Beach FC Goalkeeping Academy - Spring 2012
With the spring season coming up, we will continue with the Beach FC Goalkeeping Academy again for the spring season. We took great strides over the past year and we are looking to take our goalkeepers to the next level. Our main goal is to continue to develop the goalkeepers in the Academy to become difference makers in training, practices and matches. We will strive to be the best goalkeepers in the area, region and hopefully nationally. Creating positive training habits during our sessions along with practices is going to be one of our main focuses this season. By giving each goalkeeper an opportunity to train at a high level, this will allow for them to be prepared for various different situations that may arise during the course of a game.
Along with the training sessions, the goalkeepers will be evaluated on the field during a game over the course of the season. Some of the aspects of their evaluation will be decision making, organization, angle play, and mental focus.
The Goalkeeping Academy will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting February 28th. Starting in the second week of April, we will change the days to Mondays and Wednesdays. The training will take place on the front fields of our Shipps Corner Training Facility. We will run through May towards the end of the VCCL season and VSLI. Feel free to contact John Connelly at jconnelly5@gmail.com with any questions.
The exact dates for the spring season are as follows: February 28, March 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29 April 3, 4, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30 May 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24
| Beginner: | U10-U11 | 5:00-6:00pm |
| Advanced: | U12-U14 | 6:15-7:15pm |
Program Overview
The main goal of the Goalkeeping Academy is to develop an environment where motivated goalkeepers of all age groups can come to develop and understand the position. Not only will the focus be on the physical aspect of goalkeeping, but also gaining an understanding of the mental aspect of the game. Each goalkeeper will get a chance to focus on their strengths as a goalkeeper along with developing their weak areas which will enable them to be a well rounded goalkeeper.
The position itself demands a lot on a player. Throughout the course of a game, the goalkeeper may be called upon 20 times or just once to come up with the big save that will keep their team in the game. It is our philosophy to try and recreate as many situations as possible so that each keeper is prepared for anything that may arise. Developing good habits in training and practice is one of our main goals so it will carry over into games.
The main points that will be covered during the course of the season will be:
- general shot handling/catching for low, medium, and high balls
- basic collapse diving
- proper technique for crossed balls that are flighted and driven
- simple distribution from the feet and hands
- understanding of basic positioning for shot handling
- footwork technique
- shot handling of all levels along with footwork
- fundamentals of crossing/decision making
- angles/positioning within the 18 yard box
- diving of all levels: low/medium/high
- leadership and communication
- proficient distribution
- mental strength and conditioning
