Veritas

Roman for "truth". Being true unto thyself should be a rule of thumb for any competitive goalkeeper. Truth should set the rules of your life, and how you train as a competitive goalkeeper. Not knowing whom you are, what strengths you have and what weaknesses you can rectify in your training program has a slow way of grinding you down both physically and mentally. Someone lied to me yesterday, and I was upset about it until I realised that this goalkeeper is in fact…brilliant.

When you visualize whom you want to be as a competitive goalkeeper, you have outlined a linear path to growth. In effect you don’t have three different paths, you have one, and it is directed toward a defining goal. Really great goalkeepers, unbeknownst to themselves or not create a powerful direction toward whom and where they want to be in the future, and that is the hallmark of being true to yourself.

Although I won’t suggest whom you are, you may not realize that you have done something brilliant. You’ve changed your name and your location, you’ve been shooting for the stars, you have been chasing the truth as you want to know it. There is nothing wrong with visualizing whom you want to be, whether you are the local lad in a Sydney park, favelas of Rio or the dusty deserts of the Sahara, great athletes envision their true self, and with great determination and will power achieve truth. So, be true to yourself, success will surely follow…whomever you really are.

Tips For Selling Goalkeeper’s On eBay!

Poor Dida, after 25 whopping bids from an international marketplace you are only worth a pitiful 71 Euros. Sad really for a goalkeeper of Dida’s calibre, but overall it was a damned funny plot staged by an angry AC Milan fan. So my thought is now to create a bidding page for top-flight goalkeeper flops from around the globe, we can pass on any proceeds to charity…that would be great. Following are some great reasons why any top-flight goalkeeper should be sold on the almighty eBay.

1. Nutties during competition, disgraceful, but at least worth a minimum bid of around .25 cents.

2. Catching nothing but thin air whilst calling "keeper" during a crossing situation. Sinful, but worth at least a 1 dollar starting bid.

3. Mis-kicking the baby perfect back pass whilst on a super schmick pitch like Old Trafford…bloody aweful. Deserve 50 bucks for that.

4. Sticking to your line like a pansy. Your winning bid may just buy you a tutu.

5. Getting beaten on your near post. Priceless, and you deserve to be paddle whipped by your team mates at games end.

Seriously, although I jest above, there are many situations that goalkeepers should never have to face during competition. Sometimes the main reasons why we goalkeeeprs end up creating the same old mistakes during match time is that we lack preparedness, or perhaps forget to refine technique or our training regime during the training week. It’s easy to forget that your growth as a competitive goalkeeper depends on refining your training processes. So, remember to establish training goals that are "measurable" week in and week out. If not, you might risk being sold by your team mates on eBay to the highest bidder!

Awesome Goalkeeping: Introducing Gareth Jamieson

Gareth Jamieson is a young goalkeeper from Penrith with what it seems is some very cool hang time in the air. Gareth sent this picture to me only a minute ago, and it reminds me of some of the very best in goalkeeping technique. I’ll let Gareth introduce himself:

Gareth Jamieson

16 yrs old

Penrith Nepean United U16s

Penrith Nepean United vs Sydney United

The game was played just this year in round 3 of the Premier Youth League season (17-3-07)

OK…short and sweet, but the following picture is definitely very cool.

Something I like about this picture is the serious hang time that Gareth seems to have in mid air. Gareth seems to have very strong plyometric power in his legs, and is able to attack the ball with ease. Another fantastic point is how Gareth has used his opposing arm to push the ball over the bar, which is great technique. Also, Gareth has never left his eye off the ball throughout the motion, which is again super goalkeeper technique. That band around Gareth’s arm could only mean that he is the captain of his side, which means that he must have some serious leadership skills.

Thanks again Gareth for sharing this picture with the rest of our Keeper Skool community. Keep up the great work!

Rubber Balloon Antics & The Art Of Penalty Stopping

I came across a recent Reuter’s blog post about some very ridiculous…and albeit hilarious antics by Greek international goalkeeper Stelios Giannakopoulos who plays for Bolton Wanderers. Giannakopoulos produced a white balloon, proceeded to blow it up and stamp on it as the opposing Reading player took his penalty attempt…it didn’t work. Stelios is obviously working the comedy circuit, or possibly the clown circuit. Goalkeepers are flamboyant without a doubt, and funnily enough utilizing a scare tactic could provide some startling results in high pressure penalty situations.

Bruce Grobelaar had the rubber legs dance, so what do you have in your own penalty-saving bag of tricks? It would be fun to find out what some of you utilize as tactics to help you prevent an oncoming penalty shot on goals? Let the community know the lengths you have gone to to stop that match winning penalty.

Those Hard Yards: Game 2

Adding to the bruises and bumps of last game, my growing list of scrapes is adding up to infinity. I have weeping wounds on my right hand side, and I should be wearing skins on the tough ground we encountered yesterday. We took home the points 3-2 against a very lack lustre side and overall I was disappointed with our performance. Here are some of the things that I took away from yesterday’s game:

Pro’s

• Reach the ball at the highest apex of its flight. I did this very well on a number of occasion throughout the match.
• When you come out to attack your opposition, there is no turning back. There were several occasion throughout the match where I attacked the ball just on or a little outside my 18 yard box.
• Cover your near post diligently. I stopped a very tight one on one to my right post, I gave the attacker some space to either my left or right hand side, he decided near post, which was a mistake.
• Make yourself BIG. On several occasion I cut the angle by not staying on my line.

Con’s

• I have a kick like a pansy. My goal kicking has been below freezing point, partly because of my knee and also because of poor technique and practice. I need to seriously increase my leg mass, and diligently practice goal kicking technique.
• Know when to communicate and when not to communicate…it is an art form. Although my command of my defense was excellent, there were two points in the game of indecisiveness, and a lack of communication with my central defense, which we will work on during the training week.
• The 6-10 cm rule works for penalty stopping. Give an attacker 6 to 10 CM either left or right, and the attacker will almost always choose to shoot where he has the widest angle. I moved the right way, but was a little flat, and did not cut the angle well.

Hope you too can analyze some of my goalkeeping technique and take some pointers into your game this coming week.

Top 5 Goalkeeper’s In The English Premier League

Yesterday afternoon I was chatting with Ahmed Bilal, (the soccer maestro behind SoccerLens.com) about whom we thought were the top 5 goalkeepers in the English Premier League this season. Well, it was not really a long drawn out discussion, Ahmed spat out his top 5 goalkeeper list in about 1 second which was extremely impressive. So, I thought it would be cool to put together a little goalkeeper repository, with some video footage and my comments about the following goalkeepers in the English Premier League, and why Ahmed & I think they are tops! In no particular order, here are the best of The Premiership…drum roll please:

1. Edwin van der Saar: This Dutch Maestro breathed a sigh of relief into not only my big brother Tom (who’s a raging Man United fan), but also Sir Alex Fergurson. At a time when The Red Devils were facing a disastrous goalkeeper conundrum, van der Saar has become a solid rock in between the sticks. I’ve admired his phenomenal goalkeeping ability and solid goalkeeping as a teenager, especially back in the Jari Litmanen days of Ajax in the 90′s. Van der Saar has been an uplifting feature of Manchester United, especially since the departure of Peter Schmeichel many moons ago.

Some of the best goalkeeper traits of Edwin van der Saar include:

• Awesome communication with his back line.
• Great timing & reflex.
• Brilliant understanding of angles.

Here is a video of van der Saar in some heroic action:

2. Jussi Jaaskelainen: What the? With a name like Jussi, we should be expecting some “juicy” saves and this Finn has done the hard yards on his journey to the English Premier League, but his performances for Bolton Wanderers have paid off in spades. With over 300 appearances under his belt, Jussi shows that patience and persistence can give a goalkeeper large dividends in the long-run, something every young goalkeeper should think about. Jussi displays some brilliant reflexes, with a knack for shutting down angles with the greatest of ease. Jussi is also not afraid of a little flight, in the following video you will see how he utilizes powerful momentum to attack the ball with deft-defying accuracy:

3. Petr Cech: I’m going to blaspheme here, but if God was a goalkeeper…then he would epitomise Petr Cech! Seriously, for any young goalkeeper who is aspiring to be great, take a note out of Cech’s performances in the English Premier League. Cech is well…of Czech origin and has scratched and clawed his way with great patience and diligence to be recognized as one of the best goalkeeper’s on the planet.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho considers him an “Untouchable”…no shade of gangsterism in that quote, indeed! Cech has awards and accolades aplenty, suffice to say that he deserves every one of them. I always state that “Luck Is Labours Reward” and Cech has shown that with his steady rise to goalkeeping glory. He ousted Carlo Cudicini when he signed with Chelsea, and Cudicni was considered at that time one of the best of the premiership. Petr Cech is so loved in fact, that a Brazilian band called Fresno created a song titled “Sonnet For Petr Cech”. Much of Cech’s brilliance revolves around great positioning and uncanny reflexes. Without further adieu, here is Petr Cech with some shot stopping madness:

4. Jens Lehmann: When Lehmann started at Schalke 04 in 1989, he let in 3 howlers and was subbed in the first half. Lehmann was so anguished by what happened he left the stadium and jumped on a tram home instead of riding the bus with histeam mates! To make matters worse, he moved onto AC Milan and was given the boot after just five matches. But testament to his character and inner drive, Lehmann soldiered on to help The Gunners to the 2003-04 English Premier League campaign. We need to note here that Lehmann replaced David Seaman which is no easy feat to live up to. All in all Lehmann is a testament to balls to the wall goalkeeping, with a wasabi-like temper and phenomenal courage in the air. Here is a tribute to Jens Lehmann:

5. Jose “Pepe” Reina: His dad is legendary spanish goalkeeper Miguel Reina Santos, so you have to fill the old man’s shoes, and Reina does it with Spabish flamboyance and tonnes of class. I’m also biased because I’m a Kop fan! Starting at Barcelona at just 18 years of age, Reina moved onto Villarreal CF taking them to the UEFA Champions League, before being swooped up by Liverpool. He matched the master Ray Clemence’s record for conceding the fewest goals within his first 50 matches, which is no easy feat. Although Reina has fumbled about and struggled with performance, he is an overall class act. His attributes include super sharp agility and phenomenal technique. Here Pepe at his finest, with some comments from his team mates:

Hope you enjoy, and it would be great to hear everyone’s feedback regarding who else should be added to the list!

Environmentally Friendly Goalkeeping & Why Dida Has The Blues

More than just a funny hairstyle and on field antics, it seems that former England International goalkeeper David James has the smarts when it comes to  cleaning up the environment. The former England international has upgraded his BMW to guzzle bio-fuels instead of gas…which is a great thing. The flip-side of David James’ train of thought is that he can be a voice for other super stars in the Premiership and convince them to change their cars choice of fuel to bio-fuel. While this is courageous, I couldn’t imagine some English Premier League players being able to pronounce bio-fuel, let alone utilize it.

“Many top players drive gas-guzzlers. If kids saw stars like Wayne Rooney or Michael Owen trying to make a difference, the initiative would take off. If we have the slightest influence to slow down global warming, we should use it.”

Who said you have to be dumb to be a goalkeeper? Other major sporting leagues should be well behind these kinds of initiatives as many young people turn to their peers and on-screen role models to shape their thoughts. Utilizing mass media engines such as football could prove a great way to teach younger generations the benefits of alternative fuel to help save the planet, indeed a pressing concern with today’s global warming.

Dida of AC Milan seems to have no luck when it comes to injury. The Brazilian has badly damaged his shoulder, which has made way for Zeljko Kalac to play against Ascoli in Ac Milan’s next Serie A game. Kalac will possibly have a Champions League debut against The Reds on April 24? Great work Zeljko! How long will Dida be out, only time knows?

Jens Lehmann: May Be Laid Off…But Definitely No Layman

If you could personify the word "powerhouse", then I’d put Jens Lehmann right up there as one of the greats in goalkeeping. Comandeering his defence, fearless outside his 18 yard box (he even uses his head from time to time), phenomonal in the air, with brilliant timing and reflex. Love or hate the guy, Lehmann shows fantastic all round goalkeeping ability. Recently Lehmann has stated that he may be well venturing off the park, or at least heading back to the Bundesliga with rumors of his eminent retirement from the English Premier League. Following is tribute to some awesome goalkeeping, Jens Lehmann style:

Those Hard Yards: Game 1

Today I feel like a truck ran over me, for all the right reasons. Yesterday was our first competition game, and although it was not the greatest game of my life, it still resonated that I can get out on the park after two years and battle it out. The boys fought hard for a good 80 minutes and then it fell apart, but we held a good solid shape with a 3-5-2 formation and drew 2-2. Things I took away from this game included:

Pro’s

• Warming up for a good 15-20 minutes before the game helps increase blood circulation to the working muscles, and stretching afterward is a great way of stimulating the Golgi tendons which can help prime your muscle with the power it requires to perform at its maximum.
• Having a great sweeper worked like magic, especially when you can both command your defense and still keep a cool head with each other.
• Attacking the ball at its highest point is the most effective way to command the air above your 18 yard box safely during a deep crossing situation from the left or right hand side.
• Communicate with gusto. Great goalkeepers never really need to make deft defying saves…they can maximize the strength of their attack with great verbal and non-verbal communication.
• When your defence is not responding sometimes you have to take the matter into your own hands!

Con’s

• Never hesitate in attack (I mean attacking the opposing attacking line to meet the ball).
• Hydrate throughout the week.
• Carbohydrate load properly throughout the training week also.
• One training session is never enough, and just because you are not on the field does not mean that you cannot schedule other training sessions in different training environments.
• Work more on total leg strength. Quadriceps, hamstrings and calves with a focus on a maximum strength training regime at least one time per week.
• Distribution helps…immensely. With a focus on technique and strength training, that illusive height and distance you have been dying to enhance will be a breeze, but it takes time.

This will be a weekly insight into my game so that hopefully you can also utilize some of my own strengths and weaknesses in an analyses of your game and training sessions.

Make It Fun For Succesful Goalkeeping Development

Ever been part of a team where the "top guns" get all the attention? It happens just as much at a grass-roots soccer level as it does at the top echelon of football. It can be frustrating for most young aspiring soccer players, could you imagine how it feels for a junior goalkeeper? "Hey Billy, go over to that little corner of the field and do your own thing!" Ever heard that kind of dialogue before? It is awash aplenty in all levels of soccer. Successful teams are those with equally successful and highly trained coaches. Goalkeepers whom are successful are those that have great goalkeeper coaching to guide them through an increasingly complex position. One recent study highlights the importance of  mastering essential goalkeeping  skills, and the role "trained " coaches play.

Poor soccer coaching can have wide spread detrimental effects on aspiring young goalkeepers. In fact, if you train a goalkeeper positive team skills, it is a conduit for further growth in every facet of life. Sports psychologists are taking a new approach to youth sports training development, where "mastery" of essential team skills are more important than "ego" driven training environments. In an "ego" driven environment the young athlete’s with the most skills are given paramount attention. This kind of training approach is detrimental as it leads to those whom don’t get active coaching dropping out of a sport all together. It’s not just bad for sports, it’s bad for society in general.

Let me explain why it is bad for society in general? Team sports driven by coaches with strong leadership traits, provide essential life skills that extend well beyond the sporting arena. In fact, great coaches whom interact with every junior athlete within a team, help foster leadership skills that can be used in the community and work-life in general:

 "Similarly, the mastery approach seemed to transfer to school, with the children who played for trained coaches placing more value on effort and doing one’s best in the classroom."

 Another important facet of the study pointed to the use of the "mastery" training approach:

 The program also reduced the dropout rate, a major problem in youth sports. Just 11 percent of the athletes playing for trained coaches quit during the basketball season compared to 26 percent from the other group of players.

The Mastery approach to training is  a great way for every junior soccer player to have fun and enhance their skills in a winning environment that enhances positive communication between players and coaches. Soccer teams that do not have a goalkeeper trainer as part of their team, should make sure that the goalkeeper is a pivotal part of the training environment. I know that even at an elite level of soccer, goalkeeper trainers are few and far between, though good trainers should at the very least, have some relevant playing experience. Well trained coaches are a formula for success, the proof is in scientific fact as shown by the study I’ve referenced for you to read.

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