TheGloveBag.com

Looking Forward

ChewieGK1 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:44:00 GMT

Well my friends our season ended last night with a 2-1 loss to Columbus in the conference finals. It is a tough one to swallow but my hat is off to the Crew. They are a good team and I wish them luck in the cup. I truly felt that we were going to win that game. We just had a 6 min period in the second half when they got the better of us. We just need to learn from this for next year. I am very proud of my team, we really came together this season.

No one gave us a chance and we finished second in the east and beat New England in the first round of the playoffs. We posted two cleansheets in that series. I am already looking forward to next season, we have a great core of kids here who can really play.
As far as me personally I think I did pretty well. I proved I am healthy again and can play every game. I was voted mvp of the fire and gk of the year in the league. I am really happy with that one because it is voted on by the players and coaches, so it means alot to have my peers vote for me. Now it is time to finish up in Chicago and get home and spend some quality time with my wife. Oh yea and I have to get back to my gk academy and train some gks. No rest for me.
I want to say thank you to all the TGBers for all your support this season, you guys have been great. I will be blogging with you guys again soon.

all the best
buschy

Rough Few Weeks!

ChewieGK1 — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:01:00 GMT

Hi to all you TGBers !

Well it’s been two or three weeks since the last update and I would like to say that things haven’t been going as well as last season , luck and a few other things just aren’t on our side at the moment . We’ve had quite a busy month playing 5 games , unfortunately we have only won 1 game out of the 5 beating Liverpool 4-1. Just as we think were on the up we get beat by a scrappy team such as Blackburn.

Ive personally been playing ok , ive been happy with my performances , we just have a habit at switching off at the wrong times, this lack of concentration has cost us dearly , i guess that is the difference between team's that win football matches , and team's that don't ! Ive been fairly busy in all 5 games . I'm back training hard after a week off training as I got smashed playing Everton. Someone decided that me having the ball in two hands wasn’t enough, so she tried to knock my head off in a so called attempt for the ball. I’ve never been in a car crash but managed to gain whiplash and the ref said it was a fair challenge!! Do I need to say anymore about Sunday league refs! And now apart from England training and Club training now and then, we have 3 weeks off as 5 of our girls are playing for England Under 20's in the u20 World Cup in Chile , the other 2 girls are away with the England U17’s in there World Cup in New Zealand. (Watch them both on Eurosport). So the League has stopped for three weeks until players return. Which is ok, in this time i will be doing alot of gym work to keep myself fit , i train with Leeds two nights , so on these session's il be working on handling , footwork etc etc .... but I’d rather be playing in competitive matches ! So until next month……. Hopefully il be able to bring you some good news with us picking up a few wins and turn this bad run around

Carly

David Stockdale introduction

ChewieGK1 — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:25:00 GMT

Hello to all reading on theglovebag.com, this is quite new for me but a great opportunity to give a slight insight to you about my life at Fulham. I signed for Fulham from Darlington over the summer after keeper 22 clean sheets last season , its a far cry from my days when i was laying bricks for a living , Well this past month i have had not much playing time as the lads have been away with international teams and the reserves have been put on hold.

The training at Fulham is amongst the best for me, we train with the best i.e mark schwarzer, pascal zuberbuller and our coach mike kelly. At the moment i may be trying to get out on loan for a month or so to get games ,but that's the decision of the gaffer and mike to make . i just keep training hard and hopefully it will drop into place for me but im enjoying my time at Fulham and have been made very welcome witch makes my move from up north even more easier. Well i say goodbye for now but will update this blog very soon to add more of my time here and help you to stay close with what's happening.

Many thanks

David Stockdale

Introductions

ChewieGK1 — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:10:00 GMT

Hi All,

Finally I get round to writing this as my good friend and sponsor Glen Johnson (Pro-Gk) has been chasing me for about a month now to get this done. Ha. I haven’t done it not because I can’t be bothered but the fact that I’m skiving from work to do it as I hardly have time at night to do anything speaks volume about my life. The joys of being classed as a fulltime athlete. Anyway, enough waffling , my names Carly Telford, I’m currently the Leeds united ladies goalkeeper, and I’m also 3rd choice England keeper.

I’ve played for England since I was 15 going through the age groups and now I’m just waiting for my chance to have a go at moving up a level. As most of you are aware women’s football is on the increase but isn’t high profile enough to be professional (Yet) but we have to train as much or more than the professionals, oh as well as work fulltime and fit family and friends in (this isn’t a sob story, just how it is). So hence me being busy for 4 weeks consisted of being away with England for two weeks which yes was awesome, and we qualified for the euros next year.

But since coming back I’ve been back working in my lovely local call centre (T-mobile) mon-fri (believe me I am actually educated and could possibly get a better job but who wants to employ someone who cant work weekends and needs 1-2 weeks off a month oh and has to work 9-5 because I need to train on a night, no one that I know yet, but hey if anyone here knows anybody ). I also had to fit seeing my boyfriend who has been away playing for Wales (he’s a rugby league player) and see my family. And of course have two weekends in London playing Chelsea in the cup (getting beat 3-2 after extra time) and arsenal (lets not mention score) but we got beat ha. I have two nights in leeds training a week and the other nights I fit in my engalnd training (i.e weights, fitness etc). Yes I am very busy but I cant say I don’t like it or enjoy it I love my life. Not many girls my age can ever say they have done what I have, been to euro finals, travelled the world been to a world cup, played ofr there country the list is long, but this is just a little insight to me and womens football and what the love of the game can do. So until next time (it wont be this long I promise) bye and wish me good luck as we play Blackburn tomorrow night at home and they hate us . The Joys

Crunch Time

ChewieGK1 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:41:00 GMT

We are entering the last few weeks of the regular season and its all getting very interesting. Not one team is out of the playoffs as of today. Some have better chances then others but all still have some hope. We are sitting in 3rd in the East, 1 point behind New England. Columbus has kept hold of that top spot in the east for a few weeks now and are almost certain to win the Supporters Shield(best record). We are trying to jump into second so that we can get home field advantage in the playoffs. We had a great chance to do that this past weekend in KC with a win but had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Chances were hard to come by in this game because the field is the size of a shoe box. Its very hard to try and play on that field so most of the game is spent hitting long balls.

We have had five other games since the last time I wrote. We are 2,3,1(w,l,t) in those games. We lost in Houston 2-1 in a hard fought game, then beat NY 1-0 in Chi. Then we dropped our next 2, in Colorado and at home to Dallas. Next we beat LA 3-1 before this last tie against KC. So as you can see we had a little drop in form for a few weeks but I think we have sorted it out for the playoff run. I will say that our defense has been fantastic minus 1 game, but hey every team has one of those games. The big challenge for us in the next few games and into the playoffs is if we can finish our chances. When we play our best football we are one of the top teams in the league knocking the ball but we have to show more consistency from game to game with that. If we do that, we will have a good run at it. But first we have to finish the season off strong. We have the Crew coming up here this weekend, then we go to Toronto and finish at home against NY. We just need a few more points to lock up a spot in the playoffs so hopefully we can take care of that this weekend an d be able to rest some guys if need be. Other than that it is just another week here in the windy city.

On another note can someone please tell me what in the hell is going on in Newcastle. They are one big mess and it is not good times being a fan. It seems to me that Mr. Wise is behind the scene stirring the pot. They should have just left KK alone to manage the team. I wonder if Shay Given wishes he had left during the summer.

Ok, got to run.
Until next time.

buschy

Drill for Kicking from Hands and Dead Ball Kicking(Goal Kicks and Free kicks).

MactheCatNo1 — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:01:00 GMT

Drill here for practising kicking from hands and dead ball kicking

Figure 1

X X X X

GK GK

X X X X

Organisation

* Each Gk stands in 15yd x 15yd which are 50yds apart (This can be varied dependant on ability level).

* One of the GK‘s starts with the ball inside his square. He must try and kick the ball into the other GK’s square using a variety of kicks (Volley, Half volley, Side volley, Dribble and Drive and dead ball kicks).

* If ball touches the ground direct from the kick, the goalkeeper who kicked it gets a point. Goalkeeper receiving the kick must try and prevent it from touching the floor inside their square.

* Goalkeeper who was receiving the ball then returns the kick into the other square.

Progressions

* Increase the distance between square as kicking distance improves.

* Decrease the size of the square as kicking accuracy improves.

Key Points

* When kicking from hands (Volley, half volley, side volley) make sure you drop the ball from waist height and leg comes through the ball straight and with ankle ‘Locked out’

* When kicking from the floor (dribble and drive and goal kicks/free kicks)get low when striking the ball to create height, make sure non-kicking foot is placed besides ball and make sure GK is following through. Also make sure you are rolling the ball at 2 or 10 O’clock and not straight in front of you (Dribble and drive) and a curved run up (Goal kicks/free kicks).

Adapted from a drill by Alex Welsh.

Plugging Along

ChewieGK1 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:14:00 GMT

Well we are into the second half of the season and it continues to go well. Through the last five games we have been flip flopping first place in the East with New England and the Crew. We are all keeping pace with each other. I have a feeling this will continue all the way till the end of the season, makes for an exciting race to the playoffs. We started after the break with a hard fought 0-0 draw in KC. This was a tough game for us because the field there is tiny, like a shoe box. So small in fact that I was credited with 2 shots on goal from my long balls, ha. Next we squeaked out a 1-0 win at home against Chivas.

Then a huge win in New England, 2-1. This one was big because with 15 min. to go in it we were down 1-0. We got two late goals to win it and sweep the regular season meeting with them. Next we had a disappointing loss at home to DC, 1-0. We played pretty well but made one mistake on a corner kick in the first half and that was the difference. Next time we will make sure to mark Fred on the back post, ha.

After that we traveled to LA to face the Galaxy, without Beckham or Landon. It was Bruce's first game in charge of them. We really played well for the entire 90 min. We ended up wining 1-0 on a great goal by the hometown boy John Thorington. So through these five games we have given up 2 goals with 3 cleansheets, to bring our season total to 9. I haven't had anything crazy to do, just the usual work. Our defense is playing great and they are really buying into getting cleansheets. So that is nice for me. As long we continue to keep it tight in the back I think we will be in good shape heading into the playoffs.

So the EPL has started and my boy Shay Given is in fine form already. I have a gut feeling that this is going to be one of his best seasons ever. Mark my words.

Until next time,

buschy

All Star Break

ChewieGK1 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:52:00 GMT

Well friends I am home for a few days off for the All Star break, so I figured it was a good time to get you all up to date on everything. Since the last time, we have had 4 games, 3 ties and 1 win. First a 0-0 with San Jose, then a 2-2 tie with the Crew, next a 2-1 win over Toronto and finally a 0-0 with Salt Lake. So we are still in alittle bit of a rut scoring goals and in playing consistent. Some of these games we have played some very good football and at other times, such as the first half of of the Salt Lake game we have played poorly. I honestly feel that we are the best passing and possession team in the league, when we get it right. We have the players to keep the ball on the pitch and get it moving. But as of late we haven't been doing this enough in games. I just think we need a little luck to get us back to where we were in the first nine games of the season. We had a very good chance in our last game to close the gap on New England and Crew if we could have gotten 3 points, but Salt Lake came into Chicago and played well, with a stingy defense. We still have a game in hand on both Crew and Revs but we need to start taking advantage of these games. As for my personal game, it has stayed consistent, and I am very pleased with that. I will be honest, the Crew game in Columbus was hard for me. I tried to down play it all week, but once I got out there I wanted to make sure I played well for all the fans that still support me there. We started great in that game, 2-0 in 30 min. but ended up tied at the end. I was glad to get that game over with. I guess after playing in Columbus for 5 years these things happen, now it is over and next time it will be just another game.

I want to thank everyone for voting for me for the all star game. I finished second overall in the gk voting, just behind Matt Reis. Unfortunately Steve Nicol(all star coach) decided to choose Pat Onstad as the reserve gk. I can't argue with this choice because Pat is a good friend of mine and a quality gk. He is having a good season. I was a bit bummed at first because it would have been cool to play against West Ham, but also because we have the best defensive team in the league. We have the least goals conceded, seen the most shots, and tied for most shutouts. All that and we didn't get any defenders on the 18 man roster. How is that? I think our entire back line should be starting that game. There are alot of quality players in this league, ones that are far better than me, but I believe that all star team should be picked solely on what you have done that season. Oh well, gives me a few days off to spend with th e wife.

Well its been a good first half of the season and I am looking forward to an exciting second half. Stay tuned for more:

Bit of a rough patch...

ChewieGK1 — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:36:00 GMT

So it has been a few weeks since my last blog and alot has gone on. After starting 6-2-1 in our first 9 games,we have hit a bit of a skid. We have lost our last 3 games. We first lost to DC 2-1 on a injury time goal. This was a tough one to deal with because we were playing at home and we gave up a late goal because we lost our shape in the back pushing for the game winner. We got caught one v one in the back and Emilo took advantage of it. It was tough for me because I played my best game of the season during that game. We should have tied that game 1-1.

Next we played Columbus in the Open Cup and beat them in OT 3-2. It was a typical open cup game, back and forth with both teams having chances to win it. We got a penalty kick with 5 minutes left in the second OT to win it and eliminate them. Next we traveled to Dallas for a Sunday afternoon game in 100 degree heat. We lost that game 1-0. We didn't play that well as a team but still should have tied that game 1-1. I had 9 saves that game so it was another busy one for me. From there we went to Cali to play Chivas on Thursday night. We lost to them 2-0. We started well but couldn't finish our chances. We played the entire second half a man up and couldn't seem to test there goalkeeper. So we are in a little bit of a rut but, in this league every team goes through this during the season.

The good thing on a personal level is that I am playing really well. I think I am playing the best I have ever played in the MLS. I am hoping that my form will possibly get me a chance with the National team again. Hopefully I am not the Robert Green of the USA, haha. I would love just to get back in to the camp. This would complete my comeback from my knee in my opinion. It would give me the final say to so many people who doubted that I would return to my best. Chewie knows who I am talking about, haha.

On another note, or rumor. If my boy Shay Given goes to Arsenal, they will win the league. Yes I said it, mark my words, boys. He is the gk they have been missing. Although I am not sure if I can cheer for them but will try if Shay goes there.

That's it for now, got to go watch the Dutch play Russia.

All the best

buschy

Defense making it easy

ChewieGK1 — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:32:00 GMT

Well my friends it has been a few weeks since we have talked and things are going well. After the whole Chewie incident we have rattled off 3 wins. First was a home game against Colorado which we won 2-1. We played well but gave up a late goal to make it interesting. I think the goal was off sides but wasn't called. Next we went to New England and played very well up there and won 3-0. Our total team performance was amazing. Our commitment to defending from the entire team was the difference and they couldn't match it. Next we went to DC for the Thursday night TV game. These are always hard games in DC because the atmosphere there is great. We got two second half goals and won 2-0. Again our total team commitment to defending made the difference. Every player is doing there job on defense, it is making my job easy. The boys love getting those cleansheets. We now have 4 in 7 games. W e have only given up 3 goals and one was an own goal in the first game of the season. We have a good team here and as long as we don't start reading the positive articles about us we will continue to play well. It is very early in the season so we just have to keep taking it one game at a time. As for my personal game, I think I am doing well. The team is making it easy for me right now, only a few routine saves a game and a few crosses.

To change topics what an ending to the EPL season. I watched the Chelsea game, what was Petr thinking wearing that outfit, haha. How about the American boys at Fulham staying up. Timmy at Everton had a great season as well. I am now looking forward to the Euro cup in a few weeks.

Well that's it for now.

All the best

buschy

Jinxed by Chewie...

ChewieGK1 — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:40:00 GMT

Well after a good start to our season we took our first lost yesterday. We had won 2 and tied 1 game and had only given up one own goal in the first three. Some we played well in and some we didn't but we were picking up points. Then yesterday we totally dominated Kansas City and lose 1-0. I take my hat off to Hartman he played well but we should have won 3-1 easily if we finish our chances. Saying that I take full responsibility for the goal. TO BE HONEST I THINK IT IS CHEWIE'S FAULT. HAHA Just last week he was saying how well I was playing and hadn't made any mistakes, he jinxed me. Thats the last time I listen to anything he says.

No but really it was a fluky goal. When we warmed up they had just watered the field so the ball was skipping and sliding like crazy. So the field was playing fast and I knew balls would skip into me. When we start the game the field is already dry. Of coarse the first long ball that I come out for and expect to skip to me doesn't. Instead it sticks in the dry grass and I get caught in no mans land. So I take the blame on this one. I just wish they had watered the field again after warmups, then I might be talking about 3 straight cleansheets, haha. Oh well this happens to goalkeepers. The positive thing from the game was how well we did play, besides the finishing part. We moved the ball around well and took it to them. I think we are building something very special here.

On another subject. I watched ManU vs Blackburn the other day and what a game Brad had. If it wasn't for him
Manu would have rolled over Backburn. Good to see him playing well.

Well now its time to move on and start to think about our next game against the Rapids on Saturday night.

Unitl next time

buschy

MLS season begins

ChewieGK1 — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:00:00 GMT

We are 3 games into the MLS season and so far things are going well for the Chicago Fire and myself. We started out with 1-1 draw in Salt Lake the first week. That was a tough game to play because they play on turf and it isn't the best turf. So the ball plays very fast. The goal was an own goal, so technically that shouldn't count, right? haha. Next we played New England at home and beat them 4-0. That was our home opener, so our fans went home happy.

This past weekend we went to San Jose for their home opener. It was nice and hot there(85) after training all week in sleet and rain in Chicago. It wasn't the prettiest football but we pulled out a 1-0 win. My back line was amazing, heading balls out, clearing balls and blocking shots. What a team performance defensively. We got a bit lucky at the end but hey you need that too. So we are 2-0-1. I know its very early in the season but the thing I like about our team is we are a family. We are all battling together, everyone is doing the dirty work, there is no cutting corners. That is very important in this league because the league is so balanced, team wise.

As for me personally, I think I have gotten off to a good start. My goal is simply to be consistent week in and week out. I think this is the sign of a quality gk. I don't want to have a great game one weekend and then crap the next. The best gks in the world do it every weekend. I think my handling has been good as well. Alot of the credit has to go to Daryl(gk coach). We have gotten into a nice routine each week and we work well together.
So, so far so good here in Chi town.

Until next time.

buschy

Drill for Diving Saves and Conditioning

MactheCatNo1 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:45:00 GMT

A Conditioning drill here-

Figure 1

GK1

X X

GK2 GK3

* In a four yard goal marked with cones/agilty poles, put a GK behind each cone/agility pole, with a server 4 yards away slightly wide of each pole.

* The GK1 come through the middle of the cones/agility poles and GK3 serves the ball wide of the poles for GK1 to make a diving save. GK1 returns the ball to GK3 and quickly move his feet backwards behind the cones/agility poles and comes though the middle of them again to make a diving save from GK2 (working in a figure of 8 motion).

* Once this is done he swaps with GK2, who then does his 2 saves who then swaps with GK3 who then does his.

* Once GK3 has completed his/her, GK1 goes back in to do his/her 4 saves. Then after all the GK's have done this they all do 6 saves then 8 saves.

* After they all do 8, then then do 6, then 4, then 2 to finish.

Key Points

* Good Diving Technique- Keep quality high even when tired.

* Good Footwork- Essential.

* Good service- To keep quality of Goalkeeping High. make sure the goalkeeper is stretched but still able to catch the ball.

Progressions

* Service- Low service for low diving saves, high for high diving saves.

* Level of Fitness- Work to 6 for beginers and back to 2. Work to 10 or 12 then back to 2 when fitness increases.

Drill for Footwork, Handling, Diving Saves, Dealing with Crosses and Backpasses

MactheCatNo1 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:03:00 GMT

Sorry it's been a while again, no excuses.

This is a very simple (Yet effective I feel) for practising a number of technical elements in Goalkeeping.

Figure 1

GK1

GK2

X X

S1 S2

* In a four yard goal marked with cones/agilty poles, put a GK behind each cone/agility pole, with a server 6 yards away slightly wide of each pole.

* The GK's 'Shuffle' there feet and cross over, when they are behind the opposite pole S's serve a volley in at roughly head height for he she to catch slightly wide of the pole or them to 'shuffle' and get there head in line to save.

* The GK's then return the ball to the S's and then 'Shuffle' there feet and cross over again to receive a serve from the other S.

* Repeat untill both GK's have made 10 catches.

Key Points

* Good footwork- Short sharp steps, without crossing feet over if possible.

* Get set- Try to get set before serve comes in.

* Correct handling- Depending on the type of serve.

Progressions

* Service- Low service for low handing, wider service to incoperate diving saves. High service for catching high balls. Also you can make the GK's play the ball back with feet to incorperate backpasses ( One touch, two touch, volleys, half volleys, chest then volley etc).

* Rep's- Lower rep's for Young GK's, higher reps to make it a conditioning drill fro Adult GK's.

Back in the good Ole USA!

ChewieGK1 — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:07:00 GMT

Well my friends we are back from Mexico and have had a few days off to spend with the wife. It was a good trip. The second game against Necaxa was a big test. I have to say I was much busier than I was in the first game. I played the entire 90 minutes. It was a good test for my mental focus since it was my first full game all preseason. We played well and got a 1-1 tie out of it. I had alot more to do and was busy the entire game. I felt good about my entire performance from handling of shots, crosses and distribution. The crowd was great again, 22,000. We stayed at the Necaxa training facility and it was very nice. Two nice fields, a full weight room, game room and dorm style rooms. After that we headed to Mexicali for our last game. But once we got on the stadium field the day before the game our coaching staff decided that we weren't going to play the game because the field was very poor and could possibly cause injury. So we simply trained there for two days and then headed home.

It was a long trip, 18 days. It was nice to get home and see the wife for a few days. I think she forgot what I looked like, haha. Now I am back in Chicago and we head to Mississippi tomorrow morning for a week of training and they a game against Colorado on Sunday. That will be the last preseason game. We open up the season the following weekend in Salt Lake.
I am pleased with where I am at the present time. I think with another solid week of training with Daryl I will be 100% sharp and ready for the season. So we are almost there. I can see the finish line in sight so my focus has gotten more intense. I am expecting good things from the team as well as myself this year. I want to proof that I am back to my best like a few years ago before my knee injuries. I want to get back to the top of the mountain again and proof that I am still one of the best in the league. So stay tuned my friends for a fun ride.

all the best

buschy

South of the Border

ChewieGK1 — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:19:00 GMT

Hola from Mexico my friends. We have been here for a few days now and things are going well. The first few days we had training, two a days. Last night we played our first game against a club team from Culiacan. They are a second division team, I think. They weren't too bad. We started very well and could have been up 1-0 three minutes in but there gk made a very good save off a volley from Chris Rolfe. We controlled the first 35 minutes and got a goal from Chad Barrett. We got alittle tired the last ten minutes of the half. It is rather warm down here and they are in the middle of their season, so they are fit. We gave up a late goal just before half time. It was good header back across me, off the post and in. Other than that I only had to make a save or two and a few crosses that I collected cleanly. We started well again in the second half and had a few more good chances before we(sta rting 11) were all subbed. It was a good run for the starters and for me. It was nice to play abit longer than I did in Florida. It really made me work on my focus during the game. The only bad thing on the night was that one of our subs got a red card three minutes after coming on, so we played the last 20 minutes a man down.

The atmosphere was amazing, 25,000 fans chanting and singing all game. They all love Blanco down here. So every time he touched the ball they went nuts. It was a good result for us and nice to see the young boys hold on for us during that later minutes of the game. We have the morning off today and then back to training this afternoon. Our next game is on Wednesday against Necaxa. This will be a big test for us because they are a very good team. I will get the whole ninety minutes of that one. I am very excited for that one! So all in all so far this trip has been very g ood. My handling is sharp and my focus during the games has gotten better. The next game will be a big test for my concentration over an entire game. I will keep you guys updated.

All the best.
buschy

Pre Season Continues...

ChewieGK1 — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:58:00 GMT

We just got back from part one of preseason in Bradenton FL. We were there for two weeks. Its been a good start so far for us. After two days in Chicago doing physicals and fitness testing we headed south to get out doors and train. There were alot of new faces to get to know both on the players side and staff side. I think we had something like 35-40 players in and out during this time period. On the staff side Chris Armas is now a coach and Mike Jeffries has also been added to the staff. Dennis Hamlett has taken over as head coach and Daryl is again our gk coach. I have to say the staff did a great job with the training sessions. Sometimes early in preseason you get coaches that just run you to death but we got all of our fitness work with the ball, so it was nice.

In the gk department we have two new faces. Dominic and Mel or Jr. as we call him. They are both good young gks with good attitudes. Dom is a giant at 6-6. Along with myself and Nick(3rd gk last year) we have a good group. It has been a great atmosphere during our gk sessions and we all get on well of the field as well. It is going to be healthy competition all season long. Whichever gks become the second and third they will both push me for the starting spot, so I have to be on my game. As for my personal training, I feel good. Each day I felt sharper and more confident. My handling is clean, now its time to see more game action in the next phase of preseason.

While we were down there we played 5 games. We started with the U-17 National Team and beat them 3-1. The next day we played South Florida University and beat them 2-1. After a few more days of training we played Columbus Crew and beat them 3-2. Next we played Kansas City and tied 1-1. We finished up with Toronto and tied 1-1. I played in 3 or the 5 games but only 30 minutes each time. Daryl wanted to see the others to get a feel for them. Which was fine for me because it gave me more time to train and work on my handling. I think we have gotten off to a very good start with the games. We played some good soccer at times especially with all the new faces we were looking at. The other nice thing is we have a great group of guys and we all get on off the field, which is very important for team chemistry.

We now have a few days off until we head to Mexico on Sunday for "the Blanco tour",haha.

Until next time.

buschy

Selsport Newsletter - March 2008

Jimmy — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:41:00 GMT

With hopes of English International glory in the summer gone along with the the rest of the home nations we at Selsport will try to fill the void of excitement with new gloves being to released celebrating our 10 year anniversary. Set up in 1998 we've spent 10 years manufacturing gloves to the needs of goalkeepers all around the world and always at a professional quality.

There is plenty of news to catch up on with the countdown to the launch of the 2008/09 glove range in June.
As well as having 15 new gloves out for you to try from our core range there is also going to be a limited number of "Heritage" gloves to commemorate the anniversary. We'll have some sneak preview shots of these limited edition gloves on our next newsletter.

Also new for Selsport will be an updated website which should be live in April and have plenty more features to enable you to make a more assured choice when deciding which gloves to go with. No need to change the web address on you browsers favourites as it will still be at www.selsport.com as it is at the moment. Working alongside the new website we will be offering the chance for our younger customers to apply for membership to get invites to coaching days in the summer holidays, newsletter with interviews with endorsees and also free Selsport equipment
when they sign up. For more information on this please email info@selsport.com

As always, you're views on our gloves/clothing and equipment are always welcome so please get in touch.

Back at it!!

ChewieGK1 — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:45:00 GMT

We friends I am back at it. I have been working really hard during the off season with my strength and conditioning coaches in Columbus. I have already seen the positive results. I have increased my vertical jump 5 inches. We put alot of time into plyo work during our 8 weeks. Also I worked in the weight room on my own twice a week during this period. The last 4 weeks I also started training again just 3 times a week. I kept the training simple with simple gk training with 2 other pro gks. On Monday the 4th I reported to Chicago for our physicals and today we did all our fitness testing and then had media day in the afternoon. Tomorrow we are heading to Bradenton FL to start training. We are there for two weeks, from the 6th until the 20th. We will have a few games while we are down there. Matt has signed in England so it is me, Nick Noble and two gks we drafted from college.
This is an exciting time of year because everyone has a fresh start. We have a great mix of older and younger players.

Also we have a new coach in Dennis Hamlet. He has been an assistant here for 10 years, so the transition should be an easy one. I am happy for him to get the chance to lead us. I am also happy that our gk coach, Daryl Shore, is back. I think we have a good relationship together and get on well. It will be fun to work with him again. I will continue to update you guys from Florida.

Until next time.

buschy

End of the line....

ChewieGK1 — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:36:00 GMT

Had two sessions in the past 5 days (last Thursday, and Monday), and I can honestly say I am beat! I have tendonitis in both feet, and it really took a toll this week. Last Thursday was our last session with Buschy, and he made it fun yet imformative. We worked on our angle play, and footwork coming accross the goal. My hands are there, I hold on to the vast majority of shots, and my footwork has improved, but still not to the level I would like. I am going to start doing basic footwork drills in my basement to keep the momentum going. I still have a weakness pushing off to my left, but I think in time it will become easier for me.

Since Jon had to go to his real job this week (MLS spring training in Florida and Mexico...lucky bugger), Andy Brinkman who is the goalkeeper coach at Ohio State University took over. Man, I have not sweat and worked that hard in long time. Andy mixed in some plyometrics with some footwork, which absolutley killed me (and especially my feet). I struggled to keep up for the first 5-10 minutes, but was then in the swing. Did very well on the extension dives, and holding on to the ball, but still am a little slow to making the power moves to my left. We finished up with some straight on shooting drills, which I did fairly well. The only stuff that beat me was corner type stuff, but I was still disappointed I did not snag one or two that went in.

All in all it was a fantastic experience, and I have to thank Jon, Andy G, and Andy B for great sessions. All really know their stuff, and the training was instructional, but very enjoyable. I have lost about 15 pounds, so I am on my way to meeting my goal. Three or 4 of the adult keepers in my group have expressed interest in doing a similar camp in April, and we will also be training on our own to keep the learning/fitness process alive. It was great to get some real training, and to be honest, I could do this week in and week out until I am unable to strap on the boots! Thanks for reading, and everyones positive comments.

Cheers,

Greg (Fat Nick, soon to be Svelt Nick!)

Making good progress

ChewieGK1 — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 03:42:00 GMT

I thought tonight was by far my best showing. I felt light on my feet, and my hands were pretty quick. I was able to use my footwork more tonight, and felt my steps were quicker and lighter for sure. I am still having some problems pushing off my left foot, but with each session, I feel more confident, and sure of my technique.

Buschy still embarassed me a few times with some good serves to the corner, but I think I let in a total of two all night, which I was proud of. One thing I will say for Jon is that he strikes a perfect ball. Enough pace to work you, but spot on target 95 out of 100 serves. His legs may be the size of a 13 year old girl, but he really gets some punch on the ball when needed (I will pay for that one later im sure!!)...

I really enjoy seeing these guys get better. None of the adult GK's have had ANY proper training (minus myself), and most are converted field players. They have all show vast improvements, and that is a credit to how well Buschy trains us. With each week they all are a step quicker, catch more balls cleanly, and show improved technique.

We have another session Thursday before Jon heads off to pre season training, and I am looking forward to stepping it up to the next level.

Cheers,

Greg (slightly less Fat Nick)

Footwork, and the NSCAA

ChewieGK1 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:17:00 GMT

Well tonight was better, but I am still relying on diving more than I should. I am focussing on improving my footwork first and foremost. As tonight went on, it did get better, but I still let in a few I was not happy with. Andy Gruenebaum (goalkeeper for the Crew) did our session tonight. He was very positive, and really knows his technique. I will continue to work hard, and hopefully will show some real improve ment next week.

On to the convention. It was much larger than I thought it would be. The first night was insane. It seemed like I spoke to hundreds of people about Sells and Quik Hands, which was fantastic. It gave me an opportunity to meet lots of folks in the industry, and talk about Goalkeeping Products, and Goalkeeping in general. The vast majority of the folks I met were very knowledgeable and freindly. I have to say the Nike/Brine booths were the exception. No one in the Nike booth seemed to interested in the products themselves, and focused on the marketing behind the products. The Brine rep tried real hard, but really did not seem to have any idea about the market, or the products outside of Brine.

The Sondico rep spoke to Vic and I for about an hour, and really seemed interested in our opinions. It was great to see them back in the game. I had a great raport with them in the past, and I think it will be promissing in the future. I was also impressed with the knowledge at the Reusch, and Reebok booths as well. I did not like some of the design aspects of the higher end reebok, or reusch, but the reps explained the reasoning behind the designs, and it seemed like they did their research. Even though I did not like the Uhlsport line, they were very friendly, and it was really good to see Uhlsport back in the states after a long abscence. I should clarify that the only Uhls I did not like were the two High end Akkurat gloves, the rest were well built, and felt very good. Their new hard ground glove was very impressive, although a bit expensive.

Other products that caught my eye were some of the boots. Kelme, Umbro, Puma, Adidas, Diadora, Joma, all had some clean simple, K leather, and Calf leather designs that were quite appealing. They all also had a bunch of plasitc looking boots that I would avoid like the plague.

Overall it was a fantastic experience. I have to thank Jeff Duback at Sells USA, and Dieter Thellman of Quik Hands for having me, and taking good care of me while I was there. It was great to meet OldUS, and I had a great time hanging out with him, and hope to do it again next year. If you get an opportunity to go, do not pass it up.

Cheers,

Greg

Unlearning Bad Habits

ChewieGK1 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:25:00 GMT

I apologize for no blogs...I have really been at a loss for words lately. I will have an updated weekly blog for at least the next 6 weeks covering the NSCAA convention, and my current GK training with Buschy.

So I am in awful awful shape, and I am not ashamed (but embarassed to admit it). I have several freinds who I play in a recreational league who approached me about pulling together a weekly training session so they can learn some technique (none of which are keepers by choice, more out of necessity). I approached Buschy who works at a facility in Columbus called SuperKick (http://www.superkick.com/columbus/index.htm). It is really a fantastic, state of the art training and instruction facility. It is owned by former Ohio State Goalkeeper Jim Waters. Buschy cleared it with Jim, and we were off. We are getting fantasitc training and instruction at an incredibly reasonable rate.

I wanted to be a part of the training for several reasons. One, to get into shape. My goal is to lose 65 lbs this year. It is not going to be easy, but I am on the right track to do so. I also wanted to improve my goalkeeping. I have always been a good indoor keeper, so much so that I was very close to playing professionally, but I have never been completely happy with my outdoor performance. I was so indoor focused after College, that I learned some terrible habits. With Jon's help, we have put together a 6 week "back to basics" course that I am hoping will assist me in my goals.

Tonight was the first session. I was pretty awful, but I can already say I feel like I will improve immensely over the next six weeks. Tonight was just easy footwork, and some begining handeling. My feet felt like anvils. I have never had proper, modern footwork training, and I can already tell that this will be the hardest thing for me to learn. I felt like I had two left feet, but made tiny improvements after each drill. We then moved on to some colapse diving, which I was ok at, but still room for improvement. My greatest asset has always been my hands (from a technique perspective), but I even struggled a bit with that tonight. I look forward to improving, and learning a lot from Jon. I have already earned a self imposed nick name of "Fat Nick" after Nick Rimando. I was called out several times tonight for making the fancy diving save (WHICH I DESPISE) instead of using footwork to get to the ball without diving. I a ready to learn, and look forward to the challenges ahead. I will update everyone next week. Good to be back.

Cheers,

Greg/Fat Nick

Thanksgiving Wishes

SLiberec1DM — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 17:40:00 GMT

Hey everyone, in keeping the spirit of Thanksgiving, I think it's important to always reflect and appreciate everything and everyone we have around us. Having said that, I'll list off some of the many things I'm thankful for this holiday season. Feel free to plug away with your own thanksgivings.

- I'm thankful for my parents, the endless sacrifices they made to get me to practices on the other side of the state to make sure thier son had the same oppurtunity to succeed as the other kids. Also for giving me the oppurtunity to attend and be the first person out of my family to graduate university.

- I'm thankful for my great-grandparents taking a chance and going across an ocean in order to ensure a better way of life and safety for generations to come.

- I'm thankful for the friends I have made and the teammates I have. The past year I've met so many people I can consider to be my family, brothers and sisters alike.

- I'm thankful for my roommates, that they provide me with endless victories in Fifa, Mario Golf, Mario Kart, and table tennis

- I'm thankful for KeeperZone and TGB. Through these sites I've met incredible people, made good friends, and learned more than I could ever imagine about goalkeeping. The collective knowledge shared on this website is incredible, and I think it's a very special thing.

- I'm thankful that we have such incredible techologies which make playing a game so much easier than in past generations. Who knows what Ferenc Puskas would do with a ball if he had a T90 Aerow and a pair of Predators on his feet.

- I'm thankful to be in good health, and to have had the chance to deal through great adversity to realize that hard work, motivation, and a strong will will take anyone where they want to go in life.

- I'm thankful for rolled fingered gloves, bandage-wrist closures and supersoft foam.

The list could go on and on, but now I'll leave it up to you guys, feel free to post what you're thankful for this holiday season.

Drill for Short Range Shot Stopping, Footwork, Positioning and Reaction Saves

MactheCatNo1 — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:28:00 GMT

Sorry it's been a while guys, no excuses, need to work on my time managment.

Figure 1

X X

S2 S3

* In a full size goal, one server (S1) 12 yds out (pen spot), and 2 other servers (S2, S3) 8yds out just wide of the goal with a supply of football's each.

* S2 and S3 altenativly play the ball to S1 to finish 1st time side footed (Aiming for the centre of the goal).

* GK must start facing the server who is playing the ball and glide into position to react off the shot from S1.

Key Points

* Get in correct position facing S2 or S3.

* When the ball is played make sure the GK uses short sharp footwork to get in the correct position to react to the shot from S1.

* Make sure GK is set before shot is struck (Even if he/she is in incorrect position as the they will have better chance of making the save if they are 'Set').

* Look at positioning of GK for the shot if he/she is there early enough. Are they showing to much of the goal to S1? Are they to close to S1 so they are unable to react?

Progressions

* 'Reverse' the drill. Get S1 to play the ball to S2 and S3 for them to shoot.

* Increase the distance that the server's are from the goal to make it a drill for shots from different distances.

* Change the service. Server's can shoot striking with laces 1st time, or servers can throw the ball to server who is shooting for them to catch and volley or volley 1st time (Side foot or laces dependant on distance from goal).