Certificate in Soccer Training Load Management
The ISSPF online Soccer Load Management course exposes you to the specific methods and processes used by elite level coaches to plan and monitor the
ISSPF
Written By: Daniel Tumelty-Bevan (Head of Academy Goalkeeping)
In the world of soccer, goalkeepers hold a distinct and vital role within their teams. Long gone are the days when they were merely expected to stand between the posts and make saves. The art of goalkeeping has evolved into a highly specialized position, demanding unique skills and attributes.
To cater to this evolution, the development of youth goalkeeper coaching has undergone significant transformations. Modern coaching techniques now emphasize the holistic growth of young potential goalkeepers, ensuring they receive comprehensive guidance to become the guardians of the net.
The role of a youth goalkeeper coach is a multifaceted one that requires a diverse set of skills to shape individuals into competent and confident guardians of the net. Central to their responsibilities is the need for a profound understanding of the intricacies of the position’s demands and expectations.
Adept in defending the goal, they must be capable of understanding and influencing goalkeepers to see, understand and use information to inform their position, decision and action when defending the goal. Key information to these processes include attackers’ position, body orientation, first touch and distance to goal.
All of these small details allow for the goalkeeper to analyse situations, likely outcomes and prioritise which holds the most danger and how to best guard against this; leaving the goal to affect the ball or recovering to the goal to execute shot stopping actions.
In addition to these positions and decisions comes the aforementioned defending the goal ‘actions’, commonly labelled as ‘techniques’ or ‘saves’. These actions, still hold huge value and often make the difference between success and failure when in the goal.
However, with these actions comes a plethora of opinions on the best ‘technique’ to use, each often differing by coaches’ experience in what worked for them or for a goalkeeper they have seen. This in turn, can create a belief in a one size fits all model, creating goalkeepers attempting to make the same save, in the same situation, in the same way, but hold different areas of strength to maximise.
The key question that arises from the development of the position then becomes, how do we maximise and allow for each individual goalkeeper’s strengths when we ask them to all look and perform the same?
A further development in the goalkeeping position comes an increased demand and knowledge around Defending the Space or the commonly labelled role of the ‘sweeper keeper’.
This phrase often misunderstood and over simplified, calls for the goalkeeper to further understand the trade-offs between their starting position to Defend the Goal or to Defend the Space, the intricacies of which again hold high detail.
Again, understanding the effects of the attackers’ position, body orientation, first touch and distance to goal, alongside their teammates’ position and space behind create a calculated risk within the position taken up and the decisions made by the goalkeeper.
All of these questions allow for the goalkeeper to take calculated risks, preventing or limiting high value scoring opportunities through their position, decision and action.
With the above-mentioned developments in demands and expectations for goalkeepers within the game, the question becomes ‘how do the coaching sessions evolve and progress to allow this?’ To explain further, goalkeeper coaching has been inherently technical, or action based; focusing on set positions, shot stopping and high ball actions with high demand and detail placed on making specific saves from specific shots or ‘services’.
This coaching holds great value on the final part of the sequence mentioned, with all detail being placed on the action and how it looks, often removing realism or pictures from the game to put in place manufactured movements or ‘services’ to allow goalkeepers to practice specific saves.
However, in the interests of finding and progressing ways to develop goalkeepers, more thought can be placed into what these sessions may be missing. For example, adjustment of position based on the movement of the ball from one place to another, or the decision to change position based on the attacker’s first touch before the need for a goalkeeping action occurs.
These small moments occurring before the strike at goal, hold high detail, not only in position and decisions, but also in the goalkeeping actions that have been so consistently worked on in isolation. By adding the relevant moments building up to the action, coaches can allow for goalkeepers to pick up anticipatory cues allowing them to more accurately predict and to make the next action (Wang et al., 2019).
To use a specific example, a big lateral touch for an attacker may well increase the likelihood of them attempting to score in the near half of the goal due to position of the ball and their body orientation making an effective strike across goal far less likely.
The current challenge to this thought process can be that the randomness and quality of the game can never fully be recreated in goalkeeping specific practice due to the participant numbers and participant quality needed within the practice.
However, it can also be argued that team-based game practices lack the control and opportunity for similar pictures to be created, which in turn limits the amount of feedback and learning opportunity. Being able to create and recreate pictures with similar cues can increase anticipatory ability, which in turn may lead to increased ability to make effective save actions (Müller et al., 2017).
It is within the execution of these save actions where the biggest debate lies, some theorising that repetition of the same action creates muscle memory, allowing these actions to become second nature. A constant invariable demand, met with a constant, invariable action creates consistency in success and therefore more effective, expert goalkeepers.
However, this theory is challenged in studies (Otte et al., 2020), identifying the need for contextual interference and differentiation in practice to allow for expert understanding and execution in goalkeeping.
While there may be many goalkeeping experts and coaches with high experience in the game, there are still very few studies that specify in cognitive processing and visual anticipatory cues relating to goalkeeping in soccer.
However, interest in research to develop and progress goalkeeper coaching is increasing through researchers such as Otte and White, exploring theories relating to cognitive processing and skill acquisition.
Currently, the narrative seems to be that these two theories within goalkeeping development are averse to one another, with allegiance being demanded to one method or the other.
However, finding the balance between the two theories and practices may well define the next generation of goalkeepers, effective in cognitive processing and anticipatory cues, whilst holding expert consistency in effective goalkeeping actions.
Wang, Y., Ji, Q. and Zhou, C. (2019) ‘Effect of prior cues on action anticipation in soccer goalkeepers’, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 43, pp. 137–143. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.02.001.
Müller, S. et al. (2017) ‘Individual differences in short-term anticipation training for high-speed interceptive skill’, Journal of Motor Learning and Development, 5(1), pp. 160–176. doi:10.1123/jmld.2016-0029.
Otte, F.W., Millar, S.K. and Klatt, S., 2020. How does the modern football goalkeeper train?–An exploration of expert goalkeeper coaches’ skill training approaches. Journal of sports sciences, 38(11-12), pp.1465-1473.
1. The role of the goalkeeper coach
2. Training design & application in LTAD
3. Goalkeeper development in a team
4. Youth-level nutritional support
5. Youth goalkeeper development
6. Goalkeeping expectations
7. Skill acquisition in goalkeeping
8. Goalkeeper coaching analysis
9. Managing pressure
10. Case-study: FC Barcelona Academy
In this course you will learn the following key areas:
1. The role of the goalkeeper coach
2. Training design & application in LTAD
3. Goalkeeper development in a team
4. Youth-level nutritional support
5. Youth goalkeeper development
6. Goalkeeping expectations
7. Skill acquisition in goalkeeping
8. Goalkeeper coaching analysis
9. Managing pressure
10. Case-study: FC Barcelona Academy
How can this course assist me to progress?
Share this article:
The ISSPF online Soccer Load Management course exposes you to the specific methods and processes used by elite level coaches to plan and monitor the
Discover how to design training session organisation to improve player performance with examples from Dinamo Zagreb WFC.
The role of a SOCCER NUTRITIONIST is pivotal to ensure that players receive the right nutrients to support their performance and wellbeing.
Discover evolution of tactical strategies in elite soccer and how the role of inverted full backs and goalkeepers are changing
The use of small-sided games in soccer training have gained widespread popularity as invaluable training tools for soccer coaches
Discover the importance of developing a game model for elite youth soccer. The early stages are important to lay the foundation for promising careers.
Learn about the technology that revolutionized elite football, highlighting the use of GPS, LPS, physical assessment, and sleep management.
The Global Online Soccer Education Platform Trusted, Endorsed & Accredited by Leading Universities and Elite Clubs.
FREE Guide: Youth Soccer Athletic Development
Download your FREE Guidebook and discover the techniques and strategies that elite coaches use to help young players achieve their full potential. Enter your best email to download it:
By signing up you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.
FREE Guide: Strength & Conditioning for Soccer Performance
Discover the elite-level techniques for
boosting the speed, agility, conditioning & power in your players. Enter your best email to download it:
By signing up you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.
FREE Guide: Injury Prevention & Return To Play
Download your FREE Injury Prevention & Return To Play Guidebook. Enter your best email address below:
By signing up you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.