Newbie GK mom needs more advice

hello everyone!
We wandered into our current club and situation in late July, when my 06 GK son decided to play soccer full time. I had no idea how the process worked.
So, what is the "try-out" season like for GK? Is it substantially different from that of a field player. From what I've been told, try-outs really begin after State Cup, and all of the ads I see up on the 06 announcement page are to scoop up players who are maybe unhappy with their current club. Does this sound correct? If we want to go test the waters, we start calling clubs in March? I could benefit from your collective wisdom on this topic. Thanks so much!
 
The only question I have is are you currently with a club and looking to move to a different club??? IMO, a lot of clubs don't have a true keeper so they are needed. I myself have twin 05 keepers (boy and girl) and their "try-outs" was really just a practice or two before the coach decided. My son just recently went from a silver team to a DA team and my daughter is on one of the top flight 1 team and other teams (DA and ECNL) constantly contact us for tryouts, but we are very pleased with her current club and have no intentions on leaving. So no matter the level of the club, they are always looking for keepers. I would contact the clubs now and most likely the will invite you and your son to a practice or two as a try out. A lot of clubs don't have "goalie training" so you may have to look outside the club for personal keeper training, so I won't make that a do or die option for joining a club. Also, don't dismiss the idea of splitting time with another goalie and injuries do happen and there's nothing worse for a coach to ask one of his/her defenders to put on the gloves and get into the box. Plus competition between 2 keepers will bring out the best in both.
 
The only question I have is are you currently with a club and looking to move to a different club??? IMO, a lot of clubs don't have a true keeper so they are needed. I myself have twin 05 keepers (boy and girl) and their "try-outs" was really just a practice or two before the coach decided. My son just recently went from a silver team to a DA team and my daughter is on one of the top flight 1 team and other teams (DA and ECNL) constantly contact us for tryouts, but we are very pleased with her current club and have no intentions on leaving. So no matter the level of the club, they are always looking for keepers. I would contact the clubs now and most likely the will invite you and your son to a practice or two as a try out. A lot of clubs don't have "goalie training" so you may have to look outside the club for personal keeper training, so I won't make that a do or die option for joining a club. Also, don't dismiss the idea of splitting time with another goalie and injuries do happen and there's nothing worse for a coach to ask one of his/her defenders to put on the gloves and get into the box. Plus competition between 2 keepers will bring out the best in both.
Yes, we are currently with a club, and don't necessarily want to leave, but would like to see what else is out there. Because we arrived to soccer so relatively late, we didn't do any "comparison shopping."
 
Currently in the same boat with my 05 Keeper. Stumbled upon a team, the team itself is now migrating to a large club, but the coach (which did not work well with my keeper) will be remaining the same. We are looking at a couple of different teams that are hosting tryouts, but very unsure of the process.
 
hello everyone!
We wandered into our current club and situation in late July, when my 06 GK son decided to play soccer full time. I had no idea how the process worked.
So, what is the "try-out" season like for GK? Is it substantially different from that of a field player. From what I've been told, try-outs really begin after State Cup, and all of the ads I see up on the 06 announcement page are to scoop up players who are maybe unhappy with their current club. Does this sound correct? If we want to go test the waters, we start calling clubs in March? I could benefit from your collective wisdom on this topic. Thanks so much!
Not sure where you are located but our experience ('05 female keeper), in San Diego (OC seems to do it different) the tryouts are happening now, at least informally. Whether the clubs are having "kick arounds" which are just pre-tryout tryouts, whether kids are guest playing for other teams/clubs in tournaments, or if the kid is going to practices with other teams/clubs, they are all a form of tryouts. It is easier for a keeper to show up a club's tryouts and be seen than a field player, but it is still somewhat difficult for a kid to stand out during essentially cattle call. At some clubs you can tell how where your kid is fitting in at tryouts as they move kids up and down to more or less skilled teams during the evaluations. My $0.02 is that if you wait until March you may have missed the boat. My final piece of advice is that as soon as you start looking around, like that day, your coach will find out. Don't know how or why, but seems to be consistent. Some clubs/coaches seems to understand that kids & parents want to look around, but some do not understand and take exception to it. Do what is best for your kid and don't trust a coach beyond telling you what the team fees will be. Good luck.
 
For a GK, what is different is that a team either needs a GK or it doesn't. It's certainly possible that your son is better than what they have currently, but coaches tend to be risk averse with the position unless they are really dissatisfied because a tryout could push their current GK to look elsewhere too just in case and they could end up with neither GK. Moreover, coaches sometimes ask GK parents to be the team manager because there won't be any claims of favoritism in playing time from other parents, which might make the team manager less friendly if the coach brings in a potential GK rival. You're starting to get into the age range where coaches carry two goalkeepers, but it may not be ideal for a year or two, especially if your son just decided to play soccer full time. At older ages, and at higher level teams, then sharing a spot on the top team might make sense because it might be the only way to get seen by college coaches etc. So, the biggest difference between goalkeepers and other field positions is that you may want to do a bit more leg work and speak to other parents ahead of time to see where there might be an opening. Sometimes, if you have an outside GK trainer, asking for their help is the best way to find out what coaches are looking and what might be a good fit for your son.
 
To answer you direct question, YES the process is/should be different for keepers. Here is why:

1) Your 06 keeper (mine is an 03) will develop with a good keeper coach. The clubs you should look at are those clubs that have at least 1 but preferably 2 days of keeper training available. If the club doesn't have a good keeper coach that resonates well with your kid, look elsewhere.

2) Unless you are extremely fortunate, the "team coach" will have no valuable keeper knowledge, so you really don't care about this guy, unless he is a negative person. At 06 (U13/14) your kid is still a kid, only consider positive coaches that encourage instead of criticize and yell. Most clubs understand this and reserve the A-Hole coaches for the olders who are much better equipped to handle criticism.

If you are fortunate to find it (rare), the best situation is to find a Club coach that coaches your boy's age group AND is the club keeper coach. You do this by checking out the club website, note who the keeper coach is and then look who is coaching the U13's.

Note, every team coach thinks they know how to coach keepers ... very few do, unless they primarily played the position. The E, D and C license coursework doesn't present much keeper knowledge.

3) Depending on genetics and skill level, consider both his age group and playing a year up on a team that sucks. When it comes to game development, nothing develops quicker than getting 20 shots on goal. Its demoralizing as hell so the kid needs to have the mental ability to deal with it, but its a great strategy for those that want to quicken their development. At the U13/14 level we are still a few years away from HS (U15-U19) and colleges don't look at boys until about U17 (post puberty), which is when you want your kid on a Flight 1/Premiere team.

Your sole goal at this age is to find the best development environment for your kid. 90% of what your keeper will learn from technique to strategy will be with the Club keeper coach or at private lessons. The rest will be from game experience and team training.

Ask to attend the "keeper training" at all your local clubs for a few weeks, and pick the keeper coach that your kid likes the best.
 
If your DD is talented- genuinely talented- then there should be no panic to get them onto a new team. I'd wait until after State Cup (when the season ends) and you'll still have your pick of teams but will also have done your part to stem the tide of shadiness that pervades too many parents/clubs/coaches.

Regarding MWN post above, my daughter's best friend (great family) is a GK are she is still playing at her former club down in SD (as work didn't relocate them like it did us). They never liked their club's GK coach but loved the team coach so they simply did 1x private per week with their own specialist GK trainer. GKs are tricky, both in that they are different to the other 10 players on the field and and what works for one GK does not work for others. Gave them the best of both worlds.
 
hello everyone!
We wandered into our current club and situation in late July, when my 06 GK son decided to play soccer full time. I had no idea how the process worked.
So, what is the "try-out" season like for GK? Is it substantially different from that of a field player. From what I've been told, try-outs really begin after State Cup, and all of the ads I see up on the 06 announcement page are to scoop up players who are maybe unhappy with their current club. Does this sound correct? If we want to go test the waters, we start calling clubs in March? I could benefit from your collective wisdom on this topic. Thanks so much!
The other posters have covered most of the basics. I'll add the points of emphasis from my DD's experience from U11-U17.

1. Do your homework. Get familiar with all the teams in your son's age group (and one year up) that are within an easy driving range for you. Do this by studying the league standings, rankings, and talking to other parents and here on the forum. FYI, use the DM function to get the most open and honest answers from posters here. Most of the leagues allow you to see prior season histories and rosters on their websites, so you can sort of determine the stability of a team/coach/club with a little research. I spent a long time familiarizing myself with the lay of the land for my kids' age group.
2. Don't go to the open "try-outs." EVER. They are a colossal waste of time for everyone except the clubs looking to stuff their entry level rosters with local rec players. If you are curious about a club/coach/team, contact them directly and have your son practice with them. SO much more effective. Guest playing is another highly valuable practice.
3. Club keeper training is usually pretty weak, even at the biggest brand name clubs and even if the trainer is a good trainer. That's because the club training sessions usually have too many kids from different ages/abilities. So, while it's nice if a club has a dedicated keeper training schedule, it's not necessary if you have a private trainer. Focus on finding a private trainer your kid loves and stick with it through every club change. Best thing we ever did for my kid's ability.
4. Until your kid turns 16 or 17, never go by the club's name or the league or level they play in. Always go by the coach. If you find a good one that works well with your child, everything else will work out in the end. The big clubs give you the sense that if your kid develops with them on a lower team, they will have a chance to be moved to a higher level team eventually. Don't buy it. None of that matters until later anyway, and if he's good enough at 17, there will be a top level team that needs a good keeper and they won't care what club he was at before or what level he played at U14. Guaranteed.
5. Don't be afraid of putting your keeper on an older team or one with a weak defense. Both can be hugely valuable in his development. Playing for a powerhouse team often means no shots and little growth. If you think your kid is good enough to play at high levels, be patient and those opportunities will come later. Right now, he needs as much game experience as he can get and he's not going to get that splitting time on a super team.
6. Try to find a coach who insists on playing out of the back, and uses the keeper's feet for distribution.

Good luck! It's a crazy scene out there.
 
One tip when shopping for a team...find a head coach who does a proper pregame warmup for their GK (or has another GK or assistant coach who will), and also talks with and integrates their GK into team training. Some coaches could care less about their GKs and that's not a good situation.
 
Mystery Train covered it really well. #6 is why we are still with the same team. #5 is great to face harder shots than they would normally face, and always remember everyone is always recruiting, especially if your kid is a good GK.
 
One tip when shopping for a team...find a head coach who does a proper pregame warmup for their GK (or has another GK or assistant coach who will), and also talks with and integrates their GK into team training. Some coaches could care less about their GKs and that's not a good situation.
I think a proper pregame warmup for GK is a pipe dream unless you have a coach who is also the Goalkeeper coach. I usually warm up my daughter before the coach even arrives. This last weekend the coach had her 8 year old child warm my daughter up. Good thing I had already done it. LOL
 
One tip when shopping for a team...find a head coach who does a proper pregame warmup for their GK.
When you find one..check to see if the Loch Ness Monster, Yeti, unicorns, leprechauns, and any other mythical creatures are lurking nearby. You won't find them either. :eek:
I think a proper pregame warmup for GK is a pipe dream unless you have a coach who is also the Goalkeeper coach.
My .02 is that doesn't always mean much either. A few years ago the team my G03 played for split up but we stuck around to see what was going to happen. Another team formed. New coach who was a former GK came aboard. We thought it would be great and the coach would develop our GK and turn her game up a few notches. Anything but that happened. Zero development. My kid learned 1 or 2 things the whole season. No joke. Pre-game warmup was crap. Coach brought the whole team down. This new team broke up after one season. Coach left right as Spring League started up. No loss. We left the club for a year but are back now because this coach is phenomenal. All about development, possession, and building from the back starting with the GK. Pregame warmup is ok. Just ok. The process is slow and has not been painless to put it mildly. But my kid is learning a lot so she takes it all with a grain of salt.
 
I think a proper pregame warmup for GK is a pipe dream unless you have a coach who is also the Goalkeeper coach. I usually warm up my daughter before the coach even arrives. This last weekend the coach had her 8 year old child warm my daughter up. Good thing I had already done it. LOL
by warm up, you mean everyone just shoots at the net randomly? ;) In all seriousness, I don't think my kid has ever had a "proper" warm up. I"m not even sure what that would look like.
 
Here is my daughters, she is an 05, pretty much the same every game. 45 minute warm up before game. 10 stretch, 15 foot skills, 15 keeper specific, 5 facing shots. Keeper is always with a coach, with her standing, sitting, and on her back. I've tried to tell her to kick a few goal kicks into the net as well as her first couple look a bit rough if she doesn't. Works for her and is pretty consistent and she feels ready.
 
Assuming 2 keepers on a team, most coaches will have their keepers warm themselves up. Team warmup, then break off to work on keeper specific warmups, then many will have the random shots on goal shoot around ... which is dumber than dirt.
 
One tip when shopping for a team...find a head coach who does a proper pregame warmup for their GK (or has another GK or assistant coach who will), and also talks with and integrates their GK into team training. Some coaches could care less about their GKs and that's not a good situation.
As mentioned by someone else, dont need another coach to warm up your keeper. Another player, backup keeper or YOU can warm up your keeper. Have kids get loose and play the ball around until the refs call for them to play. See too many dopey coaches having kids doing gassers, mini keeper training and/or high-intensity rondos before the game - even in near 100 degree weather. Had a coach tell me our kids arent going to play in the shade for an hour when he saw them under the trees before the game - we won 8-1 with our defenders playing at top for 1/2 the game. Crazy warm up routines for keepers or field players are overrated. Not getting tired, or more heat exposure than needed, before a game just seems like it would be common sense.

As most people mentioned: dont go to try outs, see if they have separate keeper training and attend regular practice to see how coaches integrate keepers. Keepers at our club have separate keeper training and more talented keepers will do extra training outside - although I question some of the people they go to. A good coach will know how to work in keepers and encourage them to work with the best talent available to them. If the coach only has one team in the age group, ASK him if he sends his keeper to other coach's training sessions to get more work in against higher level competition. Kids need to scrimmage at a high intensity to get better - most keeper specific training sessions dont supply that intensity.
 
Assuming 2 keepers on a team, most coaches will have their keepers warm themselves up. Team warmup, then break off to work on keeper specific warmups, then many will have the random shots on goal shoot around ... which is dumber than dirt.

the 2v1 shoot arounds usually just to keep the kid warm. at lower age groups its more of a screw around fest
 
As mentioned by someone else, dont need another coach to warm up your keeper. Another player, backup keeper or YOU can warm up your keeper. Have kids get loose and play the ball around until the refs call for them to play. See too many dopey coaches having kids doing gassers, mini keeper training and/or high-intensity rondos before the game - even in near 100 degree weather. Had a coach tell me our kids arent going to play in the shade for an hour when he saw them under the trees before the game - we won 8-1 with our defenders playing at top for 1/2 the game. Crazy warm up routines for keepers or field players are overrated. Not getting tired, or more heat exposure than needed, before a game just seems like it would be common sense.

Regarding the bolded part, please re-read what I said as you're just repeating it.

Regarding not doing a serious warmup, are you only talking about when it's very hot? Or do you think in all conditions the risk of "getting tired" outweighs the benefits of a proper pre-game routine?
 
Regarding the bolded part, please re-read what I said as you're just repeating it.

Regarding not doing a serious warmup, are you only talking about when it's very hot? Or do you think in all conditions the risk of "getting tired" outweighs the benefits of a proper pre-game routine?

Part of the answer wasn’t toward you directly and just general reply.

risk of team tiring is usually one of my top concerns. This isn’t just about pregame but about an entire season and includes the week’s workload. Periodization is neglected by most coaches and most don’t even know what periodization is. On game day some might call it “game management” but still part of the macro concept. Some coaches/parents think MORE, MORE,WORK HARDER, WORK LONGER, WORK ALL THE TIME and that is just plainly incorrect. A coach, hopefully With parents help, should keep kids focused and motivated. Having kids with cramps, dehydrated , a muscle tweak, or fighting overuse injuries doesn’t help anyone. Kids tend to shut down mentally when they face adversity. Regarding periodization during a game, I don’t want kids making amazing saves and being hyper focused before the game starts - want that to happen during the game.

When it’s cold you have to keep moving. Sitting and getting warm again isn’t easy and a recipe for injuries. Still won’t have them go into a crazy routine. Some players might need a set routine to prepare, some kids are ocd - literally they need the structure to function. Just need to know the player. I would also add you have to take field conditions and surface into account. Having an intense warmup on turf isn’t a good idea imo - or Fields that have a terrible rock/dirt - grass ratio. Early morning games kids also need to wake up and/or stay warm due to it being cold - a higher level warmup might be needed. Shots on a wet field are needed but also don’t want my keeper (or players) exposed to slipping more than they need to - which happens when kids are going full out on wet surfaces. In SoCal the dew will usually dry out fairly early in an early game.

Seen many keepers go down during pregame, many times freak problems but seen teams go full out before games and killing their keepers. Seen keepers even vomit before games (on hot days) when coaches make them go “all out” in pregame rondos. So I think keeping things light-medium in intensity works for most players
 
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