The Set Position

Nathan Thackeray, NC Courage Goalkeeper Coach and NCFC Director of Goalkeeping, and Jojo Comstock, Goalkeeper Coach at NCFC and NC Wesleyan, join Kohl to discuss the Training Methodology of NCFC and NC Courage. Nathan and Jojo bring their goalkeeping experiences to the podcast to break down how they train their goalkeepers and the approach they take to make them successful. Nathan helps to break down the different aspects of goalkeeping and what he finds most important working with goalkeepers. The group discusses the differences in working with older goalkeepers compared to young goalkeepers just starting out. The group also talks about how important it is to build a connection with the goalkeepers and how their training approach changes when you build a connection with the player. The connection that is built can help a goalkeeper grow so much more. Nathan and Jojo talk about how their goalkeepers show up to training and what is expected of them in each session.  There is a set of expectations that are placed upon these goalkeepers to uphold to help their growth. 

Omar Zeenni, Owner of Pro GK Academy and Co-Host on Inside the 18, joins Kohl and Zak to discuss Creating Goalkeeping Content and Implementation of Sessions. Omar bring his knowledge of goalkeeping onto the podcast to talk about how he views goalkeeping and what he does to help make is goalkeepers successful. Omar talks about how he breaks down goalkeeping technique with video and use the videos that he puts on YouTube to look at his own coaching. The group discusses the importance of reflecting on sessions that are created and the continued development as coaches. Omar continues the conversation about when he gets into a session that is not working how he goes about making adjustments to make the sessions successful for the goalkeeper. The group also breaks down the technical aspect of the game and how coaches can take a step back and not over analyze what their goalkeepers are doing. Omar speaks of the importance to let our guard down to be willing to be open and honest about our approach as coaches. The success of our goalkeepers relies a lot on our ability as coaches to continue to learn and grow. The more information coaches can consume the better product they are going to put forward. 

Alex Wimmer, former Ohio State Goalkeeper, talks with Kohl and Zak about his experiences through the game of soccer. He speaks about how his experiences through his playing days at Ohio State and his professional stint. Alex uses his knowledge from being a goalkeeper to his now working life. The group talks about how it is important to have diversity in the game and what you learn while playing with people from all over the world. Alex talks about his time playing professionally and what that experience was like. 

What a great Season 2 was! Some great content and even better guests. If you have not listened to the season yet be sure to do so. You will not regret it. Be on the look out for Season 3, it is jam packed with great guests and continued goalkeeping content. We want to hear from the listeners for Season 3 about what they liked so far and what topics they are interested in learning about. Make sure to stay tuned in on your favorite podcast platform. 

Jake Gillespie, Director of Goalkeeping at West Schuylkill FC, joins Kohl and Zak to discuss some Insight into a Goalkeepers Mind. Jake talks about how he went from being a goalkeeper at Shippensburg University one day and the next he is now coaching the goalkeepers. He explains how he had to switch his mentality to help the other goalkeepers be successful and put his loss of the sport aside. The group talks about the transition from playing to now being a coach and how that transition has happened. Jake brings some quality content into the goalkeepers mind and how he is helping young goalkeepers develop. He provides some wisdom beyond his years, that goalkeepers at any level should use in their development. Kohl, Zak and Jake talk about where goalkeeper development is going and things coaches can do to help their goalkeepers be successful.

Cam Fertenbaugh, Women's Assistant/Goalkeeper Coach at Florida Atlantic University, joins Kohl and Zak to discuss Goalkeeper Self Talk. Cam pulls on some of his experiences as a goalkeeper and the many goalkeepers that he has worked with to provide insight into goalkeeper self talk. The group discusses how goalkeepers should approach difficult situations and how goalkeepers should change their mindset to a positive approach. Kohl, Zak and Cam talk about how having a short term memory can help the goalkeeper quickly move on to the next save. When the goalkeeper is fixated on one moment that can build up and lead to more mistakes happening. They talk about how the best goalkeepers move on from their mistakes and focus on the next task at hand. Live in the moments that you have and don't dwell on them!

Steve Widdowson, Head Men's Soccer Coach at Millersville University, joins Kohl and Zak to discuss Integrating the Goalkeeper into Sessions. Steve talks about how he uses the goalkeepers in his sessions and makes them apart of team training. The group discusses the importance of individual goalkeeper training and how that then relates to team training. Kohl and Zak talk about their experiences at Millersville and how being integrated into sessions helped their overall game as a goalkeeper. Steve describes some of the ways that he has felt that integrating the goalkeeper has helped their overall success and winning two conference titles, 2018 & 2019. As well the group discusses how Steve has developed his core values to help keep his team on track.

Ali Simmons, Assistant Men's Soccer Coach at Seton Hall and Co-Founder of The Academy Player, join Kohl and Zak to discuss the importance of Technical training. Ali brings his knowledge of technical training onto the podcast to talk about development at different ages. He discusses that the technical proficiency of a player can show their character. Ali, Kohl and Zak continue to dive deep into what technical training looks like and how players can continue to make themselves better everyday. They continue the conversation about the importance of a player developing position specific technical skills to help them be successful at that position. Ali talks about how the approach to breaking down technical attributes has changed from the time that he was a player to now as a coach. He brings his insight to the podcast about how he breaks down the technical skills for players and helps them develop to their best possible self.