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/.

Goalkeepers, like every other player, come in different shapes and sizes and all bring their own weaknesses and strengths to the game. As the coach of an entire team, the last thing you want to worry about is your goalkeeper. You are probably much more comfortable with the techniques and tactics that over 90 percent of your team needs to possess to win the game. To some coaches, the unique problem and skill set the goalkeeper position carries with it can be a great annoyance.  

That's fair enough and it's the main reason why almost all professional teams have a specialized coach who is given the responsibility of that position. Part trainer, part friend, part psychologist, only the GK coach with playing experience can understand the many fine layers of an individual goalkeepers perspective. However, most coaches today do not have the luxury of a GK coach or specialist. They have to fend for themselves and they tend to treat the goalkeeper just like all their other players.

For younger or recreation teams, this is not a big deal and the reality is that the goalkeeper is sometimes the one kid who doesn't want to run. For other teams, the goalkeeper is a motivated individual looking for training and hungry to prove how valuable they are to the team. They desire and deserve specialized treatment. Some clubs provide a GK trainer the goalkeeper can go to once or twice a week, while others don't provide anything. Whatever the case, here are three sure-fire ways to get the most out of your #1:

1) Definition - Define the role of your goalkeeper through your expectations. Coaches who can analyze the strength and weaknesses of their entire team can then know what they should expect from their goalkeeper. If your team is slow in the back or if you play an offside trap, then you would expect the goalkeeper to play off their line more often. If your team is not good in the air defensively you will expect your goalkeeper to try to aggressively come out and be more of a presence.  

Once you have realized what you expect from the goalkeeper, simply tell them. Do this individually and not as a group to emphasize how important you feel these expectations are. This will also help many younger goalkeepers define themselves in their position and give them more confidence in what they are able and expected to bring to the team.

2) Integration - Now that you have taken the goalkeeper aside, you can address your total team expectations to the group. It is important that you and the rest of your team are all on the same page regarding what to expect from your goalkeeper. This will go a long way in stopping the blame game down the road. This address to the group should be fairly short and should help the group become focused and enthusiastic about the upcoming practice.

If you think they should be very comfortable with their feet, then put them in possession drills with the other players. If you are playing a high line, ask them to start their positioning higher off their line or even out of the box. If your team is struggling on corner kicks, have a competition in practice with two teams to see who can defend corners better. Put the team and the goalkeeper in competitive, relaxed situations to help you achieve your goals.

During these practices, remember to remind the goalkeeper of your expectations and what you think they should have or could have done. If you think they might have a complete different opinion, do not be afraid to simply ask them about how they feel after practice. This will go a long way in understanding one another.  

3) Evaluation - After every game and practice, be sure to mentally take note of the things that you thought went well and you thought maybe the goalkeeper could improve on. Most goalkeepers I know are very motivated individuals looking for direction. Without a goalkeeper coach around, they will look to you for this. As with all your players, make sure you give them short term and long term goals for them to focus on. When I was 14, my youth soccer coach said it was possible that one day I get a college scholarship. From that moment on, I had a goal and a dream. All because of what my coach told me.

Never underestimate the power of your word. As the goalkeeper waits for action to come, he/she is left with their thoughts. It is up to you as a coach to make sure that little voice inside of them is focused on their role and what you expect, rather than worrying about costing their team.

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; see them here. 

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