LAST week I received an email from the editor of Gaelic Life, Ronan Scott. He was complimenting the article I wrote regarding creating an information book of opposition players. Ronan wondered how many players, never mind goalkeepers, would commence this practice to gain a competitive edge during games.
In the second half of his email, he explained the paper would be creating some banners to advertise the publication and was looking for me to create some slogans for a banner that would include my head pic and a quote.
Ronan provided some examples to get the creative juices flowing and one slogan centered around the reasons I decided to write for the Gaelic Life. Ultimately, there was a gap left by the passing of my father in 2019 and I had written Daddy’s last two articles from notes he had taken. From there the paper asked if I wanted to continue with the articles and I was happy to do so.
What people, including Gaelic Life, would not have known was that before this I had been preparing several goalkeeping articles that I could send to the paper for review and to see if they would be interested in printing my articles.
At the time I had seen that for all the excellent coverage they provide on Gaelic games, there was nothing regarding goalkeeping. For me, it was a gap that needed filled.
During the week, as I thought about some slogans for the advertising banner, I began to think why did I start writing for this publication? It made me really think about why I decided to take this goalkeeping column on a weekly basis.
And to be perfectly honest, at first, I could not think of any reasons which meant I had to think more in-depth about the purpose of my columns. Most of the day had past and I still could not provide myself with a proper answer. But then, right when I wasn’t focused on my reasons, it came to me!
“I WRITE SO OTHERS CAN LEARN”
As simple a statement as this is, it summarises my reasons perfectly in one short sentence. As a young player growing up, I played outfield for my club in various positions for various age groups, but I also played in goal for both my school teams as well as underage county teams. There were not many Gaelic resources back then that covered goalkeeping and a goalkeeping coach would have been totally unheard of. Anything that I did learn was either self-taught or picked up by reading soccer goalkeeping books picked up from the library in Armagh.
Ultimately, whenever I write my goalkeeping columns or whenever I am out coaching face-to-face and/or online, all I am merely passing on is my own experiences as a goalkeeper and as a goalkeeper coach. It is all I can pass on, and it is something I want to pass on to other young and upcoming goalkeepers who are looking for guidance regarding their goalkeeping because it is something that was missing whenever I was growing up.
What I coach and what I write in my columns will not work for everyone and that is fine, but it is up to you the goalkeeper/goalkeeping coach to at least try. It is for this reason that it is important to use a wide variety of sources and resources to help you grow as a goalkeeper
. The variety you are exposed to will result in you having an excellent goalkeeping base to begin creating your own unique goalkeeping style.
In terms of coaching and the different approaches each goalkeeping coach may have, there really is no right or wrong.
In fact, they are all right and they are all wrong, it just depends on what works for you and what you feel comfortable incorporating into your own performance.
It is possible that you have been coached goalkeeping skills/techniques by different coaches in several different ways. So, who is right and who is wrong? Well, that responsibility lies with you the goalkeeper as you try the different skills/techniques and decided which option works best for you.
For example, if two coaches teach you the same skill in two conflicting ways, you must try both and see which works best for you. You may find that what Coach A taught you works best for you. You may find what Coach B taught you works best for you. You may find that a combination of what Coach A and Coach B taught works best. You may even find that neither works for you, and you may create your own way to perform that skill. Therefore, it is you the goalkeeper that must decided what you can use and what you cannot.
I don’t have all the answers and sometimes those goalkeepers that I coach have better answers than me. For both my goalkeeping column and my goalkeeping coaching I use my own experience and methods I have used when playing in goal.
I pass these on to any goalkeeper that wants to listen/read in the hope that they can use them to better themselves and their goalkeeping as much as possible. I don’t write for my own benefit or to further my own name. “I write so others can learn!”
Email: pmgoalkeeping@hotmail.com
Facebook: @MSoG11
Twitter: @MorSchGk
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