Goalie Wars

Competition is the single best tool a coach can use to drive individual improvement. Drills and exercises that focus on specific technical aspects are important but when the pressure of an opponent is added, performance is pushed to new heights. The natural opponent for a goalkeeper is a striker but an equally competitive situation can be created by having two goalkeepers compete against one-another.

Goalie Wars! shows you how to maximize the intensity and productivity of training session for the most specialized position in soccer. Training goalkeepers in pairs is one of the most economical and motivational methods you can use to bring out the best in your keepers.

This book examines the possibilities of intensive pairs training for goalkeepers. The chapters include: Game-Day Warm-Up, Fitness and Agility, Handling and Distribution, Diving,? Reactions, and Shot-Stopping. Each of these topics is presented in a pairs format where the goalkeepers can train and compete against each other. Through the use of progressions and variations, the coach can continually challenge the goalkeepers and keep the training session lively. The goal is to maximize the intensity and productivity in the team training environment for this very specialized position.

Tony Englund is the Director of Coaching and Player Development at Burnsville Fire Soccer Club in Minneapolis. He has coached goalkeepers for more than twenty years, and has enjoyed watching many of his former players go on to play the game at the highest levels. His club teams have consistently earned state and regional recognition. Englund holds more than a dozen NSCAA diplomas, including the Director of Coaching, Premier and Goalkeeping Level III awards. He also serves as an Associate Staff Coach for the NSCAA.