Pride of the Pitch Blog
Thursday November 6, 2008
Teaching Goalkeepers at the Youth Level
After many years of coaching youth soccer I have seen a lot of good, bad, and ugly. Not from the standpoint of the players being good, bad, and ugly but from how coaches teach youth players. I can sometimes handle the yelling and screaming from a coach because almost all coaches do that at some point. However, the one thing I cannot stand is when coaches teach players improper techniques and make players subject to injury.
The goalkeeper position tends to be the place where I see the most players get hurt from improper techniques. Too many times I have seen a goalkeeper dive into a players feet head first, or watch a goalkeeper jump straight up in the air for a high ball like it is a rebound. Coaches must realize that not only are you putting a goalkeeper behind the eight for development, but more importantly you are putting them at risk for injury.
Here are a few tips in which to help goalkeepers at the youth level stay safe:
- Teach the importance of moving their feet! Young goalkeepers will have the tendancy to dive for a ball that is right next to them when all the need to do is slide over. Diving should not be done by very young goalkeepers unless is it done properly and this is often out of their control since it requires a certain degree of athleticism. Therefore, teach youth keepers to stay on their feet as much as possible!
- Catch the ball out in front of you. Many times I have seen goalkeepers get hurt because they wait for the ball to come into them. Rather than waiting having players catch the ball out in front and learn to give with the ball. At first they may drop a lot because their hands are not strong enough, but eventually they will get stronger and be able to hold onto it more frequently.
- Use your body to protect yourself. When going for a high ball or even a low ball teach goalkeepers to protect themselves. The use of a knee on both low and high balls can protect a goalkeepers torso. Also when going for a low ball make sure players are not diving straight forward at a defenders feet, but rather diving to the side and leading with their hands. This technique will save players from getting kicked in the face.
- Finally, take the teaching process slowly. Do not try and make 8, 9, and 10 year olds try and power dive and punch the ball, or anything else that is an advanced technique. Let players develop at their own pace and work more on proper footwork and handling. Getting a youth player to not be afraid of the ball and able to catch it without giving up rebounds is far more important than diving across his or her goal.
Any questions or comments please write to me at shgoalkeeper1@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to answer any questions, concerns, etc.
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