Goalkeeper Coach Workshops

Following on from my Gaelic Life article last week which covered the topic of my six Goalkeeping Areas, I have organized three Goalkeeping Workshops for early next year.

The feature of the workshops is to provide in-depth knowledge into my six goalkeeping areas of Technical, Footwork, React, Recover, Situations and Distribution, as well as providing knowledge of how to prepare for traininggames through effective Goalkeeper Activation. The three 90-minute workshops will run on three consecutive Saturdays (8th15th22nd) in January 2022 and will be held at the Keady Recreational Centre in St Patrick’s High School, Keady.

All of the workshops will begin at 10am, finish at 11.30am, and will be held on the 4G pitch and will be open to all goalkeepers and coaches (both male & female) aged 18 and over. The cost for the workshops will be £20€25 each or £45€55 for all three. To book your place contact me via my email address at the bottom of this article. Below is a run down of what the three workshops will include and a basic description of what each will demonstrate on the day.

Workshop1: Goalkeeper
Activation & Technical Session (08012022)

The focus of this workshop is to provide a full and in-depth demonstration of what a goalkeepercoach should be doing to prepare themselves or their goalkeeper for both training sessions and match days. In the modern era, there has become an ever-increasing importance being placed on how the goalkeeper prepares for sessions and games so having an effective Activation routine is vitally important.

This workshop will also cover the Technical side of the game, something that is very under coached in Gaelic football. Things like diving, positioning, goalkeeper stance, catching, closing attackers, punching etc. are all areas that need to be learned and as such all have specific techniques to ensure they are performed correctly.

During the workshop goalkeepers and coaches will be shown a full warm-up that will include exercises for the Hands, Hips, Feet, Techniques, Situations, Distribution while also being provided with tips and advice for optimal Goalkeeper Activation. They will also be shown techniques I use regularly to coach goalkeepers’ positional awareness, correct diving, comfortable goalkeeping stance, recovering back to stance position and narrowing shooting angles.

Workshop 2: Footwork React & Recover Situations (15012022)

Everything the goalkeeper does begins with their ‘feet’ so this workshop will provide goalkeepers and coaches with ways they can use to improve their own or their goalkeeper’s footwork. It will look at goalkeeper speed, agility and quickness while also incorporating foot speed as well as highlighting the link between footwork and decision making. Methods including speed ladders and hurdles, situational footwork, being wrong footed will all be covered.

The workshop attendees will also be presented with exercises that are aimed at improving the goalkeeper’s Reactions as well as their ability to Recover back to their feet as quickly as possible. These drills will look at reacting to various stimulus in reducing timeframes while also forcing them to recover as quick as they possibly can to stop follow-up attacks. This workshop will also work heavily on hand speed, hand-eye coordination, Pendulum Rolls, Double saves and more.

There is virtually no shot stopping in Gaelic football. Instead, goalkeepers find themselves in Situations where they must make split-second decisions to ensure a positive outcome.

This workshop will also aim to show attendees how to improve the goalkeeper’s ability to deal with game situations effectively. Situations that will be demonstrated include one-v-ones, high balls, blocked shots, penalties and more.

Workshop 3: Distribution As A Goalkeeper (22012022)

Viewed as the most important area of the modern-day goalkeeper, how a goalkeeper Distributes the ball during a game has become paramount to their team’s success. More and more focus is being placed into this goalkeeping area and as it is ever evolving each year, the coaching required by the goalkeeper needs to be of the highest standard.

In this workshop the goalkeepers and coaches will be taught the fundamentals of goalkeeping distribution, presented with exercises for distributing the ball while in possession with both hand and foot, drills to improve the goalkeeper when in possession of the football as well as several drills to improve the goalkeeper’s distribution from restarts (kickouts).

In preparation for the three workshops, all goalkeepers, and coaches that book for the three dates will receive an E-Book relating to the workshops that they will be able to print out for themselves and take with them on the day to take notes. This E-book will be also packed with various goalkeeping tips and advice regarding areas of goalkeeping that are both on and off the field of play. These workshops are years of goalkeeping knowledge and experience squeezed into two hundred and seventy minutes.

Places are required to be prebooked in advance, whether it be for one, two or three workshops and can be booked using the email address below my article. Please include your full name, your contact number, and the workshops you wish to attend, and a reply email will be sent to you with further details within 48 hours.

Roll on January!!

Email: pmgoalkeeping@hotmail.com

Facebook: @MSoG11

Twitter: @MorSchGk