/Picking up more hands-on experience
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For the last two weeks I’ve been observing (and occasionally helping out) with some goalkeeping sessions run by former AFC Sudbury keeper-turned goalkeeper coach Paul Walker, which he’s been running for local goalkeepers to fill the gap between the end of last season and the impending start of the 2021-22 pre-season.
With the ongoing COVID pandemic, I’ve been unable to pursue my desire to complete my initial badges over the last 12 months, so have been making the most of hands-on experience by getting involved in any way I can, from taking my own sessions with the Cockfield United goalkeepers to observing experienced coaches running their own sessions like in this instance.
On both occasions, Paul has had four keepers in attendance, representing various non-league clubs across Suffolk and Essex and has focused each session around a different key area of goalkeeping.
By observing these sessions, I am hoping to learn from an experienced coach working with a high standard of goalkeepers and apply what I pick up to my own journey. The key things I’ve been looking to pick up on are:
- Ideas for session focuses (eg. crossing, shot stopping, distribution etc) and drills/exercises to contribute to them
- Methods for structuring a session to provide a useful, enjoyable and effective experience for all involved
- Insights into communication, delivering feedback and instruction to players to keep them engaged
Point one is fairly self-explanatory, and you can quite easily find plenty of online resources with regards to session focuses, exercises, but it’s still nice to see this executed first-hand to pick up on things such as how drills are adapted and changed as they progress to create more challenges along the way.
Point two is perhaps where I’ve learnt the most over the last two weeks. Paul’s drills start with something light-hearted and fun, such as head tennis or two-touch keep-ups, which were carried out first with the feet and then with hands. This is typically followed by a more standardised activation drill, something which I would previously have perhaps gone straight in with, before diving into the meat of the session. After an hour or so of these primary drills, things wind down with something competitive to encourage some healthy competition between the keepers involved in a less serious manner.
The structure is something that I really picked up on as being beneficial to all involved and something I will certainly be looking to integrate into my own sessions in future.
Finally, regarding point three, communication in coaching is paramount. From the initial outset, you need to make it clear what you are looking for everyone to get out of an exercise, ensure they all understand and are onboard and engaged with what’s ahead. As things progress, providing feedback and encouragement to your players becomes important, however, I do believe that there’s more to that than just saying “good save” after every shot fired straight into them.
I’ve learnt a lot over the last couple of weeks that I’m excited about taking into my own sessions when the new season gets underway, and by picking up as much experience as possible at this stage, I’m hoping it will help me progress through my badges more effectively too.