SoccerPlus Goalkeeper School is tough and intense. Those who attend
SPGS become part of a very special family. The soccer
skills, friendships and self-respect you gain here will last a
lifetime. - Tony DiCicco
We heard from a coach the other day and he had
seen a photo of a goalkeeper wearing a SoccerPlus Camps jersey in
the Georgia recreational newsletter. And he commented that
SoccerPlus was everywhere.
And the other night I was at dinner with some of the players from
the SoccerPlus Connecticut
Reds (an amateur team in the WPSL) and two of our Goalkeeper
School directors, Nate Kipp and Lisa Cole and we were talking about
their some of their coaches (Chris Ducar at UNC, Paul Rogers at
Florida State and Mariel Wilner at Penn State) and some of the girls
didn't realize that they were all part of the SoccerPlus network.
Well wouldn't you know that the most recent Soccer Journal
has come out and another SoccerPlus Goalkeeper School director has
shown up on the cover. Laurie Pells, who played in the WUSA for the
Philadelphia Charge and who currently is a goalkeeper coach with the
US Youth National Teams and an Assistant Coach at the University of
Maryland is making us all very proud.
We encourage you to send along your photos of you in action in your
SoccerPlus gear to
tkl@goalkeeper.com. Maybe next month you'll see yourself in
The Keeper's Line. -AD
Laurie Pells: SPGS Director and Assistant Coach at the
University of Maryland graces the most recent cover of Soccer Journal.
Lessons Learned from the WUSA
by Jaime Pagliarulo, Assistant Director, SoccerPlus
Goalkeeper School and Coach, San Tan Legacy
The WUSA was a dream come
true for me. The crazy part is that it was a dream I didn’t even know I had.
Growing up in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I played every sport I could get my hands
on. At an early age I decided I was going to be the first girl to play Major
League Baseball. I practiced my World Series winning, over my head, bare handed,
home run saving catch countless times in my back yard. My bedroom walls were
covered with baseball pennants, homemade pictures of professional football
helmets, and wall dedicated to Michael Jordan.
Then in 1992 the film “A League of Their Own” was released. For the first time I
had a mental picture of women’s professional sports. In a way, my experiences I
already had in soccer helped me relate personally to the movie. The missing
piece was to actually making a living playing sports. I could see it in my head
but I truly never believed that it would happen to me. I dreamed of “A League of
Their Own” that I could be a part of. Plenty of scenarios ran through my head.
Would it be another professional baseball league? Maybe football? Basketball? I
would never have guessed that it would not have to be a sport abandoned
by men to make way for me and secondly, it would be soccer.
Every member of the former WUSA has a story to be told, just like the women in
the movie. All of our stories are different and have a certain twist to them
since most didn’t expect to land a job playing professional soccer. For me,
after college I was finished with soccer. I received a degree in physical
education and was in my first year of teaching elementary school physical
education in Virginia. It was during that year that I got official word that the
WUSA was going to kick off in the 2001 season. The thought of it all caught my
attention and I was glued to any article or e-mail giving more details about the
league. However, I now had a job I loved and a profession that I intended to
stay with for a long time. I was happy with my life.
I had my doubts when I received the letter inviting me to the combine in
Florida. Other than one summer of playing, I had been away from soccer for two
years. Although everything practical in me said to keep living my life as it
was, something kept pulling me toward the unknown of that massive tryout in FL.
Soccer was something that came easy to me up until that point. I moved up
through the ranks relying on hard work and great coaching but I never felt that
I was taking a personal risk of being turned away from a team. THIS was a
personal risk. Do I spend my next few months working out before and after work
everyday to prepare for something when in my heart I felt that I was risking
rejection? I decided to go for it. Thank goodness. Lesson learned: TAKE THE PERSONAL
RISK
My first few days of preseason 2001 could best be explained with the phrase
“fish out of water”. It was an odd feeling to be hanging around players who I
had idolized for the past few years and trying to convince myself they were now
my teammates. Now, I had many great teammates through the years but most didn’t
come with Olympic and World Cup medals! I thought that sooner or later someone
is going to point me out and realize that I don’t belong. I’m hanging out with
international stars…this is NOT where I belong!
Julie Foudy was a teammate of mine on the San Diego Spirit. She defines the
international stardom that I mentioned previously. Foudy’s presence was felt
every time she was in the room. What a professional, what an example to us all,
what class, what dignity, what…what a goofball!!!!! This professional I’m
talking about was always the first to lighten the mood. During film sessions,
she was the first to point out her own mistakes with a “whooooooa, what was
that?” She was the first to make a fool of herself in front of the fans (when
asked to do her imitation of a running chicken). She was the first to suggest
doughnuts for our pre-game meal. She was the first to throw a BYOW party
(pronounced “beeow”…Bring Your Own Wig). She was the first to help anyone else
out who needed a lift. At the sametime she was helping to run the league from
behind the scenes, leading the US National Team as veteran team captain, along
with committing to endless other media obligations. If anyone had a reason to
feel overworked, stressed out, pulled in too many directions, like she was more
important and had more influence than the people around her, it was Julie Foudy.
With a daily example like her in my face, it was easy to see first hand what
this league was all about.
Lesson learned: DON’T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY
Looking back on my
3 years in the WUSA it seems like a blur. The time flew by and it’s hard to
remember the countless moments that made it the best experience of my life.
However, there are certain feelings that stay with me that are hard to explain
on paper.
2001,
the first season, had a different feel to it. Maybe it was the unknown adventure
that we all committed to?
Maybe it was knowing we were part of the beginning of something that was
different than any other professional organization the US has experienced? Maybe
it was the grassroots effort that every player and staff member put into it?
Whatever it was…it was unlike any of the other two years that followed.
The fans were the heartbeat of the league. They were a support beyond what I
could ever have expected. They supported every move we made individually and as
a team. Letters came pouring in, requests for player appearances, kids asking
questions about how they can someday become a professional soccer player,
parents thanking us endlessly for the role models we were to their daughters and
sons. When I think back about the fans it makes me smile. Not for any particular
fan or event, but for a bond that was created between players and fans of all
ages and from all parts of the country, all supporting the same cause.
Appearances were my favorite part. Having the chance to interact with
people, visit schools, go to other professional sporting events, speak at
banquets, support local and national charities, etc. were opportunities that
allowed us to give back to a community that was giving us much more. We were
role models in the community and that was not a role I took lightly. Because I
was on the Spirit, there were people willing to listen to what I had to say.
This was a great time to teach kids how to keep sports in perspective. We could
get the message across that school comes first, make good decisions when it
comes to social pressures, and that character counts. I knew this opportunity to
get these messages to kids would be short lived and could come to an end at
anytime. Because of this, my teammates and I got out there to share the message
at every opportunity.
The moment came in every game when I would take a few seconds to pause and
take it all in. The thousands of fans, the noise, the cheers, the perfect field,
the coolness of the night, the glow of the stadium lights, my teammates, the
chance to be a professional athlete. The chance that every athlete dreams about!
At that moment, for me, the world was right. That was it. That was the moment
that I appreciated and will remember for the rest of my life. It wasn’t the
World Series winning, over my head, bare handed, home run saving catch…it was
even better.
Lesson learned: LIVE THE MOMENT
Jaime Pagliarulo
San Diego Spirit #18
Jaime Pagliarulo is
currently a SoccerPlus Goalkeeper Assistant Director. She is a former member of
the US Women's National Team and US Youth National Teams including two trips to
the U21 Nordic Cups in Germany and Sweden. She coached for three seasons at
Arizona State University after playing with the San Diego Spirit. She graduated
from George Mason University as a three-time All-American. She currently coaches
U14 and U7 Girls teams in Arizona. She will be at the SoccerPlus Goalkeeper
School in DePauw University, July 5-10.
In preparation for the return of Women's Professional Soccer, TKL asked one of
our Directors and former professional player with the San Diego Spirit, what she
learned in the WUSA that may help players aspiring to play in WPS.
Jaime Pagliarulo: Cheering on her San
Diego Spirit teammates of the WUSA.
Pags: Elevating to win win a cross at it highest point above teammate
Julie Foudy and opposing strikers.
SoccerPlus Featured Site: DePauw SoccerPlus returns to DePauw (July 5-10) for
our third summer and the first two years have proven to be enormously
successful. There must be something about the mid-western work ethic because the
feedback coming back from that camp has been that the students work hard.
Nothing gets the staff going like that. The staff are lined up to work that week
and it will include some of the best goalkeeping coaches from in and outside the
area:
• Sergio Gonzalez
(Dayton)
• Jamie Pagliarulo
(US Women's Nat'l Team)
• Mike Lovett (Ball State)
• Shawn Mecchi (FC
Pennsylvania)
• Jim
Daugherty
(Purdue)
We're looking forward
to another great summer in Indiana that includes a stop
in Zionsville (outside Indianapolis, June 8-13) for more
information on the day camp visit:
www.goalkeeper.com/indy.
This is a multi-part
series on developing goalkeeper-specific speed.
There are a few basic
fitness principles that a goalkeeper must follow
both on and off of the field. The better these
‘guidelines’ are understood, the easier the
resistance training program becomes.
S.A.I.D. – Specific Adaptations
to Imposed Demands. If you expose the
human body to a certain imposed demand, over time it
will adapt very specifically structurally to meet
this demand. For the goalkeeper, this means you
should not train for long duration activities nor
slow motions for too many consecutive training
sessions. Resistance Training sets should not last
longer than 20 seconds nor be at slow speeds, but
must be with flawless technique.
For all activities keep
the body rigid and strong from toe through spine
(stability) to transmit forces through the body
rather than absorb forces. Watching your body move
in a large mirror smoothly and uniformly through the
motion will assist with this.
Overload Principle – To impose that demand
on the human body requires providing a overloading
stimulus that is more than the body is able to
initially successfully complete (causing microscopic
damage and subsequent building for that specific
adaptation), but not one that causes the body to
break down in the process. You must be able to lift
masses greater than your body weight or with light
weights to impose an improvement demand. For
athletes who are approaching full physical maturity
(I think that this occurs for many at 14 and older),
resistance training should be part of your
off-season and your in-season when properly done.
Why
resistance Training?
The best athletes
(track and field, football, soccer and even ice
hockey) move their fastest when they can get five
full foot contacts each second.
Minimal foot contact
with the ground (amortization phase) must then be
about 0.2 sec, but amount of time absorbing shock
would then be only about 0.1 sec. ANY speed training
that makes you stay on the ground longer than
0.2sec, or allows you to have less than 4 foot
touches per second or shortens your stride cannot
make you faster. This high amount of force in such a
short period of time puts about 6 times or more of
your body mass of pressure solely on one lower
extremity.
If your body cannot
handle this stress, then even if you can move your
limbs faster enough to do this, it will rapidly
become injured if it is asked to do this skill. This
is one of the sole reasons why resistance training
is so important to soccer goalkeepers.
Also, any activity that
works to prevent injuries by making your body more
stable will usually make you faster as well.
Therefore, think of any injury prevention training
therefore as halving your training time.
Periodization / Phasic Training
The most
well-researched method to prevent overtraining and
training plateaus (staleness) is to change the
training stimulus several times every training cycle
or year.
Probably the most
common way to do this is 4-6 week cycles of the
following five phases:
All training
macrocycles (training year) should include the
following:
1.Active Recovery
- minimum 3 weeks and maximum 6 weeks away from
target sport and similar activities – I suggest that
soccer goalkeepers try different sports here
including taking a yoga, judo or ballet class here.
2.Correction (Base)
– ‘unlearn patterns’ and correct muscle imbalances.
i.e.: fix problems – this would suggest low to
moderate amounts of resistance, the use of single
sided versions of activities by utilizing dumbbells
and medicine balls more than a barbell.
3.
Hypertrophy (Strength)
– ‘adding’ strength, power and possibly mass – this
would suggest very high resistance amounts and low
repetitions. Barbells are a good choice here to
maximize the amount of resistance possible.
4.
Power (Speed against resistance)
- Optimize nerve firing patterns and develop speed
of control – still very high resistance amounts are
ideal here, but the activities have to be done over
a very short period of time. No resting or moving
slow between or during repetitions. Barbells,
dumbbells, medicine balls and other forms of
resistance (tires, poles etc) work fine here as long
as technique is very good and the movement is
FAST!
5.
Maintenance – In-season limited
loss of fitness gains and possible sport-specific
(motor skills) gains. Many different forms of
resistance training can work here depending upon how
long the season runs. Resistances usually cycle high
to moderate and amount of time spent training each
week is kept low to prevent over-training.
Strength and
Conditioning Specialists discuss a concept known as
the Stress –Stimulation Continuum. What this means
is too much stimulation or the same stimulation over
and over again causes a stress response and eventual
tissue breakdown and nerve ‘boredom’ and eventual
plateau on progress. Too little stimulation or too
much variation in stimulus does not optimize gains. The ideal is long-term, varied stress and
stimulation balance. From research, it appears that
4 week cycles seem to be the duration to develop a
gain and more than 8-10 weeks seems to be too much.
The variation on the stimulus varies much from
individual to individual.
All strength and
power-based goals cannot occur in one training year.
Most of my athlete-clients take 4-5 years or more to
accomplish their major goals. This is why even
professional athletes have extensive off-season
programs throughout their entire career. One
training year or even one six-week program is simply
not enough.
Segmental training
(training one body part or muscle group apart from
all of the others) trains the body to move in pieces
but not soccer-specific motions. This can improve
specific muscle strength, but won’t make you a
better goalie. I would suggest training segmentally
for Phase 2 and for the first half of Phase 3 above
only, but for the remainder of the training year,
train the way you play - Choose multi joint
activities if you are able.
Primary Resistance Training Activities for Speed
from Phase 2-5
Below are my favorite
resistance training patterns for speed development.
These are also the activities that I most commonly
utilize for Phases 2-5. The activities may be done
with different durations, resistance types (dumbbell
or barbell) or amounts and intensity depending upon
the goal for that phase.
1.
Upper Body Dip
2.
Long Head Bicep Curls
3.Upright Row
4.Bent Over Row
5.Shrug
6.
High Back Squat
7.Lunge (diagonal)
8.Hang (or Power) Clean
9.For older students (16
and older), consider the Dead Lift
You can e-mail Paul with any questions about
the videos, lifting or goalkeeper-specific training at
paul@goalkeeper.com.
Paul is
currently the National Administrator for SoccerPlus Camps
and the ATC and Strength and Conditioning Consultant for the
SoccerPlus CT Reds. He owns Cacolice Conditioning &
Consulting (nomagicbean.com) and lives with his wife,
Carolyn and two boys, Camden and Quinn in Enfield,
Connecticut.
SAID Principle: Specific
Adaptations to
Imposed
Demands
The lead up to any game of this magnitude inevitably leads to a
compare and contrast between the teams, Man U's stellar campaign and
repeat as Premier League Champions versus the depth and potency of
the Chelsea attack. Chelsea won most recently, 2-1 in April, but the
Red Devils have Sir Alex at the helm and it has been no mystery how
he has felt about the Champions' League trophy. It was Red versus
Blue with everything on the line.
So what would separate these two Herculean sized clubs? One had to
suspect that it might just be the goalkeeping.
Enter in Petr Cech. Since joining Chelsea in July of 2004 his career
has done nothing short of explode. Many considered him the best
goalkeeper in the world in 2004/05 and aside from a horrific skull
injury that he has recovered completely from, there are few
arguments against his inclusion in that list of elite goalkeepers
once again. The Czech international entered the final hungry after
twice being knocked out in the semi-final stage.
On the other side of the pitch, Edwin van der Sar joined Manchester
United from Fulham in 2005. The large Dutchman has repeatedly proved
during his stay at Old Trafford to be immensely capable at
protecting the area between the pipes. Van der Sar entered the more
experienced of the two goalkeepers in this situation, having won the
Champions League title in 1995 and the UEFA Cup Final in 1992 both
with his first club Ajax Amsterdam.
Both goalkeepers brought international and varied club experiences
into the biggest game of the year. But as Cech articulated so well,
"There is always a lot of words said before the big games, but the
main point is how we're going to play on the field."
First Half:
In the first half, Manchester United was the better team, and Cech
did not look as sharp as he could have. He was guilty of misjudging
one or two crosses including a ball served backpost from Cristiano
Ronaldo after making Michael Essien look like a large blue cone.
Van der Sar was not having the best start either, although he saw
much less action in the first half. At one point Vidic heads a ball
out of bounds for a cheap corner that the Dutch net-minder should've
taken easily. Now it's easy to wonder if the environment made it so
Van der Sar couldn't be heard or if Vidic was just trying to be
careful, but either way, Chelsea is known for their clinical ability
to finish on set pieces.
This point is further illustrated later in the half when Van der Sar
has to tip a ball over the bar that is headed by Rio Ferdinand. But
ultimately the Man U goalkeeper showed his comfort and composure by
coming and winning the cross cleanly with a two-fisted box out of
danger.
On the other end, Cech's defense lapsed in front of him when Paul
Scholes set up a one-two with Wes Brown and were able to create
service to Ronaldo on the back post. The lack of organization and
Cech's lack of mobility or any type of response across the goal had
to be disappointing for Blues' fans everywhere. This is not to say
that it wouldn't have been an very difficult save or that even if he
had responded that he would have gotten there, but in one of the
most famous saves of all-time Gordon Banks gets all the way across
his goal and extends to tip a Pelé header over the crossbar. Banks
doesn't make that save without a response and Cech was never going
to will that ball to stay out of the net with his mind power.
Cech sensing his team's need to not give up a second goal comes up
with the best goalkeeping sequence in the game a few minutes later
when he denies Carlos Tevez point blank and immediately reloads and
has to get a diving stop in against Michael Carrick on the rebound.
Had one of those gone in, the game would likely have been over
there.
But in his urgency to deny the Man U strikers he also loses some
patience and in a situation where Wayne Rooney gets inside of the
box towards the end-line, Cech starts to come as if to handle the
breakaway, but coming off his line in that position doesn't improve
his angles, it only serves to leave the net unmanned, so when Rooney
drives the ball low across the box, Tevez misses a golden
opportunity to finish on an empty net.
But the game isn't always skill or decisions, there is a component
of luck too. Luck certainly played a factor in Chelsea's equalizer
in the 45th minute when an innocuous shot by Essien deflects into
Lampard's path and as Edwin van der Sar starts to come for it, his
feet slip out from under him leaving him lying on his stomach as
Frank Lampard knots the game at 1s.
Second Half: Sometimes as you are watching a game, you see things that you
know are there, but impress you anyway. In the 54th minute, Michael
Essien cut down the right flank with the ball and got some
redemption on Cristiano for his earlier antics by cutting Ronaldo up
and then touching to his left. As this is happening, the replay ESPN
showed was a textbook example of how and went to back-set by Edwin
van der Sar. Because Essien has evaded pressure and the ball is
about 20 yards away from goal, the United goalkeeper recognizes the
tactical cues that tell him that Essien is likely to chip or bend
this ball instead of blasting it, so instead of setting himself
forward and being susceptible to a ball over the top or into the
corner, he back-sets while keeping his weight forward and preparing
himself to respond. Essien's shot was less impressive and he missed
a golden chance to take a lead, which would be much of the story for
Chelsea in the second half.
In fact Chelsea's chances came and Manchester United proved a well
known and universally accepted fact, "Sometimes it is better to be
lucky than good." Drogba shows why he is one of the best in the
world when he bends a ball to the far post that beats and
outstretched Van der Sar and ricochets off away from danger.
This would not be Chelsea's last ball off the woodwork as Lampard
would hit it off the crossbar during the overtime.
Overtime and Penalties: Aside from Lampard's shot off the crossbar, the best chance in
the overtime was by Ryan Giggs when Patrice Evra broke in around the
corner and not only sucked Cech out of the net but got him to commit
to the ground, leaving his net exposed and the game at Ryan Giggs
record-setting feet. (Giggs passed Sir Bobby Charlton as the
all-time appearance leader for United when he came on as a
substitute in the second half.) But there to play the role of hero
was the Chelsea Captain, John Terry to put his head to the rising
shot and redirect it over the bar and away from danager.
So for the 4th time in 8 years, the biggest title in European Club
Soccer and maybe the most prestigious annually-awarded title would
be decided by penalty kicks.
I had the unique opportunity to see Edwin van der Sar deal with
penalties before in person. I was at a match at Craven Cottage
watching Fulham take on Aston Villa and in a span of 6 minutes,
Villa earned two penalties. Van der Sar was very composed, stepped
into net, showed his wing-span, set forward off his line, responded
and twice in six minutes he saves Villa's penalties.
It was interesting to see that he had a very clear routine of
walking into the box along the line of the 6 and then stepping back
into goal, taking his time with his routine. He would put his arms
up and maybe flap them a few times and then he did the #1 thing that
I tell youth goalkeepers to do, he came forward every time. He only
ended up going the correct way on 4 of the 7, but he got close to
Lampard's, touched Cole's and finally saved Anelka's. Interestingly,
Anelka was the only Chelsea player to shoot to the left (the
goalkeeper's right). Incidentally, watching the penalty again, it
looks to me as though Van der Sar points to his left, then dives to
right. You have to wonder if those little things play any part in
the outcome.
Cech obviously did some things right as well as he saved Ronaldo's
penalty. Cech went the correct way 3 times and the only one he came
close to was the one he saved. His methods changed, he would show
his arms, then he didn't. On Nani's he started to his left and then
dove right. He saved one out of the first 5 which is about as much
as you can ask any goalkeeper to do. And if it hadn't been for John
Terry's slip, it would've been enough.
It would have been hard to fault either goalkeeper in the outcome of
this game, but Van der Sar played a slightly sharper game and had
luck on his side. Sometimes it's all about the timing of your
brilliance and he saved a sudden-death penalty to win his team the
Champions' League. That is a feeling that every goalkeeper dreams
about.
The ESPN Networks delivered 798,000 households and an estimated 1.31
million viewers, a record.
Petr Cech: Has lost twice in the
semi-finals and was hoping to taste victory in Moscow, but it wasn't
to be.
Cech watches as Ronaldo scores his first-ever goal versus
Chelsea on a beautiful header.
Van der Sar is helpless as Lampard finishes to draw Chelsea
level late in the first half.
Drogba's shot beats a fully extended Van der Saronly
to be denied by the post.
I need some advice. What advice do you
have to help motivate a 14-15 year old goal keeper. My son has
played since he was 6 and loves soccer in particular being a keeper.
He trains hard with his team but does little work outside of
practice. He has had a lot of success on his club team as well as
school. I think a training schedule would help but I don't know
where to start. He wants to play in college and will be attending
his second keeper school with you this summer.
Thanks for your help.
Bill Munts
Alabama
Bill,
Thanks for your question. Motivation is always
going come in many forms, most people understand
extrinsic motivation versus intrinsic
motivation. The key for any player is to
understand which form gets him (or her) going.
And even if you are the type of player who
responds to someone yelling at you or
encouraging in a more positive way to train
harder, you need to find a way to spark a fire
inside you to put forth the effort when no one
is watching. Anson Dorrance, the women's coach
at UNC and former National Team Coach titled his
book The Vision of a Champion. The
title comes from a note that Anson sent to Mia
Hamm in 1992 (her senior year at UNC) in which
he wrote, "The vision of a champion is someone
who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the
point of exhaustion when no one else is
watching."
I know you want to know how to light that fire.
If I could tell you, I would. The truth is that
only the player can get to that point. It might
come after scoring a crucial goal or making a
game changing save and wanting to replicate that
feeling. Or it might come from giving up a bad
goal in a key game, as failure is often the
motivator (or fertilizer as Tony describes it).
My suggestion to younger athletes is to always
watch other athletes, because it is much easier
to see the passion, heart, commitment,
championship-quality in someone else, than it is
to describe it. And it is contagious. It is no
surprise that every professional athlete you
hear give interviews had people they idolized
growing up.
Once you find that drive, getting out to train
on your own is no longer a chore, it's
an opportunity. It is the next step on your path
towards your dream.
Tony's Bookshelf:
Wooden - A Lifetime of Observations and
Reflections on and Off the Court by John
Wooden with Steve Jamison
Coach Wooden's
remarkable 10 national basketball championships in 12
years at UCLA speak for themselves. In Wooden,
the coach -- quiet, thoughtful, and introspective
throughout his distinguished career --finally speaks for
himself, and he's well worth hearing.
Wooden is a modern chapbook of inspiration and good
sense that reveals the hard-court philosopher behind it
as a man of character, conviction, decency, and
straightforwardness. There are no complex ideas, just
little beams of light filtered through anecdotes that
project the kinds of simple, immutable truths that in
the end touch nothing but net. -Amazon.com
Evoking days gone by when coaches were respected as much
for their off-court performances as for their success on
the court, this unique an intimate work presents the
timeless wisdom of legendary baseketball coach Jonh
Wooden. In honest and telling passages about virtually
every aspect of life, Wooden shares his personal
philosophy on family, achievement, success, and
excellence.
Raised on a small farm in south-central Indiana, Wooden
learned a great deal from his parents-lessons that
stayed with him not only throughout his unparalleled
career at UCLA, but also as a dedicated husband, father,
and teacher. These lessons, along with personal letters
from Bill Walton, Denny Crum, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and
Bob Costas, among others mark Wooden as an
inspirational classic that readers will cherish for
generations to come.
If you're not making mistakes,
then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes
mistakes.
-Coach John Wooden
To a serious goalkeeper, gloves are just as important as cleats.
Gloves help a keeper control a shot, provide protection, and
comfort. Part of learning about being a goalkeeper is to also
understand how to take care of the equipment that protect you from
the elements and stinging attacker’s shot.
Until you turn pro or own an Internet company specializing in
goalkeeper equipment and education, you or your parents are
responsible for buying your gloves. Match gloves are not cheap. And
gloves don’t last forever, maybe a season if you are lucky.
Gloves Are Perishables: The reality is, the more expensive the glove, the better the
grip but the shorter the glove's lifespan. Super-Soft and sticky
latex palms found in professional grade gloves provide exceptional
grip but not much in durability. Very tacky game gloves with a lot
of grip will start showing signs of wear or even start flaking
during the first use. It is not a quality issue it is because the
latex is soft. Buying a glove with more durability will be at the
expense of some grip. A glove designed for games will last on
average 12 –14 games before they have to be converted to the
practice ranks. Some keepers get more than a season but that depends
on how well the keeper cares for the gloves, their diving technique,
the amount of stress the gloves are under, and playing surface. You
have to find a balance based on your budget.
Here are some
tips to increase the life of your gloves: Buy the Correct Size – If gloves are too
big or small it not only can affect your performance but also
accelerates the wear and tear of the gloves. Fingers that are in
gloves that are too big or small can put stress on the latex and the
seams causing premature breakdown or tears. When sizing your gloves,
your fingers should be no less than a ¼ inch to an ideal ½ inch. An
inch or more is too much.
Know Your Palm Latex – Purchase a glove based on your playing
surface, weather conditions, and budget. Know whether your glove and
latex is best suited for all weather, dry conditions, wet
conditions, hard ground, or natural surfaces. Soft tacky
professional grade latex palms that are used for “All Weather” or
“dry weather” should be moist while playing. A wet weather glove
requires care and soaking pre-match and potentially at halftime.
Only wet weather gloves are good in the rain. A glove designed for
futsul, turf, or hard ground isn’t porous and should not be soaked
with water since it will make the glove slippery. A Super-Soft tacky
glove will breakdown on harsh indoor surfaces and hard ground. The
better the latex, the more expensive, the better the grip but the
sacrifice is durability. Gloves with better durability sacrifice
some amount of grip.
In match care, with softer latex gloves you need to moisten the palm
again with water as it dries. Spit only goes so far. Super-Soft
latex palms can become slippery when wet. Figure out the correct
balance before your match to avoid wearing sponges when you need the
gripping power the most.
Training Gloves – To insure your game gloves are in the best
shape possible don’t practice with them. Buy a relatively
inexpensive training glove that can take the beating of training.
Once your game gloves start to show considerable signs of wear
relegate them to the practice field and purchase a new pair. It is
important to have one pair strictly for matches and another for
training.
Clean Your
Gloves – Dirt and sweat breakdown the latex of the glove. Dirt
acts as sandpaper and dries the soft, tacky, porous latex into a
hard crusty surface. The toxins in your sweat also can dry out the
glove over time. Rinsing the gloves after a game will help wash the
spit, sweat, and dirt away.
How to Clean – Wash your gloves with luke-warm water. Gently
squeeze excess water out. Wringing can tear the seam. A mild
detergent can be used to help with the smell and really dirty jobs
but it is not necessary. Reusch makes a detergent that is designed
for sensitive latex. Hang dry. NEVER ever, ever accelerate the
drying process with dryers, the sun, or dehumidifiers. Don’t keep in
a sunny car to bake either. All the above will take the natural
moisture out of the gloves causing them to be dry and brittle.
Proper Storage – After a game don’t throw your gloves in a
bag and forget about them until the next game. If your next game is
tomorrow then wipe the dirt of the palm with a moist glove towel.
Washing them for tomorrow’s game may cause the gloves to be too wet.
If that is the case, wrap the gloves in a moist glove towel to keep
them moist for tomorrow’s game. You don’t want your gloves drying
with the dirt and sweat in the palm. Over time dirt and sweat will
absorb the natural moisture of the causing the glove to dry, crack,
and peel. Don’t store your gloves more than a day wet since the
will stink and begin to grow fungi. When storing your gloves don’t
place them with palms together since they can stick together and rip
when trying to separate. A glove bag is the best way to store your
gloves. The latex needs to breath.
The Modern Goalkeeper Relies on his/her Gloves.
Professionals with sponsorships have the ability to discard their
gloves after 1 or 2 matches but the rest of us don’t have that
luxury. We need to care for our gloves to make sure they last as
long as we need them.
Glove Sizing
Help:
This is not an exact science since every goalkeeper's hand is
different. There are slight variations in size between
manufacturers, between inexpensive practice gloves and more
expensive game gloves, and Junior size numbers and adult sized
numbers. Size 7 is a tough one since some manufacturers have a
Junior 7 and a Senior 7.
Note : Goalkeeping gloves should be worn slightly larger than
hand size. A keeper's finger should not be touching the tip of the
glove nor should there be excessive room that makes the glove feel
sloppy. Generally 1/4" to 1/2" over the end of your fingertip is
optimal or a thumbnail length if you don't have a ruler handy.
Here are some tips to guesstimate more efficiently. If you don't
have a local soccer store to go try on a pair then here is are two
common ways to determine the appropriate size.
Option 1: Measure the circumference of the widest part of the
palm excluding the thumb. Round up to the next highest inch. Then
add 1" to the measurement to determine your glove size.
Option 2: Measure the length of the hand from tip of the
middle finger to the base of the large thumb area where the keeper's
thumb meets the wrist. Round up to the next highest inch. Then add
1" to the measurement to determine your glove size.
Example: 7.5" rounds up to 8", + 1" = 9", so a 7¾ around hand is a
size 9 glove.
Note : Be sure
to measure both hands and order the bigger size. When sizing a
keeper's gloves, the fingers should be no less than a ¼ inch to an
ideal ½ inch from the top of the glove. Both measurements should
yield relatively the same result.
Glove Size Measurements:
JR Size 4 or 5 - Small Keeper wearing YS goalkeeper gear. Age is 7
to 9 years old. Height maybe 4 feet 6 inches to 4 feet 8 inches for
a size 5.
JR Size 6 or 7 - Medium to larger youth keeper. Age 10 - 12. Height
4'10"(size 6) - 5'0" (size 7).
Size 7 (Adult) - Small adult or large youth keeper. Height 5'2" to
5'4".
Size 8 - Small to medium adult keeper. Height 5'4" - 5'7".
Size 9 - Medium adult keeper. Height 5'8" - 5'10".
Size 10 - Medium to larger adult keeper. 5'10" to 6'1".
Size 11 - Large keeper. 6'2"ish.
Size 12 - Large keeper. 6'4"ish or a keeper with meat hooks for
hands (big hands).
If you need help figuring out the appropriate size we are here to
answer any questions. When you e-mail have the above measurements
handy as well as the height and weight of the keeper.
Christian
Benjamin, currently the Men's Goalkeeper Coach at Central
Connecticut State University is also the owner of
keeperstop.com.
Christian
has been a keeper for close to 20 years and has been
training keepers and coaches for over 10 years.
Keeperstop.com can
help you purchase the appropriate glove for your needs and within
your budget. Email
goalkeeper@keeperstop.com with questions.
News from SoccerPlus Camps
Farmington, CT (May 22, 2008) - Anthony DiCicco has been
named General Manager of SoccerPlus Camps, Inc. The oldest of
SoccerPlus founder Tony DiCicco's four sons, Anthony steps into this
role after working for SoccerPlus in a variety of capacities since
1996. Starting off as part-time help, he has worked on the camp
staff since 2000 and as an Assistant Director and a Director for the
past 3 years.
Prior to joining SoccerPlus full-time in 2005, Anthony graduated
from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia with a
Bachelor Degree in Heath Sciences.
He has previous experience in soccer management after working for
the Washington Freedom of the Women's United Soccer Association in
2000-2001.
He has served as an assistant and head coach for high school teams
for both boys and girls in Connecticut and Virginia and is a staff
coach with FSASoccerPlus FC out of Farmington, Connecticut.
DiCicco inherits the position from Shawn Kelly who after seven years
as the General Manager of SoccerPlus Camps, will now become the
General Manager of FSASoccerPlus FC and the SoccerPlus Education
Center (a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit company).
In a statement Tony elaborated on the move, "Anthony's knowledge and
passion for the camps is so vital as we continue to evolve in a camp
industry that is ever changing and with more and more challenges.
Under Shawn's direction, we have maintained our position as the BEST
soccer education program in the country and now I have asked Anthony
to provide leadership and direction to not only keep us there but to
help SoccerPlus Camps set new standards of excellence."
Janusz Michallik and George Kostelis will continue on in their roles
as National Directors of the FieldPlayer Academy and Goalkeeper
School respectively.
Anthony DiCicco has been named as only the 3rd General
Manager of SoccerPlus Camps.
