There was a story in the sports news in England the other week (March 2015 ) about a young professional goalkeeper who had given up the game to become a used car salesman. The article is here, . This article has been updated as I saw that Lee Butcher, the goalkeeper I used to coach and highlighted in the article [The importance of a good first touch from a back pass] has recently been talking about giving up the game to be a train driver. [See article here]

The L1 Goalkeeper Glove business I have created has also brings to my attention the many young, hopeful goalkeepers trying to make a go in the professional game. Our sponsored professional, Mason Stajduhar, who has been involved in the National Team, and made the MLS Home-Grown All Star game, has had to move from his home in Orlando to Tulsa in search of regular games. At times, even being fustrated there.

The articles hit home as I gave up playing at the age of 25. It takes a lot of energy to be on top of your game and although we love the game and the position of goalkeeper, it is not a nice place to be when you are not respected or wanted by your team. For the young man in the first article, the prospect of short term contracts and hunting around for a club was too much hassle. It is important to persue your dreams of playing the highest level possible, and it is ok to be out of your comfort zone until you become acclimatized to that level, but if you are constantly playing at a level in which you are doing your team more harm than good thus loosing the respect of your team mates, you get yelled at by your coach and you are not enjoying the experience then there is nothing wrong with stepping down a level so you can be enjoy the game and experience and be an important part of the team. Most importantly, the increased success will help you to love the game again.

Throughout my coaching years, I have seen tell tale signs of players that are falling out of love with the game. It breaks my heart that my passion for the game and the position of goalkeeper is not always shared, but players have many things going on in their life. 

Here are some tell tale signs:

• Inconsistent or below par performances in practice
• Lack of motivation / energy levels
• No interest in the sport outside of playing ( Not watching the game )
• Uncooperative or disagreeable with coach or team mates
• Frequent complaints of vague, nonspecific muscle or joint pain
• Slower recovery from injuries ( See article on dealing with injuries where players may enjoy the pressure being off ) 
• Getting sick more often

It is important that the player and their support system are aware of some of the reasons that you can fall out of love with the game. Here are some I have seen:

• The level of play is too high to get personal success. Leading to criticism from team mates or coach
• The team does not experience success and the player can not identify personal successes
• Parental pressure to play at a certain level and criticism of performance
• Pain of playing, through injuries / putting body on the line becomes more than the pleasure.
• Trying to do too many things – Additional sports, academics, friends, family activities. 

Players that love the game and have a passion to improve will be doing the many of the things labeled on the article “what will get me top marks from a psychological evaluation”. Namely, 

• Prepare correctly
• Deal with mistakes the correct way
• Great work rate
• Watch the game outside of their own involvement
• Ask questions
• Practices outside of official team team or goalkeeper training

Feel free to share any experiences or help me add to the above lists.

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Continuing from the last post on dealing with getting dropped and very similar to the tips provided in the post ” Dealing with two goalkeepers on a team” I thought I would give some advice on getting yourself back on the team if you have been dropped.

1. Work on your faults or areas lacking in the game as pointed out by your coach.
2. Make yourself invaluable to the team. What is your talent? What is the one thing you do better than anyone else?
3. Become more involved off-field. Help the coach to tidy up. Attend events.
4. Find ways to get extra work in that will give you an edge over other players. See this article on gaining an advantage when practice is cancelled.
5. Make your improvements clearly visible to those who count. ( Coach, captains etc ) Be seen practicing your improved kicking for after practice for example.
6. Keep a good attitude. Use your disappointment as motivation
7. Grasp any game time you have with an enthusiastic performance. Communicating, encouraging and obviously performing well. Make sure you are well behaved and not late
8. Be realistic. If it’s just not working out, know when it is time to move on. As a goalkeeper, if you are competing for time with someone that is clearly better than you despite your efforts, it may be time to move to a team where you are going to get the playing time you want.
9. Don’t quit. You love the sport and the position. The improvements you are working on will not be evident right away. Progress is often made slowly but surely. Are you doing everything you can to improve? We all enjoy being good at something. In order to continue to enjoy the game, it might be worth playing at a lower level until your improvements shine through. You are more likely to want to work on your game when you are enjoying it.

This original post was written after Hope Solo’s suspension from the USWNT squad but seems most relevant after yesterday’s ( May 16th, 2018 ) announcement of the England squad in which Joe Hart, England’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper in the past three major tournaments was left out of the squad to go to the World Cup in Russia this summer. For Joe Hart, this is a double blow as he returns from his second loan spell with an alternative club as his Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola elected not to use him and brought in alternative goalkeepers.

This article addresses some lessons learned from being dropped from the team in general and in more realistic terms in youth soccer, the recognition that you may no longer be in favor, and finding that playing time is being reduced or that another goalkeeper seems to be the favorite.

I have written an article on dealing with being one of two goalkeepers on the team which is linked to here. [DEALING WITH BEING ONE OF TWO GOALKEEPERS ON THE TEAM]

Having filled out the evaluations and gone through the self-analysis sheets, I wanted to share some thoughts on what it actually takes for goalkeepers to get top marks in different aspects of the game.

I believe that many players and parents are unaware of what is needed to really be a top-class goalkeeper.

The key to being a top goalkeeper is successful consistency in as many of the goalkeeping core competencies as possible… therefore, our evaluations are graded on how often a goalkeeper does each competency.

See below to see if you actually meet the criteria. Evaluation is marked on how often the goalkeeper does each competency – All the time, most of the time, half the time, some of the time or none of the time. If the score is none of the time, it may be because the goalkeeper has not yet been taught this aspect or does not understand what is being asked of the goalkeeper in that situation.

You can see the Technical sheet here

You can see the Tactical sheet here

You can see the Physical sheet here

Psychological

Adapting to full-size goal – Dealing with problems that arise from playing on a bigger field /
goal

Everything from height of crossbar to taking goal kicks in a larger area.

Preparation – For training & games. Punctuality, care of equipment and suitability of equipment.

It is recognized that all players prepare differently. Some evidence of players being marked down.
Spare gloves, a towel for wet conditions, cap to avoid the sun in eyes, baseball sliders. No squeezy bottle in goalmouth for keeping gloves at peak condition, wiping down dirt on gloves and keeping mouth watered.

A well-prepared goalkeeper will check out both goal mouths prior to warm up to consider potential hazards and discuss with the coach what side would be best to start. ( due to wind, slope, sun or goalmouth conditions )

A warm-up will consist of all the elements of goalkeeping and the goalkeeper should demand this either from the coach whether it is with another goalkeeper, a player or the coach himself.

The obvious wearing of warm clothing during cold games and/or the use of bengay / icy hot, along with surgery gloves for wet conditions.

Dealing with mistakes – Composure, learning opportunity & confidence

Does the mistake affect the goalkeeper’s performance or more importantly the team? To get top marks, a goalkeeper would speak to their coach after a mistake to recognize the error and tell him or her what they would do differently. Evidence that the goalkeeper would have gone away to improve on the error made.

Work rate – During training. Evidence of practice when away from Everton.

Does the goalkeeper give 100%?

Coachability – The ability to take on board information.

Starting with a 3 out of 5.
Higher marks if
a) player has shown improvement by implementing what has been asked
b) asks questions if not sure
c) gives 100% and encourages others to do so
d) offers to help
e) keeps good dialogue so I’m aware of performances

Lower marks if
a) low attendance or if late
b) brings the level of work rate down
c) Talks when the coach talks
d) Making the same errors over and over again despite having been told what to do
e) does not listen to instructions

EXPECTATIONS PER AGE

See my post on What makes a good goalkeeping evaluation? 

Having filled out the evaluations and gone through the self-analysis sheets, I wanted to share some thoughts on what it actually takes for goalkeepers to get top marks in different aspects of the game.

I believe that many players and parents are unaware of what is needed to really be a top-class goalkeeper.

The key to being a top goalkeeper is successful consistency in as many of the goalkeeping core competencies as possible… therefore, our evaluations are graded on how often a goalkeeper does each competency.

See below to see if you actually meet the criteria. Evaluation is marked on how often the goalkeeper does each competency – All the time, most of the time, half the time, some of the time or none of the time. If the score is none of the time, it may be because the goalkeeper has not yet been taught this aspect or does not understand what is being asked of the goalkeeper in that situation.

You can see the Technical sheet here

You can see the Physical sheet here

You can see the Psychological sheet here

Tactical

Distances of support – To defenders when attacking and defending.

To get 5 out of 5 on this, goalkeepers need to constantly be close enough to the last defender in order to be an option to play and be part of possession, rather than be the last option to clear the ball. The goalkeeper should also be available to receive the ball when the team has a throw-in their defending third and take free kicks, thus giving more options.

When defending, the goalkeeper should recognize opportunities to creep up the line and be a covering defender ( if out of the box ) and in the box, be close enough so that if a defender is beat or a through ball is played, the goalkeeper is the next line of defense.

Communication – Loud and clear, early, with different tones to distinguish danger. Instructional.

In addition to the above, I would like to add “supportive” – in the way the goalkeeper talks to players and in finding opportunities to do so. Key times which are at a minimum of when I should hear the goalkeeper is when the ball is in the air, behind the defense and when defending set plays.

EXPECTATIONS PER AGE

See my post on what makes a good goalkeeping evaluation?

Having filled out the evaluations and gone through the self-analysis sheets, I wanted to share some thoughts on what it actually takes to be 5 out of 5 in different aspects of the game.

I believe that many players and parents are unaware of what is needed to really be a top-class goalkeeper.

Scores here are marked as Exceptional, Above Average, Average, Below average and Poor.

You can see the Technical sheet here

You can see the Tactcal sheet here

You can see the Psychological sheet here

Physical

Height – Height can not be taught. It can provide an advantage to the goalkeeper if above average.

Are players able to touch the bar? Does a player’s height not only provide no disadvantage but is an asset to his or her play and the confidence of the team? ( Perception )

Build – A good build will assist in mobility, provide strength upon contact and provide good presence. The build of a goalkeeper has changed throughout the years and we look at different builds being an advantage at different age groups.

Like height, I am looking for a body shape that will provide an advantage and put fear into any oncoming forwards.

Balance / Core – The ability to do tasks without falling or tripping coupled with core strength which aids balance.

Much can be determined in practice. A goalkeeper who is constantly on the floor is no good to the team. I look for balance when taking kicks, the ability to be able to get up without using hands, willingness to stay on feet and preference to one side or another.

Co-ordination – Hand / eye, footwork.

Any marks down on this are identified when goalkeepers have to change hand shapes, move from one foot to another and any other work that involves 2 sides of the body.

Rhythm – The ability to do repetition exercises without stopping

Vital for when you get to High School or college. – Repetition exercises should be done to a rhythm or a mental beat that is stuck to. When it is not, it adds to confusion with the server. It is also a sign that something is wrong. ( hands, feet, core, etc )

Speed – Of feet, Getting to the ball, distribution

Pretty self-explanatory. I’m looking for opportunities where the goalkeeper is not favorite to win the ball but gets there first. Forwards, backwards and recovery saves to the side. – The USA shuttle test also gives me good indication of speed over a variety of distances.

EXPECTATIONS PER AGE GROUP