Posted on Nov 14th 2010 by admin.
Looking for new insight into the “beautiful game”?
Come on out to the Beautiful Turf Field on Sunday afternoons and learn a whole new part of the sport that you may never have thought about before.
The Goalkeeper is the last line of defense and the first line of attack. S/he coordinates the defense and feeds the offense. This is a leadership position on the team and requires commitment and dedication. You have to be smart and just a bit crazy! You also need to be able to shake off your mistakes with a desire to learn from them, but not dwell on them.
Playing ‘Keeper requires a different mentality and a different skill set. Learning these skills will make you a better soccer player regardless of your favourite position on your team. Learning how the ‘Keeper thinks will help you as a shooter! Learn how to score against a trained ‘Keeper!
This week we reviewed footwork, positioning, and catching before we moved on to Laws that pertain to the ‘Keeper, Crosses and corner kicks and Distribution of the ball. Then we did a bit more diving! Fun stuff!
Everyone is welcome to join us, adults and students, boys and girls. Its fun and educational, and as one adult said this week, “it takes you out of your comfort zone!” It is good to do that once in a while!
We will meet on the field November 21 and 28 at 4PM. Next week we will review and expand on coming forward to cover a “breakaway” striker, Penalty Kicks, and the importance of communication.
Til next week,
Own the Box!
Jon
Posted on Nov 12th 2010 by admin.
Last Sunday was the first of several Goalkeeper Practice Sessions to be held on Sundays at 4PM on the glorious Turf Field at BICS. Some 16 participants learned the primary Tenant of Goalkeeping (Own the Box!) and practiced the first three basic lessons of goalkeeping on a mostly dry Sunday in the mounting gloom of the first day of Pacific Standard Time. Next time we meet, we will ensure that we have the new zillion-candle-power lights on so we can see the ball!
From a technical aspect, the first lesson in being a Goalkeeper is Positioning, knowing where to place your body relative to the goal mouth and the ball, and movement from your core. Next is Footwork with an emphasis on correct steps like shuffling and cross-over, and the third lesson is Catching, with an emphasis on the mantra of “Hands First”, and catching with hands in the “W” position, and getting your core behind the ball. We also did just a bit of low level diving, ’cause that is what goalkeepers love to do!
I’d like to see the “Sunday at 4″ time-slot become the new place for the goalkeepers of Bowen to meet and practice. I will be on the field at 4PM each Sunday in November to work on ‘Keeper specific drills and skills. Next week we will continue with “laws of the game” pertinent to goalkeepers, distributing the ball, and how to deal with corner kicks and deep crosses.
We’d love to see you there! Especially adults! Last week we had Chris, Jeff and Doug on the adult crew and about a dozen student-age keepers as well. By the way, everyone who plays soccer will benefit from these practices, as this is a window into the ‘keepers world for shooters and all field players. Be sure to bring some long sweats to cover your arms and legs, hitting the turf is on the docket!
If you have questions about any of this, please feel free to call Jon at 604-947-2500
Own the Box!
Jon Heath
