Edition 56

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's topic of discussion is something that has been discussed previously but is so important that I wanted to deal with it yet again. This subject is communication.

The majority of the e mails I receive asking questions regarding goalkeeping have to do with how to get a keeper to communicate better. The two questions are what should a keeper say and how do you get them to be willing to actually say something.

This week I tried an interesting experiment with some college keepers and discovered something really fascinating. Despite them all being talented and experienced keepers, they really didn't know exactly what to say. (I will hear about this because at least two of them are subscribers to this newsletter). The drill was simply a 3v3 drill working on the role ofthe first and second defenders. Since there was no goal to defend (the attacking players scored by getting the ball across an end line). Without any other responsibilities other then communicating, they realized just how much talking was necessary to become an effective communicator (I also had an injured sweeper do this since she would also have a lot of the same responsibilities in terms of communicating). Oneof the keepers made the comment about how much information was needed to be processed in a short period of time. This just goes to show what I have written numerous times in the past about the need for a keeper to be extremely smart in order to be successful.

In order to make better decisions (and that is the first step in becoming a better communicator) a keeper must become a true student of the game. They do this by watching and playing as much soccer as possible and thinking of the game from a coaches view point rather then a fans or players viewpoint. If they see a brilliant goal get scored, the question should be what should have been done to prevent the scoring opportunity from arising in the first place? Note, this is more important then wondering how could the shot have been saved because the first role of a keeper is to prevent scoring opportunities (actually the real first role of a keeper is to help create scoring opportunities for her team but that is for another day). By watching for ways to prevent these scoring opportunities, they will be better prepared to deal with these same situations when they arise in their own games.

Once you learn how to recognize ways to prevent these scoring opportunities, the next step is learning how to develop the respect of the players on your team so that they are willing to listen and comply with what you have to say. This is a step that is often left out when dealing with communication issues. If you are a keeper and want your teammates to listen to you, then it is your responsibility to establish the type of relationship that will allow them to do so. For instance, it's hard for them to work hard defending if they don't think you are working hard in goal (or in training). This is the reason that it is so important for a keeper to work harder in training then anyone else since it will help to establish credibility.

Also it's important for a keeper to take responsibility for their actions. The best way to do this is to take the blame for all goals (note that I am not saying it's the keepers fault when a goal is scored but the quickest way to lose credibility is to start yelling at your teammates when their players scored on you. In most cases, they know it's their fault and the last thing they need is for the keeper to publicly place the blame on them. Instead, if you are willing to say that it is your fault for the goal, it will allow your teammates to do whatever it takes to help you out in the future because of your willingness to accept responsibility (whether deserved or not).

Now that you have learned how to recognize break downs that result in scoring opportunities, and have earned the respect of your teammates, you are ready to start giving directions. The first thing you will want to do is to get the first defender to go to the person with the ball and slow them down. Next get support behind the first defender. Work on getting the most dangerous players on the field marked up first (most dangerous frequently meaning the ones in the position to score). This can be done by concentrating on getting numbers behind the ball (goalside). Once you have numbers back, it's important to start organizing them in a way so that each opponent is marked up and support is also being given.  The way this is accomplished is to call to players to get behind the ball then begin assigning individual marks. I find it extremely frustrating to hear a keeper yell "markup". Instead, individual players should be assigned specific players to mark. Be definite and as specific as possible. Also be loud and don't accept anything else from them (this is where earning the respect in advance is vital for success).

Now that you have directed your teammates to mark up and support each other, the next step is to constantly check to make sure that they are in the correct position. Don't assume that just because they were in the correct position once, that they will continue to make the necessary adjustments to give each other the type of support that will allow you to prevent the scoring opportunity from ever being created

It's important to remember that while doing all of the above, you must also be positioning yourself to be prepared for anything and also, be figuring out the proper adjustments necessary for any passes or changes of situations that happen over the course of the play.

After reading this newsletter, it really makes me wonder about the people who think all it takes to be a successful goalkeeper is decent size and a crazy attitude. There is a reason that so many coaches are former keepers since it is the best preparation for becoming a coach. To become an effective keeper requires becoming a true student of the game.

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If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please send them to comments@finesoccer.com.

Have a great day.

Lawrence