Soccer Goalkeeper Research Paper

“A goalkeeper cannot win a game. They can only save it-Anonymous The soccer goalkeeper is one of the most forgotten and unappreciated positions in the sport. The majority of people are afraid to play it or watch their kids play it; the few who do decide it is their spot, are marked off and placed in the goal. With youth players, it is usually the one or two kids that do not completely hate goal that end up being put there. This lack of interest and focus on the position is why creating an opportunity that solely focuses on the goalkeeper is needed among youth soccer clubs. These opportunities will give many young players a chance to get a full grasp on their feelings for the position, may it be love or hate. Clinics also provide an easy way
Having a goal helps people better understand what exactly will be asked of them if they are needed through the process. Danny McEllin, a board member of a local town travel soccer club, says that having a common goal gives the best outcome for the players as they will all understand the same principles when it comes to higher level play. The next step is gathering a basic idea of what will be needed during the clinic. Soccer balls, goals, goalkeeper gloves, and field space are the most fundamental equipment needed for a goalkeeping clinic. If these are not easily accessible, it is important to figure out a way to get them before going in front of people to promote the training. Once all the elemental aspects are thought of, it comes down to getting people to work together to get the clinic set up. The logistics themselves can be one of the most tedious part of the whole organization process, but are also key to the development of the training. Doing things like reserving the field, deciding the date, gathering resources, and finding assistants are tasks involving large amounts of communication by the clinic coordinator. Meeting with people who control different aspects that will be needed for the clinic is one of the first steps to setting up a
Coaching is all about nurturing the excitement that comes from within the individual players. Most youth level goalkeepers see very little individual help on the specific skills needed for the position, so when the time comes for any sort of attention is usually accepted with passion. Joe Cannon spoke about his first experience with a goalie specific training, “I felt so special to have someone come over and tell me how to catch this way or move that way. It didn't matter at the time that Nick had very limited GK experience, what mattered is the attention I received” (Cannon). Young kids want to learn and experience new things; coaching is about finding those skills and allowing kids to explore every angle of a position in sports. Many clinics have a variety of different coaches who can give the players different teaching methods. All of these coaches take different styles of coaching to allow their players the best training they are capable of. When it comes to coaching younger players, it is important to remember that some are there to just have fun, while others are there to focus strictly on the technical aspects. Both of these kids are going to show up at most sports clinics, so it is important for the head coach to find ways to handle both attention spans. Making the clinic personal also gives the kids a better connection to the game; personal stories about