Joe Cannon has over a decade of soccer experience at the professional level. As a goalkeeper, his resume includes stints with Major League Soccer teams such as the San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy. His features for NSCAA.com are insights on the life of an MLS player, his thoughts on goalkeeper training in the U.S., an MLS player’s advice for the youth soccer parent and more. You can read Joe’s personal blog at goalkeeperguru.blogspot.ca/.

After spending lots of time reflecting on my last coaching session, I have come to my own critical formula for the sessions I want to run. There are certain elements that I need in place to make sure the goalkeepers I train are getting the most out of the sessions and growing as goalkeepers. It is important after every session to evaluate not only the performance of the kids you teach, but also your own performance.  

Here are my 5 P's to great performance:

Passion: All the best coaches I have ever played for and even against have a sincere passion for the game or in my case, the position I play. It is important to bring a level of enthusiasm that is contagious. Whether you have to spend time in your car talking to yourself beforehand or remind yourself the impact you will have, one needs to find a way to convey this passion for what you are doing to your players. Be very conscience of the tone which is set during training.

Persistence: Do not be afraid to take more time than you want to drive home your most important points. Many times, players who are exposed at something for the first or second time have a hard time grasping what you are trying to convey. Break down the drill and use a step-by-step process. When I coach the collapse dive, it takes awhile to get the right technique down before I even have goalkeepers try to do it with a live ball. Persistence means working time and time again on the basics.  

Practice: Make sure that you give your players something they can go home with. Whether it's a drill or video or a little story about a famous pro, try to give them a push to be self-motivated and give them the tools to succeed on their own. Too many coaches will try to suggest that goalkeepers need to see them all the time to improve. As coaches, you will have more success in the long run with goalkeepers and players who can evaluate their own play even when you are not there.   

Psychology: I talk about this on my own blog probably more than anything else. As coaches, remember that a good player who thinks he/she is great will most likely will beat a great player who doesn't think he/she is any good. Confidence is a huge issue with children and younger players. Self-esteem through sport is one of the best contributions we can make as coaches. Do not be afraid to take time out of your session if you feel that maybe someone needs a few words or reassurance or just a reminder of how
important they are to the team and it's goals.

Planning: After failing to organize a few recent sessions properly, I realize how important this is to my coaching. How many players are going to be there? What level are they? How old? These are all questions which need to go into your thinking before the session. I recently was bombarded with 15 goalkeepers of all ages and skill levels. After spending 30 minutes of trying to teach them footwork, I realized I needed to change my strategy.  I ended up playing team handball the last 20 minutes of the session due to my mis-assessment of the situation.

It is important to have the confidence in yourself as a trainer or coach. Realize the important impact you have on our youth. If you invest yourself into the lives of these children in a positive and sincere way, you will not only benefit their lives, but your reputation and business as a coach will thrive to greater heights.  

Feedback is also key. After every few sessions, try to find out what is working and what might not be.

The NSCAA Coaching Academy launched its Goalkeeping Academy in 1998 to focus attention on the education of coaches working in the specialized area of goalkeeper training and to improve the ability of all coaches to integrate goalkeeper training into total team training. Courses are offered both residentially and non-residentially. [+] Find out more

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