Hey! Sorry for taking a small break. I was driving back from Denver after having helped move my youngest son, Devin, into his new apartment in Glendale. Devin is a Rugby player, and has begun a new career of attempting to become a professional Rugby player. Rugby in the US, by the way, is exactly where soccer was 30 years ago. It is a growing, but still somewhat 'underground' sport; led by people that are passionate about the game, want to see it grow, and will do anything to insure it's acceptance and growth in the USA. Devin is playing for a team called the Glendale Raptors in Glendale, CO. The Raptors play in a Rugby-only stadium envisioned, designed, and built by the forward-looking mayor of Glendale several years ago. Now, Glendale is know as 'RugbyTown USA'--a pretty cool moniker. (By the way, there are many, many ideas/concepts that Club, Pro, and MLS soccer could emulate from Glendale--more on that in a later Blog). Anyway, that's why I missed Blogging to you for a few days. Not an excuse........just an explanation. (By the way--interesting fun-fact: There are far less concussions in Rugby than American Football or Soccer...........interesting.)
Last night I began as Director of GKing for a local Soccer club here in the Nashville area. Tennessee Soccer Club is a fairly large Youth Soccer club in middle TN. Like many clubs throughout the US, TSC is the compilation of a merger between 2 local clubs (TNFC and Brentwood SC). The result is a Youth Soccer club that, while in 'merger transition', will soon become a Regional power. We have 95+ teams, at all levels, and have applied for Academy and ECNL status from US Soccer, which I believe will be achieved in the fairly near future. We have a good level of player ability. However, the level of our GKing lags a bit behind. So, in effect, I am tasked with bringing the level of GKing up to par with the field players. We begin then, with 3 areas of GK concentration:
1. Catching. This is vital. Catching is a lost art, and my aim is to improve our GK catching '1000-fold'. You've heard me rant about this before, but remember that a catch is a perfect tackle. We now have possession of the ball. Now that we've caught the ball, we can start an attack. TSC GKs will spend what may seem like an inordinate amount of training time on Catching. Hey, the rules state that a GK can use his/her hands......why not make/take full advantage of that rule and help our team(s) progress to success. (Hey! See that? I might have just made up a new GK phrase....)
2. Footwork. Moving around the goal. Continuous positioning and re-positioning. Using your feet to get your hands to the ball. 'Running' to the save. If you've read this blog before, you've seen that footwork and movement is a key 'pillar' of successful GKing.
3. Playing the Ball with Feet. This is a woefully inadequate aspect of GKing throughout the USA. Most GKs need extensive work on this part of their game. Certainly, young GKs need to be exposed to and trained at, playing the ball with feet.
Like most Clubs, our training is divided into seasons. Fall season runs from late August thru early December. Spring season runs through mid-February to early June. We in TN are fortunate that our Winters are not really all that cold, and we can usually get out and train on a year-round basis. So, be assured that our TSC GKs will be working on the above 3 topics throughout our 2014-15 training curriculum. Our TSC GKs are good kids, and keen to work, and I look forward to seeing what strides we can make in our GK improvement. "Stay tuned to this channel for continuous updates!"
May the ground beneath your dive be soft. May the opponent always shoot straight at you. May your goalposts be 3 feet wide.
All the Best--EV
Last night I began as Director of GKing for a local Soccer club here in the Nashville area. Tennessee Soccer Club is a fairly large Youth Soccer club in middle TN. Like many clubs throughout the US, TSC is the compilation of a merger between 2 local clubs (TNFC and Brentwood SC). The result is a Youth Soccer club that, while in 'merger transition', will soon become a Regional power. We have 95+ teams, at all levels, and have applied for Academy and ECNL status from US Soccer, which I believe will be achieved in the fairly near future. We have a good level of player ability. However, the level of our GKing lags a bit behind. So, in effect, I am tasked with bringing the level of GKing up to par with the field players. We begin then, with 3 areas of GK concentration:
1. Catching. This is vital. Catching is a lost art, and my aim is to improve our GK catching '1000-fold'. You've heard me rant about this before, but remember that a catch is a perfect tackle. We now have possession of the ball. Now that we've caught the ball, we can start an attack. TSC GKs will spend what may seem like an inordinate amount of training time on Catching. Hey, the rules state that a GK can use his/her hands......why not make/take full advantage of that rule and help our team(s) progress to success. (Hey! See that? I might have just made up a new GK phrase....)
2. Footwork. Moving around the goal. Continuous positioning and re-positioning. Using your feet to get your hands to the ball. 'Running' to the save. If you've read this blog before, you've seen that footwork and movement is a key 'pillar' of successful GKing.
3. Playing the Ball with Feet. This is a woefully inadequate aspect of GKing throughout the USA. Most GKs need extensive work on this part of their game. Certainly, young GKs need to be exposed to and trained at, playing the ball with feet.
Like most Clubs, our training is divided into seasons. Fall season runs from late August thru early December. Spring season runs through mid-February to early June. We in TN are fortunate that our Winters are not really all that cold, and we can usually get out and train on a year-round basis. So, be assured that our TSC GKs will be working on the above 3 topics throughout our 2014-15 training curriculum. Our TSC GKs are good kids, and keen to work, and I look forward to seeing what strides we can make in our GK improvement. "Stay tuned to this channel for continuous updates!"
May the ground beneath your dive be soft. May the opponent always shoot straight at you. May your goalposts be 3 feet wide.
All the Best--EV