby deer out there.

Start working!

Playing Big; Whether You Are or Not.

Please allow me to rant to you for a little bit. I have coached Goalkeeper's for five years now and there has always been one comment that I will never agree with nor understand.

"He/She could be good if they were taller" or  "He/She is tall, they'd make a good GK" 

Let me tell you something right off the bat. Height does not matter when it comes to goalkeeping. Some of you probably disagree, but I'll hopefully prove to you why I know this to be a myth. Obviously, It helps to be 6'7" but lets be honest, being that tall doesn't come with a free professional contract. In the same way, being 5'9 doesn't mean that you have no hope what so ever. 

Goalkeeping is all about mentality. No matter how tall you are, it is more about how "Big" you play rather than your actual height. When it comes down to it, if you raised your arms, you are taller than everyone on your team and that is without even jumping. 

When I speak about mentality I am also referring to the GK's confidence. Playing confident will get you to the next level. If you believe in yourself, you are already better than the GK who plays timid or scared and as GK's we can set the tempo in the game strictly by our mentality or playing confidently. Disclaimer - Playing confidently does not mean playing cocky and/or risky.

I always suggest you set the tone early on in the match. For example; Collecting the first 2-3 crosses or making 2-3 through ball saves. By doing this, you can change the strategy of the other team in your favor. If you catch every cross in the beginning, do you think their coach will want the to cross it anymore? NO. Or if you play brave and win each 50/50 ball, the opposing team will be forced to change their game plan. These are just two examples of how to play big. 

Did you know that some of the wold's best Goalkeepers aren't very tall? The Legendary Iker Casillas was only 6'1". Nick Rimando just broke the MLS all time record for most wins as a GK (187) at the height of 5'10". Or how about Hope Solo, arguably the best women's Gk in history, is only 5'9". Champions League winners Real Madrid have a 6'0" Goalkeeper in Keylor Navas. I say this because all of these GKs are unbelievable yet not considered to be massive.

To play Big you must be confident. take this position personally. Realize that there are 11 players on the other team that want to embarrass you. That alone should make you upset and motivate you. Getting scored on should make you angry, it should bother you. The best part is however is that you have some control over that. Play like your 6'7", play pissed off, play with the mentality of no one is scoring on you today. Be the boss in goal. Goalkeepers have the reputation of being psychotic, prove them right! The other team should fear you, your team should respect you and feel lucky to have the crazy one in net. The worst GK's in the world are the ones who play small. They are the ones that make friends with the net because they're picking the ball out of it so often. Don't settle for anything but playing Big. 

Sorry for ranting :)

The single most important thing about Goalkeeping.

Communication. 

The single most important thing about Goalkeeping.

When I was in Middle School, I remember coming home with my report cards. I was a good kid, made straight A's, stayed out of trouble, but for some reason I would always be grounded or punished come report card time. Why you ask? The same phrase each time; "Talks too much in class" It didn't matter what grades I got in class, all my parents saw was the check mark at the bottom. Being the cleaver kid that I was, my response each time was simply

"Sorry Mom, I'm a goalkeeper. I can't help it." 

 This obviously didn't change the fact that I was still in trouble. I  tell you this because we as goalkeepers are programmed to communicate. It's what we do! To start the article I mentioned that communicating is the most important thing about goalkeeping and here's why:

The more we communicate the easier our job will be. Plain and simple.

I got to watch seven goalkeepers over the weekend. Other than 1 or 2, one of the biggest issues I saw was the lack of organization coming from the goalkeepers. This blows my mind. Why would we not want to make our jobs easier and even more so, why would we want to increase our odds of getting scored on? It seemed as though we were scared to talk, scared to organize, or to be loud. This has to change, and if it does, you'll quickly see an improvement in game results simply by opening your mouth.

When we communicate to our teams, we are literally helping them see what we see. We have the best view of the field. We can use this to our advantage by simply being loud and organizing our defense. But it doesn't stop there. We also should be speaking when we have the ball. Most field players have limited vision on the field, they might not notice the teammate wide open on the other side of the field. This is where we can help in the attack, be the voice that gets your teammates out of trouble. 

Listen, no one actually wants to dive 4-5 yards, take a shot to the face, or dive and collide with a striker's foot; but if we communicate to our team we can avoid this situations completely. Here's a simple question:

Would you rather have 15 shots on goal (not communicating) or  have zero shots on goal (with communication)? 

Obviously the first one would be awesome if we made 15 out of 15 saves but how realistic is that? I will take a shutout every chance I get, especially if that meant I can stop attackers from happening with my voice rather than my body.

If you for some reason have an issue with leading then I may argue Goalkeeping is not for you. Whether we like it or not, Leadership comes with the position. When we chose to be a goalkeeper we also took on the responsibility as unofficial captain of the team. If you take this responsibility seriously you and your team will see the benefits. If you refuse to lead/communicate then I feel bad for the future. You may be picking the ball out of your net more times than expected. Choose to lead. Choose to organize. Be Loud! Every player on every team on every field should hear what you are saying. It doesn't matter what you say, you can be the best organizer on the planet, but if you're not loud enough then it does the team no good. 

Here are some tips on communication:
1)Be Loud: Doesn't matter what you say if you're not being loud enough. Loud doesn't mean sounding panicked! Be calm and instructive.

2) Be constructive:

"Let's Go" "Come on" and "Get Back" does not work. No one knows who you're talking to. Instead try using a name, number, and instruction. ex: "Alex step right and mark #10" "Bryan coming behind you"

3) Take control

Organize quickly, demand respect, control your half. Your teammates will begin to rely on you as a leader but first you have to communicate!

4) Try talking the entire game. This will keep you focused and mentally engaged. Communicate when your team has possession. Tell them where options are. Let them know when pressure comes. Give some kind of direction every single time. 

I will be at many games this year. I should be able to see everyone atleast once or twice. Communication is the first thing I will notice. Don't let me down!

Academy Update

Hey Everyone!
First off I just want to say how thankful I am for all the feedback and support you have given us over the past three weeks. I have personally spoken to about twenty of you and I am humbled by the compliments and positive feedback we have received. It only motivates us to continue putting in the work and the make this GK Program something amazing!

I wanted to give you an update on the training we have been doing. With the exception of a few kids, everyone has done very well with the effort they are putting into training. As a Coach I am looking for three things: Can you follow rules by listening to instruction, Are you trying to implement those instructions in practice, and finally are you giving your best effort. Ironically, you may notice that it doesn't matter to us if you make the save but instead we need you to be coachable. The saves will come, what's most important in training is to learn the technique, listen to instructions, and put in a good hard hour of work.

The areas I see we can do the most improvement:

U8-U13
1) Listening - Surprising I know, but this is so valuable in practice. We disect and breakdown the material a lot more than in the older groups, so it is critical you listen and learn.
2) Work Ethic - It is easy to identify which kids are there because they want to be versus who is only there due to their parent's making them. i want to challenge you to get the most out of training. If GK isn't your thing, please stay at home, I promise I understand and won't get angry. But if you choose to come, Give Richie and I 60 minutes of hard work. We promise to make sessions as fun and enjoyable as possible.

U12-U18
1) Training yourself - We must be able to train ourselves. You only have GK training 1-2 times a week, That is not enough time to develop as a player. Learn to utilize practice time by making the most of it. Learn to hit volleys with pace, learn to train the other GK's on your team. I can only do so much! In sessions with higher numbers (over 5) Sometimes we split into two groups. When this happens I am trusting you with the simple tasks and if we physically can't hit a ball ten yards then we will have issues with performing.

I am looking forward to training this week! Bought a few new toys that we may experiment with this week! Also, be on the lookout for some big news coming later this week! I am very excited  about whats to come! As always, thank you for your hard work and feedback. Please feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns, or praises!

H+R

Welcome!

Goalkeepers and Parents

Thank You for your patience and cooperation as we are kicking off a brand new Goalkeeper Program for Tennessee United Soccer Club. We have been working very hard trying to put together a program that is challenging, beneficial, and convenient for you. We quickly realized that most Goalkeepers never fully get the training they so desperately need. In most cases, Goalkeepers train as a field player during team sessions until the coach decides he/she wants to take the drill to goal. This is very unproductive from a GK standpoint. Not only are they playing as a field player 2/3 of the practice, they also don't receive a proper warm up or detailed training. This is not the coaches fault, as most coaches do not have the time or knowledge to properly train a Goalkeeper and 15-20 other teenage players. This however is where we come in. With the help of the DOC, Andy Poklad, we have scheduled six, one hour, Goalkeeper specific training sessions per week based upon age groups. This is exciting because now we are allowing ourselves time to dissect the position based upon what each age group needs rather than having anyone at any age show up for drills that may or may not be relevant to the player.

Some of you may notice your scheduled GK time is during your normal team training time. This was done deliberately. The theory behind this was for each Goalkeeper to show up to the GK session for an hour only then be released back to their practice for when their teams go to goal. Andy has reached out to every coach notifying them that GK Training take precedence over team training. Even though it is not mandatory, it is highly encouraged to attend as this will be the best way to develop as a player/goalkeeper. 

The handbook you all have recieved consists of the schedule, mental aspects of the game, and player expectations. Please read it through, specifically what we expect from the players. In addition, the Goalkeepers will each receive a personal copy of the handbook next week when they attend their scheduled training. 

We want the communication to go both ways. If you have any concerns, questions, or feedback please feel free to get in touch with us, we'd love to help! We will be out at some of the games though out the year. We encourage you to come say hi, talk to us as we evaluate the game and ask questions! We are very excited, hope you are too! 

All the Best

Hayden and Richie

Directors of Goalkeeping