Why competition is an essential part of Goalkeeper Training
Everyone loves winning, right? I think we can safely assume no one likes losing, either. It’s the competitive side of athletes that kicks in when we are playing. Too often, when I am involved in a goalkeeper session, I find that it’s just a bit boring. Don’t get me wrong, I love goalkeeping and sliding around in the mud or making cool saves. But sometimes, some quick feet through cones or catching some crosses becomes a bit of a drag. Hence why it’s important to add competition to our goalkeeper sessions.
It all starts in the warmup. In my opinion, it’s important to set the tone of the training session right from the get-go. Therefore, I like to start all of my sessions with a little game or mini-competition. Starting the session with a fun game is not only a great way to warm-up but also helps to get keepers in the right mindset so that they can focus on the session at hand.
It’s important to set the tone of the training session right from the get-go.
Next comes the boring stuff - or the basics as most like to call it. This usually entails some sort of handling or footwork exercise orientated around the theme of the session. Although these can be a bit boring, it is important to make sure we keep doing the basics and do them well before we move on in the session. In a session based on shot-stopping, this might look like some volley and scoops, potentially even some basic diving saves.
Following our basic movements, we move into the progression. This is where we begin to add competition to our sessions. Now there are a few different ways of doing this. Firstly you can add a scoreline, so if you’re doing a shooting drill that includes 2 sets of 4 shots, keep count, and the loser has to do push-ups, star jumps, etc.
“Adding competition is a great way to drive the intensity of the session”
Easy ways you can add competition to your goalkeeper sessions;
Keep track of scorelines - usually, that is, goals conceded in a shooting drill or competitive crossing drills etc.
Add rewards eg. don’t need to help pick up gear
Add punishments - pushups, star jumps, red-ass (not suitable for kids)
Adding competition is a great way for us coaches to drive the intensity of the session, as well as make it a bit more fun for our keepers! Humans are competitive by nature, so it’s our job as coaches to tap into that competitive side to try and get our keepers to work harder and improve their game.
So, remember, competition is the spice that adds flavour to those keeper sessions. It's the key to turning mundane drills into thrilling challenges. As coaches, our goal is to tap into that natural competitive drive and make every training session not just about improving skills but also about having a blast. Keep those sessions intense, exciting, and fun – that's the winning strategy for our goalkeepers!
The Goalkeepers’ View
