Rotate the kids. Problem solved.

10:42 - we actually just did this last night. A friend of mine who is a goalie came to practice and worked with our 3rd graders because it's the first year they've had positions, including goalie. There is a skill set, and it can be learned.

Problem with not rotating kids: how do kids learn how to play goalie if they never play? Going into this season, my daughter was literally the only girl on her rec team who knew how to play goal, because she did travel last year. It would be extremely unfair to make her play goalie every game, every shift, because she knows how and nobody else does. She loves being a field player, and i get anxious when she's in goal. It's a lot of pressure. And how would the rest learn?

Goalies need to communicate with their teammates about how they are going to play certain situations (11 year olds can and should do this)...they need to understand the angles of attack and how to position themselves against them...they need to be aggressive - when a kid breaks free, the only way to overcome the fact that they are at a disadvantage is to charge the ball, reduce the angle and get their hands engaged as quickly as possible...they also need to be able to forget the ones that get by. Even the little kids play on pretty big goals and their opponents can kick the ball pretty hard and accurately.

former club used to have optional goalie training to train u9-u11 in how to dive/land appropriately and other basics. only the stronger skilled girls showed up and it made little difference as none really wanted to play goalie (only enough to not let teammates down). eventually cancelled due to low turnout and enthusiasm.

i dont believe the build out lines have done much to mitigate pressure on the goalie and defense. still seeing the same attacks just moments later. maybe not as much, but still there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coach should make a goalie schedule so every kid takes a few shifts during the season. That is what we do. Kids who like goal can pick up more shifts.

Coach should also have a day or two (or part of a couple practices) devoted to GK training. If he's going to rotate kids, he should make sure they're equipped with the basics, even if the only way to really learn is practice. E.g. - hand position, body position, positioning on line/when to come off line, how to dive, how to catch/punch/block, how to distribute (throw/punt). My DD played on a team with rotation, but some of the kids were totally lost because they were never taught even the most basic techniques. And U9/10 girls aren't exactly good about blaming someone other than themselves, even though at that age (as most), the vast majority of goals are because of defensive failure, not GK failure.

Agreed re coaching. Also U11 is around the time that GKs can get hurt if they don't know how to dive properly, roll to protect themselves, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Coach should make a goalie schedule so every kid takes a few shifts during the season. That is what we do. Kids who like goal can pick up more shifts.

Coach should also have a day or two (or part of a couple practices) devoted to GK training. If he's going to rotate kids, he should make sure they're equipped with the basics, even if the only way to really learn is practice. E.g. - hand position, body position, positioning on line/when to come off line, how to dive, how to catch/punch/block, how to distribute (throw/punt). My DD played on a team with rotation, but some of the kids were totally lost because they were never taught even the most basic techniques. And U9/10 girls aren't exactly good about blaming someone other than themselves, even though at that age (as most), the vast majority of goals are because of defensive failure, not GK failure.

OP here. Thanks for all input.

Coach should make a goalie schedule so every kid takes a few shifts during the season. That is what we do. Kids who like goal can pick up more shifts.

We didn't encourage our child to play goalie. He wasn't good at it, only willing. And we feel it's a very negative position, great for some kids who are independent, but ours has self-esteem and anxiety issues and has had depression in the past. We didn't think he had the right personality to handle it.

You let him keep playing what he wants to play. He'll get better. Or maybe he won't, and he'll find another position.

My child prefers playing keeper. The thing I keep an eye on as a parent is the feeling bad about missing a save - and I'll sometimes remind DC that the ball had to get by every other player on the team before it got to the goal, so it's not just one person's "fault." And I keep an ear out for other players complaining about DC missing a save. It's happened occasionally. I don't mind the "next time if you crouch down it'll be easier to trap the ball with your hands and your legs" but I do mind the "we would have won if you hadn't let that goal in!" as if DC was the only reason they lost. When I hear that, over the next week or so I'll make a general comment about good sportsmanship and how important it is as the goalie, the person who can see the whole field in play, to keep his teammates encouraged and focused and let them know when they're doing a good job. I figure if my DC is upset about a comment that's an opening, and if my DC is handling everything, then it's ok.

My DC isn't a world class player, but DC has one quality which I think is critical in a goalkeeper - DC is able to shrug off the last play and focus on what's happening right now. If you're beating yourself up about the save you just failed to make, you're not planning for the next save.

He usually only played half a game a time.

Agree if the ball gets to him, it is a team problem. One on one, the odds for the goalie are not great generally speaking. He shouldn't feel bad if a few get by him if he's saving some too. At U11 he should play no more than half in goal. The fact that other kids don't volunteer to be goalie is not your son's problem. Coach should rotate among everyone else.

Thanks, that's what I did and thought. However, for his development as a soccer player and a person, what else can I do besides telling him "you did a good job, I am proud of you"?

I would tell him it was so fun to watch him play.

But, OP, is he feeling guilty or are you? The goalie/keeper is 1 player on a team. If the ball even got to the goal, it got past the midfielders and defenders, not just the keeper. Soccer is a team sport.

My son loves to play on the soccer field as well as goalkeeping. From a parent's perspective I think he is a better player on the field. His team doesn't have a goalkeeper so coach let kids volunteer. Many times nobody volunteered, and my son would step up. although he loves it he isn't trained on goalkeeping and he lost a few saves every game. Coach and other kids never blamed him but he would feel guilty. As a parent what would you do?