Goalkeeper

I’m 13 years old and standing at about 5'2". My reflexes are actually pretty sharp, but I struggle with this weird hesitation when it comes to diving—specifically during practice. When I'm in an actual game, the adrenaline kicks in and I just go for it, no questions asked, but then my coach gets frustrated because during training I tend to hesitate and play it too safe. It’s like I only find that courage when the pressure is on. I play for a small local club—we finally have a U14 squad after six years of waiting—and I actually have a friend who’s heading into high school soon; he used to be a keeper himself, but now he’s a solid midfielder, and everyone thinks he’s going to end up being a great goalkeeper coach one day. Anyway, back to my issue: I can dive just fine during a match, but during training, it’s hit or miss. :/

swiftsailor5 said:I’m 13 years old and standing at about 5'2". My reflexes are actually pretty sharp, but I struggle with this weird hesitation when it comes to diving—specifically during practice. When I'm in an actual game, the adrenaline kicks in and I just go for it, no questions asked, but then my coach gets frustrated because during training I tend to hesitate and play it too safe. It’s like I only find that courage when the pressure is on. I play for a small local club—we finally have a U14 squad after six years of waiting—and I actually have a friend who’s heading into high school soon; he used to be a keeper himself, but now he’s a solid midfielder, and everyone thinks he’s going to end up being a great goalkeeper coach one day. Anyway, back to my issue: I can dive just fine during a match, but during training, it’s hit or miss. :/

Man, you really need to put in the work on those dives while you're still young. You gotta expose yourself to as many different scenarios as possible now so it becomes second nature later on. It'll pay off big time when you're older. Just, you know, stay safe! Definitely look up some tutorials online to learn how to land properly so you don't wreck yourself.

Look, like I said before, I know I can go for it when it actually counts during a game. I was out there yesterday, and honestly, I dove for everything—no hesitation at all. I’m not scared of the contact or anything like that. It’s just training sessions where things get weird for me. Sometimes my coach won't even put me in right from the jump because he sees me hesitating during practice. In a real game, I’m fearless, but during drills? I don't know, I just kind of freeze up for some reason. 🙂

Does anyone know if there are goalkeeper training sessions happening anywhere in New York City where we could get a small group together, maybe 3 or 4 people, paying a monthly fee without being tied to a specific club? Does this kind of thing even exist at all?

Benjamin Anderson2 said:Does anyone know if there are goalkeeper training sessions happening anywhere in New York City where we could get a small group together, maybe 3 or 4 people, paying a monthly fee without being tied to a specific club? Does this kind of thing even exist at all?

Or does anyone know a local club in Washington, D.C. that runs decent drills and might be willing to take on just one or two players for a monthly fee?