As Spring begins to creep back across the US, teams begin to get back out on the full-sized fields to train and play Spring schedules. College Showcase events begin to pop up like the proverbial daffodils--particularly in early Spring--Club teams begin to prepare for State Cups, and their regular ECNL, Academy, MRL, and state leagues.
So what does all of this mean to GKs?
Generally, we need to train GKs to get their timing and technique back up to par after their winter "hibernations". I know that many Clubs have Indoor training, and some Clubs are lucky enough to train indoors in a facility that allows for full size goals and full size field use, but generally the GK needs to get his/her outdoors "legs" back. For GK trainers this means making sure that GKs see as many serves as possible. Shots, crosses, wide-driven balls, etc. All of these, plus GKs serving and playing with feet (this aspect continues to be the largest problem I see as I travel across the US working with GKs of various levels).
A good solid training session in the Spring should be about an hour and a quarter (75 minutes). This allows the GKs to have a good warm-up, good stretch, and then a good training session followed by a good cool-down and finishing stretch. Try to work on a bit of every aspect of GKing in these early Spring sessions. Once the GKs have their timing back, then we can move on to specific problems/challenges in our training sessions.
GKs: Be sure to have the gear you might need for these early Spring sessions. i.e.; base-layer compression gear, long-sleeved and long training gear, some cold-weather wind-stopper gear, wooly cap, and maybe even a couple of pairs of GK gloves (in case the conditions are wet and you need to change into a dry par of gloves). As with most activities that you decide to pursue in a serious manner--you need the proper gear to train in order to make serious progress. Remember, it's Spring and the weather can be fickle and change rapidly. Be prepared. Because these early Spring training sessions are very important as you get back to your craft and begin to prepare for State Cups and Regional Tournaments. Good luck!
May the ground beneath your dive be soft. May the other team shoot straight at you. May your goalposts be 3 feet wide.
All the Best--EV
So what does all of this mean to GKs?
Generally, we need to train GKs to get their timing and technique back up to par after their winter "hibernations". I know that many Clubs have Indoor training, and some Clubs are lucky enough to train indoors in a facility that allows for full size goals and full size field use, but generally the GK needs to get his/her outdoors "legs" back. For GK trainers this means making sure that GKs see as many serves as possible. Shots, crosses, wide-driven balls, etc. All of these, plus GKs serving and playing with feet (this aspect continues to be the largest problem I see as I travel across the US working with GKs of various levels).
A good solid training session in the Spring should be about an hour and a quarter (75 minutes). This allows the GKs to have a good warm-up, good stretch, and then a good training session followed by a good cool-down and finishing stretch. Try to work on a bit of every aspect of GKing in these early Spring sessions. Once the GKs have their timing back, then we can move on to specific problems/challenges in our training sessions.
GKs: Be sure to have the gear you might need for these early Spring sessions. i.e.; base-layer compression gear, long-sleeved and long training gear, some cold-weather wind-stopper gear, wooly cap, and maybe even a couple of pairs of GK gloves (in case the conditions are wet and you need to change into a dry par of gloves). As with most activities that you decide to pursue in a serious manner--you need the proper gear to train in order to make serious progress. Remember, it's Spring and the weather can be fickle and change rapidly. Be prepared. Because these early Spring training sessions are very important as you get back to your craft and begin to prepare for State Cups and Regional Tournaments. Good luck!
May the ground beneath your dive be soft. May the other team shoot straight at you. May your goalposts be 3 feet wide.
All the Best--EV