We conclude our introductory podcasts with this final pillar: technique. Technique represents the “how” of the game. We have already covered how, where, when, etc… This one is all about the proper form for making saves. If you want to understand how to be a goalkeeper at the next level, you have to begin to look like a goalkeeper of the next level. And there is no shortcut to this one. It takes work. It takes repetition. You need to be working daily on your technique. At the inception of your technical training, don’t sell yourself short by trying to breeze through everything. You need to go very slow and get things right. If you don’t set a solid foundation of perfect technique, you are selling yourself short. Slow down your activities so that you are working on technical excellence...

This final podcast dealing with tactics talks about the realistic tactical decisions each one of us needs to make. We need to start to assess our athleticism, our height, our weight and other factors of our game in making decisions within the game. If we are completely undersized, perhaps we need to consider playing a bit more conservatively on crosses. Conversely, if we are naturally built as ball winners… perhaps we should extend our range and help our defense hold a higher line. There are no absolutes on this- just like any other decision we talk about. Occasionally, bigger keepers need to play conservatively and vice versa. Our opponent, the score of a match, weather- these all stay play a role. Another major factor on any given day will be confidence. If we are in form, we can start making...

A very interesting episode this week. Many of the goalkeepers out there have dealt with a situation where the field isn’t exactly of the highest quality. Let’s just be honest about it… Youth soccer fields aren’t always the nicest possible surface. So how do we deal with this situation? This episode dives head first into the tactical decisions we need to make based upon field conditions. Learn to overcome the hurdles caused by poor field conditions. We start with the modifications made during a pre-game warmup and dive into what needs to be done during the match as well. We also discuss weather conditions and how those effect our decision making. How do we deal with the game when it is windy? Raining? These conditions make massive changes in the decisions we need to make to maximize our effectiveness as...