Let’s Talk, About Goalkeeping Communication.

While observing games recently, one of the biggest things that stands out to me is the lack of effective communication from goalkeepers, especially the younger ones.

Goalkeepers need to be able to effectively communicate with team mates throughout the game to help direct, assist and inform of situations that the field players cannot see or need help with.

Some of the biggest reasons for keepers not talking are :- not knowing what to say and when to say it, not wanting to say the wrong thing and get caught out, or being undecided on what to say and by the time they want to communicate the situation has passed.

Communication shouldn’t be so difficult and it can be learnt and mastered quickly provided the keeper wants to learn. The easiest way to explain effective goalkeeper communication is to “SAY WHAT YOU SEE!” Goalkeepers can see the WHOLE FIELD and can be the ‘Eyes in the back of the head’ of defenders to alert them of possible situations they cannot see.

It is ok to be ‘Captain Obvious’ when communicating with defenders, If your Left Back Defender ‘Johnny’ has a player to the left, Communicate “Johnny, Player Left”, or “Johnny, Watch Left”. If you want your Center Back “Jilly” to not dive into a tackle and hold the player up, Communicate “Jilly, Stand up, Don’t Dive in”, or “Jilly, No Foul”. Pretty obvious, but effective communication nonetheless.

If you want your defenders to know you are available for a pass back when they have their focus on the attacking player chasing them down, communicate with “Keeper’s here”, or “Keeper’s open”. Let them know you are there to help, the more they hear that, the more inclined that will be to use you as an effective outlet.

In situations where the keeper needs to come out to claim a ball, be Confident, Communicate Early (Before you leave the ground, or move to the ball) and be Clear with the call. Don’t wait until the last second to call keepers, if you do wait, you will need to get used to dropping the ball, or picking yourself up off the ground. The earlier the better in situations like this to alert not only your own defenders that you are coming, but also the opposition. If they decide to stand in your way, they can suffer the consequences. Focus on the ball, communicate well and claim it!

If you are not 100% certain that you will get the ball, stay ‘Home’ and protect the goal. I’d rather see a keeper stay ‘Home’ than come out and completely miss time the jump, or miss the ball and end up out of position with the ball in the net. If you want the ball, call “Keepers”, if you don’t, Call “Away” it can’t really get any simpler.

When you communicate, make sure you are Clear, Concise and Audible. Don’t try to say too much, by the time you said your speech the situation could have passed and it’s time to communicate something different.

As I said, learning effective communication really is as simple as SAY WHAT YOU SEE and be confident in your communication and convictions.

Let people know you as a keeper who not only has excellent technique, but also is a great communicator, don’t be shy, BE PROUD AND BE LOUD!!

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A Coach Wears Many Hats!!!

As a youth coach, regardless of which sport you are involved in you have responsibilities to your players much more important than just their Skill, Technical and Tactical Development!!

Each and every time you interact with youth players as a coach you are, whether you realize it or not, impacting their lives on a potentially deeper, character building level.

In relation to sports, the role of the coach is to create the right conditions for learning to happen and to find ways of motivating the athletes. Most athletes are highly motivated and therefore the task is to maintain that motivation and to generate excitement and enthusiasm. At Between the Posts, our proven Success at Developing Goalkeepers is aided by the Environment we Provide!!

The Good coach will also need to be able to: assist athletes to prepare training programs, communicate effectively with athletes, assist athletes to develop new skills, use evaluation tests to monitor training progress and predict performance.

Therefore, you can see that it is a very difficult task and requires a very special person who can connect Effectively with each and every player under their tutelage. Each Keeper within our Between the Posts Goalkeeping Academy is a different Personality, and therefore is coached based on how they effectively develop. We are able to coach and develop EACH Keeper individually EVEN if we are working in a group setting.

Sports coaches assist athletes in developing to their full potential. They are responsible for training athletes in a sport by analyzing their performances, instructing in relevant skills and by providing encouragement. But you are also responsible for the guidance of the athlete in life and their chosen sport.

The roles that you will find you undertake as a Goalkeeper coach will be many and varied and you will find at some stage in your coaching career that you will be, but not limited to:

• Advisor – Advising athletes on the training to be conducted and suitable Gloves and Equipment.
• Assessor – Assessing Goalkeepers performance in training and when possible in competition.
• Counsellor – Resolving emotional problems on the basis that sharing anxieties can be both relieving and reassuring.
• Demonstrator – Demonstrate to the Goalkeepers the skill you require them to perform (A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS!! – Between the Posts Coaches have ALL Played the Goalkeeping position and can coach with a more Realistic approach compared to coaches who haven’t played the position and Don’t have the ability to explain and share ‘In-Game’ Experiences with Goalkeepers)
• Friend – Over the years of working with a Goalkeeper, a personal relationship is built up where as well as providing coaching advice you also become someone, a friend, who they can discuss their problems or share their success with. It is important to keep personal information confidential because if you do not then all respect the athlete had for you as a friend and coach will be lost.
• Facilitator – Identify suitable teams/competitions for them to play/compete in to help them achieve their overall objectives for the year.
• Fountain of knowledge – This may be part of the adviser role in that you will often be asked questions on any sporting event, events that were on the television, diet, sports injuries and topics unrelated to their sport.
• Instructor – Instructing Goalkeepers in the skills of their sport.
• Mentor – When Goalkeepers attend your sessions YOU are responsible, to their parents and family, for ensuring that they are safe and secure. You have to monitor their health and safety whilst training and support them should they have any problems or sustain any injuries.
• Motivator – Maintain the motivation of all the Goalkeeper the whole year round. (This is why the YEAR-ROUND Coaching Program Between the Posts provides is VERY Important, as it allows steady development and solid foundation building)
• Organizer and planner – Preparation of training plans for each Goalkeeper and Promote attendance at each session to fully benefit from the Curriculum.
• Role Model – A person who serves as a model in a particular behavioral or social role for another person to emulate. The way you conduct yourself whilst in the presence of your Goalkeepers provides an example of how they should behave – what sort of example should we be providing to someone else’s children? Perhaps one of the most important roles of a coach.
• Supporter – Competition can be a very nerve racking experience for some athletes and often they like you to be around to help support them through the pressures. 

All of these roles are important individually and can also be undertaken collectively

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Simon Robinson