FIFA goalkeeping course takes place.
...Thursday at COE.
By: Shaun Fuentes (CFU).[/size]
Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation technical director Lincoln Phillips will be the lead instructor at a FIFA Goalkeepers Instructors course including participants from throughout the CONCACAF region starting at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence on Thursday.
Phillip will have American Skip Thorpe as his assistant for the four-day course. Thorpe is currently the goalkeeping coach for the Wake Forest University Women’s program and has also worked with several American goalkeepers. The T&T participants in this course include Ross Russell, Jefferson Goerge, both national team coaches, as well as Garvin Gardner and Nathalie Noel. Also coming as a participant is former Costa Rican 1990 World Cup team goalkeeper Luis Gabelo Conejo Jiménez.
Phillips became the first FIFA goalkeeper coach in 1996 which he said came about with his deep involvement with the development of goalkeeping in the United States and the input of CONCACAF President Jack Warner who welcomed Phillips’ hope to establish proper goalkeeping courses.
“Mr Warner asked me to set up a series of goalkeeping courses in the CONCACAF. I visited 12 countries , mainly in the CFU (T&T, Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St Kitts, Panama, Bermuda and Barbados). The three day goalkeeping seminars were well received by all and a request was made to continue the courses,” Phillips said.
“Five years later we now have this 5 day course as requested by the candidates. The objective of the course is to develop instructors.”
Under the direction of Warner, a pilot program for the development of goalkeeping was initiated in February 1996. Phillips, a FIFA staff instructor was selected to conduct the pilot program which involved seminars throughout the CFU.
Based on the success of these seminars, a proposal to host a week long goalkeeping course was met with strong approval at a FIFA meeting in November 1997. On April 30, 1998, the first CONCACAF/FIFA Goalkeeping Course was conducted as part of the grand opening of the Joao Havelange Center of Excellence. The course ran for seven days and was well received by all the participants.
The feedback from the course participants suggested that another goalkeeping seminar, one for Goalkeeper coaches only, be conducted in the very near future to ensure the continuity of the goalkeeping education program. Unfortunately, it took over 4 years to get this course off the ground. On May 24-26, 2002, the long awaited course for Goalkeeper Coaches was finally launched at the Center of Excellence in Trinidad. At the end of the course the participants were given an assignment to present a proposal for the development of a national goalkeeping program in their respective countries.
“It is very important that the powers that be understand the importance of goalkeeping and the role their performances play is winning matches. The continuation of goalkeeping education programs must become a priority throughout the region. The formation of Goalkeeping Directors and staff for CONCACAF and CFU need to be formed in order to ensure continuity of goalkeeping programs within the region. In addition, discussions with other confederations regarding goalkeeping development must be initiated to ensure that our coaches are on the cutting edge of goalkeeping development,” Phillips added.
Goals of the Workshop
To improve the quality of goalkeeping in the CFU and CONCACAF region.
To increase the number of quality goalkeeper coaches throughout the Caribbean.
To bring the standard of goalkeeping on par with that of the top CONCACAF countries.
To ensure that all national teams (male and female) have experienced and certified goalkeeper coaches.
Objectives of the Workshop
To provide the candidates with the modern methods of coaching goalkeepers….at all levels of participation. To provide candidates with ideas on how to instruct goalkeeper coaches, especially senior goalkeepers coming to the end of their careers.
To provide candidates with enough practical field coaching opportunities to ensure that they all have a sound understanding of the coaching methods taught at the course.
Justification of Program
“There is more parity in football on the world cup level than ever before. This was evidenced by the outstanding performances of the T&T football team against power houses like Sweden, England and Paraguay. Outstanding goalkeeping performances were undoubtedly a main factor in T&T’s success in the World Cup finals in Germany. The message implied here is that if any of our CFU or CONCACAF countries expect to compete favorably on the World Cup stage, their goalkeepers must consistently produce outstanding performances between the uprights. This Goalkeeping Course will provide pertinent information that will enable candidates to improve the goalkeeping coaches in their respective countries which in turn will improve the caliber of goalkeepers coming out of this region.” Philips added
Program - The course curriculum will include the following:
Goalkeeping Technique:[/b]
Fielding low and waist-high shots
Catching
Jumping to catch high balls
Diving
Deflecting
Punching
Distribution:
Kicking and throwing
Foot skills
Goalkeeping Tactics:
Ready position – Proper balanced stance prior to shot
Angle play
Breakaways - 6 one v one situations
Mastering crosses
Understanding restarts – Free kicks, corners, throw-ins and penalty kicks
Goalkeeping Conditioning:
Agility – change of direction, getting down (to ground) and up quickly
Speed – Off the mark, reflexes etc.
Explosive power- in jumping, sprinting and stopping
Psychological Dimension of Goalkeeping
Confidence
Poise
Bouncing back from mistakes/defeats
Goal-setting
Focusing
Lectures/discussions
How to develop National goalkeeping programs
Methods of screening goalkeepers on the National level
Goalkeeping shoot-out tournaments
Presentation tips- Most candidates are intensely shy or afraid when their turn comes up to present topics. Presentation tips by staff instructors and practice teaching opportunities will provide candidates with much needed confidence to be successful.
Video tapes – instructional/game footage
Examination:
Field Testing
Oral Presentation
Presentation of a national goalkeeping program