Dynamos Soccer - KEEPER! Vol. 17, No. 3

Monday, 01 March, 2010 (1914 reads)

A publication of Keeper! Club

Written and edited by Jim Walker

March 2010

A publication of the Keeper Club

Written and edited by Jim Walker

Winds of March, we welcome you,

There is work for you to do.Work and play and blow all day,

Blow the winter cold away.

MARCH TRAINING Training continues in March on Mondays (5:30pm) with Roland Sikinger and Thursdays (5:30pm) with Jim Walker. Fee for regular training in 2010 remains at $50 ($100 if not playing for Cy-Fair Youth Soccer Club or Dynamos) for 10 weeks of sessions. Please make check payable to Keeper Club and mail to Dynamos, attn: Loree, 10924 Grant Rd. #224, Houston77070. For more information, email JWalker332@aol.com or phone 281-217-1612.

Keeper Alert!SPRING BREAK CAMPDon’t miss this year’s Spring Break goalkeeper mini-camp presented by the Keeper! Club. Dates will be Friday (1-4pm)-Saturday (9-noon) March 19-20 at DyessPark. Keeper! camps are always special, but co-directors Roland Sikinger and Jim Walker promise this one will be even better. Included will be special instruction for beginners 8-12 years old and for advanced 13-18 years old. Curriculum will include: for the younger group--catching, diving without fear, positioning, and high ones; for the advanced: catching and holding, flying without fear, managing the goal box, and disposing of the uncatchable. Plus fun games and a camp-ending luncheon of pizza and Powerade. Cost of the camp will be $30 per day, or both days for $50. For additional information, email JWalker332@aol.com or call 281-217-1612. Please make checks to Keeper Camp and remit to: Dynamos Keeper Camp, 10924 Grant Rd #224, Houston77070.

SPECIAL NOTE Starting with this month forward, the Keeper! newsletter is emailed only to those who request it. A number of keepers and parents have already responded that they wish to receive the newsletter by email. It will continue to be posted at www.dynamossoccer.com (click Keeper Club and “Here” for the newsletter) and emailed to those who send an email to jwalker332@aol.com with the word “Continue.” It is important that serious goalkeepers read the newsletter, as it carries valuable tips on playing and updates on Keeper Club activities.

WIN GIFT CARD, NEW BALLHere’s a chance to win a $25 gift card from Soccer-4-All or a new soccer ball in a drawing by sending in two of your adventures as a goalkeeper. Simply send an email to JWalker332@aol.com detailing 1) your most self-rewarding soccer experience while playing keeper and 2) your most embarrassing moment in goal. All entrants names will be placed in a drawing. . .first name drawn will receive the gift card, the second a new ball. The best response will be used, with the writer’s permission, in Keeper! If you’re a goalkeeper, and reading this, you are eligible!

HOW’S YOUR VERTICAL LEAP?A new boy in town shows up for Keeper Club practice, eager to demonstrate his skills. “I’m pretty good,” the lad says, “I’m sure you will be amazed.” With that he proceeds to shinny up a DyessPark light pole, poses at the top, and jumps off. He flaps his arms wildly, and finally his fall slows. He soars forward, then swoops upward, turns and swoops back again. Finally he stops in mid-air and gently lowers himself to the ground, right in front of Coach Walker, who stares blankly at the smiling figure for a long time. Finally the coach says, "You call that flying?“

KEEPERTALK Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 14. . .Apologies to Oscar Barron for failing to list him on the Keeper Log as an attendee January 28. Oscar travels from Navasota for training and his work ethic is a model for other keepers. . .Kennedy McGill, Grant Steppe, and Braden Mann managed to get training in during all the mid-February rain when Coach Walker held a session in the softball building at DyessPark. After the trio responded to the warmup order to “get on the ground 30 times,“ Striker Mann cracked, “First time I ever had to dive on cement.”. . .Patty Walrath missed the middle of her high school season with a shoulder injury, but reported for keeper training and the initial U18 Dynamos practice. She returned to action Feb. 22, chalking up a victory. . .Clayton Harris, the goalkeeping fireman, relates that he once had a contact lens ripped right out of his eye going for a high ball. “I gave up three goals without even seeing the ball.” he recalls. “At halftime, a teammate took out his own contact, we scrubbed it clean, and I used it the second half. I didn’t give up any more goals and we won the game!”. . .Kaylee Barrett took a boot in the knee while coming out to dive for a ball in the championship game of the Spring Cup at Bear Creek, but not before stopping two point-blank shots to help her team reach the finals. Kaylee finished February with her arm in a sling after a collision with a hurdle. . .Caitlin Farmer and Veronica Pierce were opposing keepers at the BerryCenter as Caitlin’s JerseyVillage squad won, 4-1, over Ronni’s Cypress Ranch team. Afterward they got together for a photo (see elsewhere). . .Kevin Hobart closed out February with one of his best games ever, which resulted in a 2-1 victory for the U14 Dynamos over Conroe. On the foe’s only goal, Kevin came from outside the far post, and had the ball covered, but the hard shot slid under his outstretched arms. . .If you have items for Keeper! or KeeperTalk, please email JWalker332@aol.com or call 281-217-1612.

Keeper Club partners Veronica Pierce (left)

of Morton Ranch HS and Caitlin Farmer of

Jersey Village HS fought against each other

for their respective schools, then met for a

chat and photo afterward.

TRAINING LOG Listing of players who attended training in February: 1--Trevor Gibson, Kelsi Gibson, Ronni Pierce, Taylor Elliott, Madison Brown, Francesco LoSauro, Kennedy McGill, Sabrina Pasier 4--Muddy Waters 8--Rainy Daye11--Kennedy McGill, Grant Steppe, Braden Mann (indoors)15--Gee Washington, Abe Lincoln18--Ethan Maxson, Grant Steppe, Ronni Pierce, Sabrina Pasier, Patty Walrath, Braden Mann, Kaitlyn Maxson, Marissa Mills. Guest instructors: Clayton Harris, John Kowalzyck22--Madison Brown, Sabrina Pasier, Cameron Rieth, Kelsi Gibson, Trevor Gibson, Ronni Pierce, Kennedy McGill, Kevin Hobart, Patty Walrath25--Marissa Mills, Braden Mann, Sabrina Pasier, Grant Steppe, Ronni Pierce, Patty Walrath, Francesco LoSauro, Ethan Maxson, Kaitrin Miller, Conner Byrd. Oscar Barron. Guest instructors: Clayton Harris and John Kowalzyck.

PERFECT WITHIN HIS RANGENot known for dispensing praise, Spain coach Luis Aragones is enthusiastic about his indispensable goalkeeper, Iker Casillas. "Iker is the perfect captain. I'd give him ten out of ten for everything he does as a keeper, a captain. and in the way he behaves. He sees everything so clearly." Casillas modestly deflects attention to his teammates. "This is an amazing squad and they are even better people than they are footballers," enthused Casillas. "The group comes before any player and we've learned to come together. The guys who aren't playing as much get behind the rest and give support and affection. That gives us a lift when the going gets hard." Casillas has strung together dozens of memorable performances and legendary saves over the past eight years. Armed with superb reflexes and feline agility, he has a reputation for seemingly impossible point-blank saves, which he enhanced further in last weekend's quarterfinal with Italy when he denied Mauro Camoranesi from close range. He also possesses a commanding presence and organizational skills at the back. And although a virtual spectator in last Thursday's comfortable semifinal win over the Russians, Casillas exhibited his immense powers of concentration with a stunning save to thwart a late Roman Pavlyuchenko attempt.--Soccer America

QUOTABLESome keepers dream of success; others wake up and work hard at it.

TIP OF THE MONTHNo keeper can repeatedly save shots from close range. If the defense allows penetration and shots from inside the penalty spot, goals will be scored. Most goals are scored from the immediate area in front of the goal to the penalty stripe and just slightly wider than the goal. This situation is described as point blank. Although rare, when a goalkeeper does makes saves on these close point-blank shots, these saves can be game winners. When two equal teams are playing, scoring chances do not come frequently for either team, the ability of a keeper to make this kind of save more often then his or her counterpart at the other frame very often will determine which team wins. And if the goalkeeper denies as clear a scoring chance as this, often times, the momentum of the game will shift.--Tony DiCicco, Soccer Plus

KEEPING SECRETS * Bad keepers think "what happened?" * Average keepers think "what is happening?" * Top keepers think "what is going to happen and how do I avoid the danger?" The thing that separates top keepers from average ones isn't the ability to make the great save. It's an ability to prevent the shot. So, the question is: how does one learn to start thinking like a top keeper? One way would be to watch as much high-level soccer as possible. Watch how space is created and how that space is used. Watch keeper positioning and how far off the line they play. Listen to the communication. Watch top defenders to see where they position themselves in various situations. The second step is to pay attention in training. Keepers MUST be involved in team training to understand where teammates should be and what the coach is teaching. If we want the keeper to be a coach on the field, the keeper should have as much interaction with the coach and team as possible. The third step is to watch video of yourself in a game. Watch what you could have done differently, how various situations could have been prevented. Be honest with yourself. Realize you aren't trying to figure out what was wrong, but rather what you can do better in the future. There are other steps one can take but if you do these three, in addition to your regular training, you will see much improvement in your game.--Lawrence Fine, www.finesoccer.com.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS (who have not responded to this message): If you wish to continue receiving this free newsletter via email, please reply to JWalker332@aol.com with the words “Continue.“ You can read the newsletter at www.dynamossoccer.com. You simply click on “Keeper Club” and “Here.“ Beginning with the March issue, the newsletter will be posted only on the web site, and emailed only to those who request it.