As one of the most experienced American goalkeepers at the professional level, Joe joins the National Soccer Coaches Association of America to share his journey in soccer, goalkeeping and becoming a top MLS goalkeeper. This is the second piece of this regular feature from Cannon; click here to see his previous post. All thoughts and opinions in this regular feature are that of Joe Cannon and not reflective of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. You can also read Joe’s personal blog at http://goalkeeperguru.blogspot.ca/. 

Recently, I was alerted to the fact that a certain club team would not allow their players to participate in other sports during the year so that they can focus on soccer.  This is itself was not too disturbing; however, the fact that they were enforcing this rule on 11-year-old kids was pretty alarming.   I will not go into detail about my thoughts concerning field players because that is a lengthy issue; however, I think for the goalkeeper, this is a huge mistake.

When should you start thinking about goalkeeper training?  At what point does a couch bring in someone to help in this position?  Do you even need a goalkeeper coach?  

My story starts at age 13.  My team had an assistant coach, Nick Da Cunha, who one day came out and kicked balls at me.  I have never forgotten this day.  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.  After this, I was obsessed.  I wanted to learn everything about the goalkeeper, and that one half hour "lesson" propelled me to the career I have today.

When I was younger, I vowed never to coach goalkeepers that were under a certain age.  I didn't believe that specialization was good before age 13.  It was perfectly timed with me, so why should I change my philosophy?  Well, in time I began to realize that younger children were going to want a specialized GK coach.  If I wasn't going to do it, then they were going to find someone else who would.  At this point, I became annoyed because I felt like I did not want them learning from someone who did not have the same passion as I did for the position.

So reluctantly, I decided to start with the young ones.  To be quite honest, I really loved working with the younger age groups because they had not developed any serious bad habits.  Sure, there were coordination issues at times, but constant attention to footwork drills and handling made sure they would improve.  In no time at all, I was building a younger army of goalkeepers. 

This all seemed great until I either was traded and had to leave them stranded or they joined a club team far away because they wanted a more competitive environment.  The one thing that upset me was that the better the child became at goalkeeping, the more the parents wanted to specialize in this one position.  It was a cycle I helped create, which I wasn't sure how to deal with.  On one hand, I like their passion and love for the position; while on the other hand, I was bothered at them giving up other sports, which I believe help their game down the line.  

So through all my experiences, both coaching and personal, here are a couple rules of thumb to remember as a goalkeeper, coach or parent:

1. It's okay at any age to have a onetime lesson with a private goalkeeper coach.  An introductory course to any child is a good way to see if he or she likes goalkeeping.  For the really young ones, I think if it's the idea of the child and not the parent, then it seems OK to me.

2. Training in all different sports can help the goalkeeper.  Basketball, tennis, baseball, even swimming can help the young goalkeeper.  From mental lessons, to similar movements, almost all sports can help improve the athleticism of a young athlete.

3. Gk's should be forced to play on the field until about age 14.  Of course, this is all relative, but you need to make sure the goalie understands the demands of the field player if he or she is ever going to reach his or her full potential.  After this age, club, high school and ODP teams will only keep the goalkeeper in the goal (unless special occasions arise), giving them practically no opportunities to enjoy the game from other positions.

4. Multiple sport athletes are good up to any age.  Most coaches would rather take a well-rounded 13-year-old kid and teach him to be a goalkeeper than someone who has only played the position since he or she was 10 years old.  This is not always the case, but it is so amazing to me how parents think that the passion of an 11 year-old-girl for goalkeeping will be the same when she is age 16.  So many kids get burned out, or simply hit a plateau because they do not find the same enjoyment in the position as they once did.  Building a solid athletic base for the first 13-16 years of your life is great for any sport or passion you want to pursue afterwards.

5. Private GK coaching is expensive.  I would only do these private sessions once a month at absolute most.  You can get just as much out of group sessions which will cost a lot less, plus the visual learning the GK does when watching others really helps.  Hopefully, your club or a local coach will offer these group sessions, which should at maximum be a 1 to 8 coach to GK ratio.

6. Coaches should attend one or more of these GK sessions so they can know what mistakes to look for or point out at their own practices.  A little word here and there could go a long way.

7. Rather than just technique and athletic ability, coaches should also be looking at determination, attitude and drive of each individual.  As a young goalkeeper who was constantly overlooked, my desire and drive took my game to higher levels than the other, more naturally gifted goalkeepers.  "Hard work will always beat talent that doesn't work hard".

8. Take a little time to boost your goalkeeper’s confidence before every game.  You would be surprised to know how hard some of our young goalkeepers are on themselves for simple human errors.  There are even times when they are hard on themselves when there was really nothing that they could have done.  A simple acknowledgment about how they are improving and how sharp they look can go a long way right before a match.  

9. Practices should never be catered to the goalkeeper.  The role of the goalkeeper in its basic form is very simple:  keep the ball out of the net.  However, the focus of a coach has to be on his or her team, their tactics and game execution.  The better the team is, the more simplified the role of the goalkeeper is.  Focus on team building and then let your goalkeeper know what you want from him or her in this context.

10. Time for criticism should be reserved for the beginning of the next week.  After the game, it's not a good idea to come down hard on anyone when emotions are running high after a tough loss.  Gather yourself, and if you think the goalkeeper can improve, mention it to him or her in a relaxed, controlled manner.  The last thing you want to do is have your goalkeeper playing in fear.

I hope this helps.

Good luck and may the posts be with you....

Joe Cannon

The NSCAA offers a variety of coaching diplomas for coaches looking to learn to teach goalkeepers or for the advanced goalkeeper coach seeking additional education. Find out more about our Goalkeeping Academy here. To find out which course we recommend you take, view our coaching course menu. 

NSCAA members log in to comment. Not a member? Learn more today.