The Premier League has started! I am so excited that I have even entered a Premier League Fantasy team. My goalkeeper for my team is Petr Cech. He looked comfortable in the Community Charity against his old club Chelsea, and hailed as the missing piece in Arsenal’s title-chasing puzzle. Alas, it was Cech’s two errors that led to Arsenal’s opening-day loss. See a break down of his two mistakes here.

Goal 1 had Petr Cech rightly have his defense hold the line for the free kick. This gives space for the goalkeeper the claim the ball rather than collecting in a crowded area. This, I have to tell you, is one of the hardest saves to make in soccer. His starting position seemed fine, so as not to get chipped. Upon assessing, we can see that Petr had the right attitude to be aggressive and “box” the ball out with two hands, but the Arsenal defenders did not hold the line correctly. Arsenal’s #4 was deeper than the players nearer to the ball allowing the West Ham forwards to get a head start on the defenders ( without being offside) and therefore get to the ball first. Once this is the case, the goalkeeper has to get there first or make the decision to retreat and save on his line.

Goal 2 – You should not be beaten near post and you should have most long distance shots covered, but Petr got caught with both.

You can see that he was expecting the shot to go the other side of #6 and actually took  step to his left prior to the shot. Cech must have been unsighted and was unable to adjust to the near post shot. This could have been avoided if the defender had closed down the forward closer. See my article on the flowchart of what to tell defenders when the ball is in front. As part of the Goalkeepers union, I would argue that the original clearance by Arsenal’s Oxlade Chamberlain was dreadful!

Both goals show that the relationship between the defense and the goalkeeper is vital and that communication stops the opposition at the source – Get talking goalkeepers!!!

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Here are 10 tips for a successful soccer residential camp.

1) Be Physically Prepared: Try to go into camp in your best physical condition. Every moment at camp is a valuable learning experience. You want to be able to be able to seize every opportunity to practice and learn. We all know that our ability to pay attention decreases when we are tired, our ability to train with a pulled muscle is reduced. The bottom line is that to take full advantage of everything that is offered at camp you must be in good physical shape.

2) Packing & equipment: Packing is often the hardest part about going away to camp. It’s important not to forget anything and to think ahead of what might be needed over the summer. Bringing the right equipment is crucial to having a successful camp. Of course you will need to bring your usual soccer gear;jersey, shorts, socks, shinguards and shoes. However, there are plenty of other things to think about.

Be Sure to Bring the Following:

3) Label Everything: Residential camp requires your son or daughter to be living in close quarters with their fellow campers, which will likely lead to items being mixed up or lost. By labeling everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, you will prevent any possible mix ups as well as a trip to the lost and found on pick up day.

4) Ask soccer questions – Use the extra time to ask the coach any questions. The walk to dorms or to the field provide the perfect opportunity to pick the coaches brains without doing so in a big group if you are shy

5) Open up – Speak to the councellors or a coach you trust if something is bothering you or if you do not feel well. Poor performance due to sickness or worry may be constrived as laziness.

6) Have fun – Camp is about having fun. Take it all in, make friends and laugh

7) But not too much fun – If you find yourself in a situation where your parents would disapprove – Stop and think what the consequences may be. Integrety is doing the right thing, when no one is watching! – Plus you do not want to get sent home early!

8) Don’t be the smelly kid! – General hygiene is important. Washing hands before meals, and showers after sessions and in the morning. You will likely be sweating at night so morning showers are important too! Brush teeth first thing in the morning to rinse out yucky mouth – the bacteria from a dry mouth is best rinsed out rather than swallowed with a drink or at breakfast. Night time brushing is a must!m Poor hygiene can result in feeling poorly.

9) Avoid sugary drinks / food at night – Apart from being bad for you, the sugar will keep you up at night resulting in a poor night’s sleep and feeling horrible the next day and likely a poor soccer performance. See what happens to your body after drinking a coke

10) Take time to rest – There will be down time. Use it to rest. There is nothing shameful about having a 20 minute nap when others in your room are playing ping pong, pool or running around outside.

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COMING SOON!

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