My Soccer Career
I started playing when I was 7. For the first year or two I was allowed to split time between center forward and goalkeeper. After that I became known as a goalkeeper and teammates would volunteer me for the position I started playing on select teams at age 14. I played high school ball and a couple years of college ball before being sidelined by an injury. Since those injuries, I have coached college and high school age women off and on as the opportunities presented themselves. Moving to Japan in 1993 provided me the opportunity to play 4 years of my best and most enjoyable soccer.I had no formal keeper training for the longest time The extent of my knowledge was the hands "W", knee up, and body behind the ball. After that I just sort of did what came naturally. I vaguely remember a couple of soccer camps in high school, but goalies were still not an emphasis then. Since I remember so little about the camps, they must not have been that impressive. The thing I do remember is the hours my 16U and 19U coach, Frank Jung, spent working with me, teaching me intermediate level skills like positioning, 1 on 1s, crosses, and using my voice. I don't recall any work on distribution (although someone somewhere must have taught me how to punt) or diving. With the exception of what Frank taught me, most of my style is self-taught.
While playing with PAF, I was allotted one person to work with me. Practices generally lasted 2 hours and I designed my own goalie practice of about an hour. I trained with the team for the other hour. However, some drills required more people (up to 2 or 3 more) and sometimes as many as 10 balls. This was not necessarily a good thing for a team with limited resources, so I tried to modify drills so they could be done with the limited resources available.
While in Japan, I worked with some beginning level college age keepers. This past summer I worked with a U13 girls select team as their goalkeeper and defensive coach.
Return to my thoughts on coaching
