HELPING Kilcoo win their 20th Down senior football title at the weekend was something extra special for me. This is because Saturday, October 15 arked the fifth anniversary of my own sole senior championship medal with Armagh Harps back in 2017. This was also my club’s 21st title so the similarities were there. All weekend […]
By Patrick Morrison MY sixth goalkeeping principle is ‘Close the Gap’ and it involves the goalkeeper rushing the attacker through on goal with the aim of getting as close to them as they possibly can. This hurries the attacker’s decision making and, in turn, increases the advantage to the goalkeeper. To increase the goalkeeper’s advantage […]
WITH the majority of county competitions now entering the final stages of their season, now is the time when certain players will begin to think about what retirement would hold for any them – especially players who have been heavily involved in the game for a prolonged period of time. Usually, the post-season is a […]
By Patrick Morrison WHENEVER I am coaching, one of the most common questions I am asked is ‘what is the most important aspect of being a goalkeeper?’ My answer is always the same. There is no one aspect that is more significant than any other as mastery of the position needs a competent level of […]
By Patrick Morrison WHAT is effective communication? Communication is any form of information that is relayed between two interfacing entities. Whether it be audible, visual, hand signals or even just body language, if it sends a message to be received it is deemed as communication. Goalkeepers are in that precarious position where play develops in […]
By Patrick Morrison STEVEN Pressfield’s 2004 novel, The Virtue of War, follows the life of Alexander the Great and his story is told through the eyes of a Hellenic-Persian scribe who was serving under him during his campaigns into India. In the novel there is a quote from Alexander himself which states: “Always attack. Even […]
IN American sports, they split their competitions into two parts with the first part being called the ‘regular season’ and the second part called the ‘post-season’, more affectionately known as the ‘Playoffs.’ Every team in each sport (Baseball, Basketball or Gridiron) will have realistic and attainable goals for their franchise. The better teams, as well […]
By Patrick Morrison GOALKEEPING is a very specialised position. A goalkeeper must have a good basic skill set just like every other position on the team, but they also need to develop specific goalkeeping traits, skills, and movements to be able to play the position competently. Like any sports person that is truly serious about […]
I HAVE been writing these goalkeeping columns for over three years now and I regularly have emails, texts and social media messages from players, coaches, parents etc. in relation to goalkeeping. One of the most commonly asked questions I receive would be: “Where do I get my inspiration from?” The short answer for this is […]
By Patrick Morrison DURING the past few seasons, we have really seen an increase in the number of goalkeepers that are confident in joining the outfield play. And there has been something of a phenomenon, especially from a goalkeeping point of view, there has been an explosion of press about the position. Some were excited […]
