Repost! 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!

Tim Howard Interview

Tim Howard is believed to be the best Goalkeeper in American History. To this day he still stands in between the pipes for the red, white, and blue. He has an amazing story of battling tourettes, getting dropped by Manchester United, and finding his form at both Everton and the USMNT. Here's a small interview where Tim answers some questions related to the development of youth goalkeepers.

Q: What advice do you have for parents of young goalkeepers?
Tim: "Lots of encouragement.  They would score a goal and I would start crying. I was 6 or 7. And my mom would come around from the sideline to the back of the goal and tell me everything will be OK. 
Encouragement is important. Goalkeeping is very unforgiving, at 6 years old or 33 years old."

Q: Looking back on the goalkeeper coaching you got as a young player, what was especially important to help you reach the highest levels? 

Tim: "One of the things I learned at a young age is the importance of training at a high tempo. Make training sessions high tempo. Make them game-like. Keeping the tempo really high in training so the training is difficult and when you get into a game it’s the same feeling. As trainers and coaches you have to nurture children, of course. But we believe you hold goalkeepers to a higher standard. If you pamper and baby a young goalkeeper, you’re not really helping him and doing him justice. Because the game becomes more demanding and the pressure increases as the keeper moves on to higher levels. You have to be able to deal with pressure as a goalkeeper.That’s one thing we believe as goalkeepers. We have to hold ourselves to a higher accountability on the field.

Q:What advice do you have for young goalkeepers? 

Tim: Play whenever you have the opportunity. Goalkeepers have to play as many games as they can, whether that’s in the park, with a travel team, as a guest player for another team. Play as many games as you can. At a young age you’ll make a lot of mistakes – but that’s good because you learn from mistakes in a game. Mistakes in training don’t really count, because there are no consequences. It’s important for young goalkeepers to get in as many game-like situations as possible. Training is good, but games situations are more important.