/Can being a coach make you a better goalkeeper?
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At Club MO/GK, I’m a big believe in creating opportunities to help develop young coaches, as well as goalkeepers.
I am proud to offer paid, hands-on roles for individuals looking to get into coaching, regardless of age or experience – all I need is a desire to improve, an understanding of what you are teaching and a commitment to the cause.
This year alone we have had three under-18 coaches step up and assist with our sessions, none of whom had any coaching experience or badges, but all of whom displayed a clear passion for developing young goalkeepers and bringing extra value to the sessions.
All our coaches are given responsibility from the get-go, as well as chances to guide and teach players in their own way. Of course, they are offered support and guidance throughout, but I believe that the best learning is done through exploration and the art of actually doing something, not necessarily through standing and watching. I also believe that anyone who does a skilled task, regardless of their experience, deserves remuneration for their time, and therefore all our coaches are paid for their time.
The benefits of coaching
“That’s great”, you might say, “but I’d rather focus on playing that coaching”.
That’s a fair statement, but I’m a firm believer that getting into coaching can actually have benefits for you as a player, particularly as a goalkeeper.
There’s no doubting that confidence is a big part of being a goalkeeper. You need to be assured, responsible, assertive and have a strong personality to make it as a goalkeeper and earn the respect of your team. What I’ve found, speaking both personally and to other goalkeepers who also coach, is that coaching is a great way to bring these personality traits out of you and allow you to reap the benefits.
Whether you are coaching children or adults, you need to be confident and assured in the information you are passing onto them. You simply won’t earn the respect of the players you are coaching if you aren’t, and if the players don’t respect you and your expertise, they won’t take onboard what you are saying and they won’t learn as much as they otherwise would.
So don’t wait until you’ve finished playing to give coaching a try. Whether you’re 18 or 38, you have skills and experience which other players can benefit from, and you will quickly notice a range of benefits in yourself too, which could help boost your performances on the pitch as a player, and make you a better goalkeeper.
Give it a try, you might just like it!