“You need to be perseverant, courageous, driven and the hardest working player on the field, with exceptional technique in both hands and feet.  You are the last line of defense and the first line of offence.  You are the KEEPER!”

The goalkeeper is one of the most important players on the field at the soccer school - they are the last line of defense and the first line of attack. To play this position you will requires special skills and special training. At CSSE we have developed a Keeper only training class but we emphasise that regular soccer training is also important.  We encourage our keepers to join our academy to take advantage of our technical training, but you may register in the keeper only program.  

ABOUT THE CLASS

At CSSE we will focus on the mechanics of being a great keeper.

1. Catching: the ball, or at least deflecting it around the goal. Catching is important, since sloppy catching technique can allow the ball to slip through the hands and into the net.

   2.  Footwork: is the key, because if a keeper's feet can't get them to where the ball is going, their hands will be useless

    3.  Positioning: allows the keeper to cover the largest portion of the goal possible, but occasionally a desperate diving attempt must be made to catch or deflect difficult shots.

   4. Communication: Talking to your team mates, keeping them apprised of the game as it unfolds. Examples of key phrases are keeper, time, turn, and man on.   

   5.  Safety: half is the safety of the goal; the other half is the safety of the goalkeeper. Proper goalkeeping technique is critical not only to keep the ball out of the net, but to keep the goalkeeper from getting injured. A good technical goalkeeper is safe in more ways than one, thus the importance of instilling good habits early. A poor technical keeper is a danger to their team and to themselves, so we teach them well!  

These techniques are presented roughly in the order they should be taught. We may certainly teach them in any order, depending on the class as the earlier topics like footwork are the basis for later topics that need advanced techniques and they will be much more difficult for a keeper without sound fundamentals.