Additional Post 3: Repetition, Practice Makes Perfect

In order to improve yourself as a goalkeeper, you need to practice.  The practice you participate in needs to be meaningful and productive, otherwise you won't get anywhere.  In order to improve upon a skill there is a level of repetition that is necessary to break a cycle.  If you aren't very good at something, you do it over an over again until you get it right.  I'm going to relate it to my 1st grade class, and more specifically, when we were taught penmanship.  If your handwriting wasn't very good, or you forgot to put your name on your paper you had to write your name 100 times until you stopped forgetting your name and penmanship on your papers.

With goalkeeping, it's the exact same thing.  During my mentorship with Kim Nemeth on October 21st I was working one-on-one with one of the keepers.  She had proven herself to be worthy of the position and will likely be our starting keeper for the remainder of the season. However, she, like everyone else, needs work; most importantly, she needs to work on catching the ball better.  When the ball comes to her she often either pops it up and catches it on the second try or just misses completely.  I had tried everything, different drills, different hand positioning, and small things like wetting her gloves.   NOTHING was working.

Finally, Kim came over and told me to have her bounce the ball (A drill I knew well because I had a similar, albeit not as serious, problem.) for 20 minutes straight.  I went over to the keeper and told her the guidelines.  She had to bounce the ball and catch it every time, no basketball dribbles.  She had to push the ball down with as much force as she could handle catching, use the correct hand positioning, and stay on task the entire 20 minutes.  This required her focus intently on the ball so she wouldn't miss it.  I supervised for the 20 minutes and gave her pointers when she seemed to get frustrated or when she messed up.  By the end of the structured time her arms were exhausted, but she wanted more.  That's the best mentality to have in a keeper.  There is nothing better.

Coming out of that practice she had the knowledge (and hopefully the muscle memory) to catch the ball in the game.  She was tested that Saturday, and the repetition worked.  She caught many balls and even made a few spectacular saves.

I've watched her take a big step as a goalkeeper, and can't wait to see her make more.

Research and Working EQ

Working EQ: What are the most important skills a goalkeeper should possess in order to produce a clean sheet during a game?

• A keeper with a high level of focus and concentration will always be ready for a ball even if the shot or pass was unexpected.  A high level of concentration allows the keeper to be on their toes even if the ball isn't in their own third of the pitch.
• Keepers should be taught how to command and communicate to players in and around the goal box.  This skill stops players from going for the same ball, no one going for a ball, and the opposing team being able to score a goal.

My mentor, Kim Nemeth, has been my best source of information.  I've learned from her not only through my mentorship, but during my practices when she is my coach.  Her knowledge about the position is extensive, and she is always looking up new things and finding out more information if there is something she's unsure about how to tackle.

My mentor is Kim Nemeth.  I am currently helping her coach a group of girls, and more specifically goalkeepers, in the Under 14 age group through the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). Working with Kim not only relates to my EQ, but doing the hours has even help me come up with a better EQ.  The EQ asks what skills are most important.  Kim's training sessions generally will cover 2 or 3 topics per night, and going to her sessions for 4 practices a week shows me a lot of skills over time.  I can really tell the difference between the skills that need to be exercised more during a game from those that are less important.  The more important skills always are brought up again in later training sessions even if just as a reminder to do that skill correctly.

Independent Component 1 Approval

Content:

1. I plan on playing games and attending practices with my club team, Legacy.

2. To obtain the required number of hours for this component I plan on attending every practice, twice a week, and every game.  We practice for upwards of 3 hours per week and including the training before the game starts, hours for games can range from 2 to 4 hours per game.

3. Coaching goalkeepers is one thing, but training as a keepers is something else.  I am constantly learning new things during practices and overcoming new situations during games.  Researching the game as a player is just as valuable as the reading material I've gone through.