What is your keeper doing right now?

Hi she is ‘06...we are in VC, your in the OC, right? We went to AZ in June and she trained with another ECNL Club while we were there. She has been trying to get as much work in as possible. If they don’t play this Fall we may try to do something creative, who knows. She is a young ‘06 going into 8th grade, so if no Fall, ECNL break for HS, it could be a full year with no games for her.
I thought you lived in oc, my bad.
 
Any GK that has strong hands and wants some action in OC? My dd is looking for a training partner to stay sharp. I have a secret spot so if your serious PM me. BTW, my dd can shoot from either side so you wont just get a strong right shot and she's super nice and chill :) I might be looking for 4 more tough field players who have speed and quickness and are a true unicorn soccer player. GPA does not matter, only that you can hang with my dd. We work on 3 on 2 drills with a GK and other drills the girls want to do. No coaches or dads. Just drop off and let the girls do their things. 90 minutes, two days a week. If all goes well with the first 6, they will look to pick up 8 more players. 2 GKs and 12 field players. Again, drop off or girls can drive themselves now and let them play pick up.
 
Weird but I think my daughter has improved more the last 2 months with very small group keeper training 2-3 times per week than she did all of last year. With no team practice she has had more time to train with a keeper coach. Hope everyone else is getting some work in somewhere, safely of course.

Yep. Work is definitely still getting done (GK training 3-4x a week). Hasn’t been able to work with her GK coach but she has created her own sessions and the family steps up and helps. We are fortunate to have access to a quality field so that’s been huge. We film most of the sessions (distribution and a few other things we don’t film) and that’s been very useful for recruiting; giving the coaches updates etc...since there’s no updated game film.

Sure would be nice to get some practices in though, GK training is essential but live action is almost impossible to replicate.
 
Just this week I was working down the hill (two goals set up) from my house with my daughter and 5 teenage girls showed up. Then a private trainer showed up and asked if my DD wanted to get kicked on from the Varsity girls for a bit. That was a big yes!!! He set it up as a short time but once he saw she could handle it, he left her in and started giving her pointers. She received more coaching and positive reinforcement in that 1.5 hour session than she did from her coach the whole last year. He invited her to come on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday and Sunday mornings. Score!

That is the great thing about being a goalkeeper....private trainers of kickers would prefer to have a keeper in the goal for training so free training socially distanced!

My DD won't be in high school for another year but she could end up playing with 3 of the girls in a year or two if she decides to go to that school.

My prediction is there won't be any games for club older's (my daughter is late 06) until after CIF season is over so we will be into the next season year. My daughter is a free agent right now and will remain that way until the COVID-19 dust settles. I hate soccer politics but have learned how to manage it by removing myself as much as possible now that my daughter is older. My daughter is much better at it than I am. The combination of soccer politics and COVID-19 politics was too much for me.

Given that my daughter will be training 4 days a week with Varsity players down the hill from my house for free, and 2 days a week for private keeper training with no politics, I am good and so is my daughter.
 
Hope all is well with everyone. School (online) officially started this week and it looks like the NCAA dead period has moved again. We are in week 19 of no team practice, club GK trainings or private GK sessions. I know my GK is beyond frustrated, but I'm pretty proud of what she has done on her own in that time. She has been very self motivated in her workouts, weights and even yoga. Has done several video webinars and zoom calls regarding to GK (some were with the NorCal PDP team, others were just ones that she signed up for). And she still has done 3 days of GK trainings with the family; she creates the drills and we do our best to kick balls at her. Here are some of those clips in case you guys want to create your own GK sessions:
 
Hope all is well with everyone. School (online) officially started this week and it looks like the NCAA dead period has moved again. We are in week 19 of no team practice, club GK trainings or private GK sessions. I know my GK is beyond frustrated, but I'm pretty proud of what she has done on her own in that time. She has been very self motivated in her workouts, weights and even yoga. Has done several video webinars and zoom calls regarding to GK (some were with the NorCal PDP team, others were just ones that she signed up for). And she still has done 3 days of GK trainings with the family; she creates the drills and we do our best to kick balls at her. Here are some of those clips in case you guys want to create your own GK sessions:
Nice hands! Quick reactions! I don’t like the splits (too many keepers in Europe and the mls getting beat using them) but she does then well

on the punt it should be opposite hand to foot. Its more accurate and sets her up to learn the sidewinder which has the benefit of both accuracy and distance.
 
Hope all is well with everyone. School (online) officially started this week and it looks like the NCAA dead period has moved again. We are in week 19 of no team practice, club GK trainings or private GK sessions. I know my GK is beyond frustrated, but I'm pretty proud of what she has done on her own in that time. She has been very self motivated in her workouts, weights and even yoga. Has done several video webinars and zoom calls regarding to GK (some were with the NorCal PDP team, others were just ones that she signed up for). And she still has done 3 days of GK trainings with the family; she creates the drills and we do our best to kick balls at her. Here are some of those clips in case you guys want to create your own GK sessions:
Congrats on the great ranking by Top Drawer. Question for you on the video. Wondering if you should have the shooter in the video as well instead of just receiving the ball. Seeing the power, flight, and reaction to the shot from start to finish might be more beneficial. Or maybe a better mix between the two.
 
Nice hands! Quick reactions! I don’t like the splits (too many keepers in Europe and the mls getting beat using them) but she does then well

on the punt it should be opposite hand to foot. Its more accurate and sets her up to learn the sidewinder which has the benefit of both accuracy and distance.

Thanks; I know some GK use the opposite hand for punts but I never heard an explanation as to why? I have no personal experience in soccer (played 1 year when I was like 6 - full disclosure, I was a beast in that military brat indoor soccer league lol), played football/basketball/baseball...so I relate the "punt" to football and they use their outside hand (right foot = right hand) for the drop. Would love to hear why you would use the opposite in soccer. thanks.
 
Congrats on the great ranking by Top Drawer. Question for you on the video. Wondering if you should have the shooter in the video as well instead of just receiving the ball. Seeing the power, flight, and reaction to the shot from start to finish might be more beneficial. Or maybe a better mix between the two.
Thanks, appreciate that...but rankings are very objective. I'm sure there are plenty that are misplaced in that ranking system. As far as the shooters in the video, I think it's safe to say none of us helping her really care about being in the video lol. But I see what your saying. Full picture (location of shot, distance, etc) gives it a little more context.
 
Thanks; I know some GK use the opposite hand for punts but I never heard an explanation as to why? I have no personal experience in soccer (played 1 year when I was like 6 - full disclosure, I was a beast in that military brat indoor soccer league lol), played football/basketball/baseball...so I relate the "punt" to football and they use their outside hand (right foot = right hand) for the drop. Would love to hear why you would use the opposite in soccer. thanks.

In football they are going for height and distance. In soccer it’s mostly accuracy. A gk should be able to land it within 2ft of a selected target (not saying yours does but too many gks just boot it down the field instead of placing it...mines still learning this lesson and just got reemed out by an academy gk for it)

but most importantly you teach them the opposite hand so they can later execute the side winder. The side winder adds speed to the accuracy. Lookup the sidewinder on youtube.It takes years to learn properly but can be devastating on the counter for its speed and accuracy. Combines the best of a throw and a punt (which is why you don’t see too many throws these days in Europe). Mine hasn’t been introduced to it yet (too much else to learn) but his UK penpal age 11 started it this year...they estimate he might be doing it by 13-14
 
In football they are going for height and distance. In soccer it’s mostly accuracy. A gk should be able to land it within 2ft of a selected target (not saying yours does but too many gks just boot it down the field instead of placing it...mines still learning this lesson and just got reemed out by an academy gk for it)

but most importantly you teach them the opposite hand so they can later execute the side winder. The side winder adds speed to the accuracy. Lookup the sidewinder on youtube.It takes years to learn properly but can be devastating on the counter for its speed and accuracy. Combines the best of a throw and a punt (which is why you don’t see too many throws these days in Europe). Mine hasn’t been introduced to it yet (too much else to learn) but his UK penpal age 11 started it this year...they estimate he might be doing it by 13-14

okay, that makes sense (opposite hand for the sidewinder punt)...but I have to say, I don't see many females using the sidewinder kick. Most are still punting straight from hand and not letting it bounce first.
 
okay, that makes sense (opposite hand for the sidewinder punt)...but I have to say, I don't see many females using the sidewinder kick. Most are still punting straight from hand and not letting it bounce first.

Yeah but think what a beast she'll be on distribution if she's able to get that accuracy and her opposite is still doing the sort of drop kick. Both my sons GK coaches in SoCal and his coaches out here in Utah teach boys and girls the same way.

It is a sad reality too that the goalkeeping (both in SoCal and Utah) is just much worse on the girls side than on the boys side. Not saying girls are worse than the boys. But on average the boys are just better. That's why when you get an exceptional goalkeeper among the girls with a lot of skill they really stand out. His training mates out here were originally mostly girls...they moved him up after the first day to be with the older boys.
 
Yeah but think what a beast she'll be on distribution if she's able to get that accuracy and her opposite is still doing the sort of drop kick. Both my sons GK coaches in SoCal and his coaches out here in Utah teach boys and girls the same way.

It is a sad reality too that the goalkeeping (both in SoCal and Utah) is just much worse on the girls side than on the boys side. Not saying girls are worse than the boys. But on average the boys are just better. That's why when you get an exceptional goalkeeper among the girls with a lot of skill they really stand out. His training mates out here were originally mostly girls...they moved him up after the first day to be with the older boys.
I think there is more depth for boys. I also see the boys as more well rounded. Very rarely see female keepers that have it all, and that includes ones I've seen in the NWSL. They all seem to have some weakness, be it passing ability, leg strength, coming off their line, undersized, hands, etc.

My daughter has been blessed these past 4 months to be able to train with a starting D1 keeper. 2-3 times per week. She is a sophomore and started as a freshman for her college. Her weakness is leg strength. Doesn't get the ball to midfield, plays for a college that doesn't play out of the back, so that hampers her a bit. But having watched women's college soccer a lot, this isn't anything new. They all seem to have one or more weaknesses.
 
I think there is more depth for boys. I also see the boys as more well rounded. Very rarely see female keepers that have it all, and that includes ones I've seen in the NWSL. They all seem to have some weakness, be it passing ability, leg strength, coming off their line, undersized, hands, etc.

My daughter has been blessed these past 4 months to be able to train with a starting D1 keeper. 2-3 times per week. She is a sophomore and started as a freshman for her college. Her weakness is leg strength. Doesn't get the ball to midfield, plays for a college that doesn't play out of the back, so that hampers her a bit. But having watched women's college soccer a lot, this isn't anything new. They all seem to have one or more weaknesses.
Just an idea... Have her start punting with leg weights on (the kind that wrap around your ankles or calves). It takes awhile to get used to the extra weight, but it will build up those muscles. When she takes them off, she’ll definitely notice the difference in how much strength she has in her kicks.
 
Just an idea... Have her start punting with leg weights on (the kind that wrap around your ankles or calves). It takes awhile to get used to the extra weight, but it will build up those muscles. When she takes them off, she’ll definitely notice the difference in how much strength she has in her kicks.
It is the D1 keeper that has some length issues on her kicks. My daughter out kicks her by 10-15 yards. She gets most of her leg strength from running as she played basketball and ran the 100 and 200 in track this past freshman year in High School. Plus she is her own person when it comes to working out. She has used the ankle weights when working out, but not while kicking. I'm the uber driver now a days.
 
I think there is more depth for boys. I also see the boys as more well rounded. Very rarely see female keepers that have it all, and that includes ones I've seen in the NWSL. They all seem to have some weakness, be it passing ability, leg strength, coming off their line, undersized, hands, etc.

I think this comes from the boys being put under a lot more pressure. If the GK doesn't perform, he's cut and replaced particularly on the higher teams looking to win championships. For the girls, given the GK shortage, many teams are happy they just have a decent and dedicated GK and so the goalkeeper doesn't come under pressure to fix up their flaws.

I told this story before. My son's early GK training years were focused on handling and positioning. The GK coach didn't introduce tipping over bar until 2 1/2 years out and then only because I asked for help on the high balls (he frankly said he'd be wasting his time because he won't be able to do it, but after about the 6th session practicing it he started to do it). But during the round of 16 of League Cup, we played another team with a kid in goal who was a volleyball player. Both teams, with kids 10-11 as is so common in SoCal, were all kick the ball high trying to get it over the goalkeepers instead of learning to kick it low and into the corners. The other GK could tip over bar but mine had no clue given he had never been shown or practiced it. He let a couple over his head while the other kid was getting a couple great tips over bar and our assistant coach was asking him at the half "why can't you do that?" The other kid, though, couldn't dive to get a d---- so of course its son's fault instead of the strikers for not adjusting their shots to be low and fast on the ground. We still won but there was still resentment he felt for having it be close.

In his scrimmages out here in Utah, despite being now in the big goal, his tips are awesome now.
 
That's one of the things my daughter has never really had to worry about; athleticism has always been a strength and since an early age she was able to get to the high balls. These clips were back when was was 10-11 years old (8v8 days); first was was when she guest played on a boys team, 2nd and 3rd clips were her playing up to 11v11.

 
It is the D1 keeper that has some length issues on her kicks. My daughter out kicks her by 10-15 yards. She gets most of her leg strength from running as she played basketball and ran the 100 and 200 in track this past freshman year in High School. Plus she is her own person when it comes to working out. She has used the ankle weights when working out, but not while kicking. I'm the uber driver now a days.
Can't wait to read this one to my daughter. She hates running but has been begrudgingly doing it....though at the end of a 2 mile run she acts like she just climbed Mt. Everest. After finishing a 1 v.1 with her trainer she acts like someone just gave her some sort of speed drug. She talks fast and it takes her a bit to come down off the high. If only she could get that feeling running.

My DD noted one of her teammate's legs had gotten huge during the COVID break. I told her it was because the girl had been logging anywhere between 25 and 50 miles a week running (her dad pushes her and I give him a hard time about it all the time). She is only 13 so maybe the desire for strength will soon out weigh the hate of doing it.
 
In football they are going for height and distance. In soccer it’s mostly accuracy. A gk should be able to land it within 2ft of a selected target (not saying yours does but too many gks just boot it down the field instead of placing it...mines still learning this lesson and just got reemed out by an academy gk for it)

but most importantly you teach them the opposite hand so they can later execute the side winder. The side winder adds speed to the accuracy. Lookup the sidewinder on youtube.It takes years to learn properly but can be devastating on the counter for its speed and accuracy. Combines the best of a throw and a punt (which is why you don’t see too many throws these days in Europe). Mine hasn’t been introduced to it yet (too much else to learn) but his UK penpal age 11 started it this year...they estimate he might be doing it by 13-14
I am the one that taught my daughter the punt with the opposite hand when she was little and I can't tell you how many coaches and dads over the years have tried to change it for short term gains. (the beauty of being a woman...men feel more comfortable to come up to your daughter to tell her what she should do. I always tell her to smile and thank them, run it by me, and we will decide what to ignore which is usually most things. LOL).
 
We have been doing a whole lot of backyard training, luckily we have two keepers and one that has played as a forward/Mid most of her soccer years so we get some good training in along with beach training running, jumping in the sand and in the water. That was basically our summer program now we have our private training along with what I mentioned. @soccerkeeper1310
 
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