As an ex-goalkeeper I have faced several situations (that I can remember) where I face concussion or certainly potential concussion. But 20 years ago if you weren’t knocked unconscious and as long as you could see straight, carried on and rested up after the game. Nowadays it’s a big part of the FA’s safety in sport curriculum and quite rightly so. As many of you know concussion awareness is essential in any sport, because early recognition and appropriate management can prevent serious short and long term brain injuries. Players, coaches, parents, and officials should be able to identify common signs and symptoms such as headache, dizziness, confusion, balance problems, or memory loss and understand that any player suspected of having a concussion must be removed from play immediately and not return until medically assessed and cleared. Promoting concussion awareness creates a safer playing environment, protects player welfare, reduces the risk of further injury, and encourages a culture where health is prioritised over continuing to play. Ive attached a useful data sheet from the FA for you to read and use. one is a detailed explanation and the other is a single info sheet that can be kept pitchside for reference.

If you are fortunate enough to own video recording devices (veo, xbot, etc) where do you set it up to monitor the goalkeeper? And why?

Guys, I and my team are going to be redesigning the J4K 3G.. So for you guys who are looking to maybe develop your own goalkeeper glove in the future, this can give you some good practice. And if me and the J4K pick your design, or even part of your design - When these gloves come in the new year, we will send you one pair in each colour - So it will be 3 goalkeeper gloves in total.

At some point all coaches will have a stress filled panic before a session with regards to its content. And we have all been guilty of putting on a session that just fills the time but has no real content. Below I’m going to talk about how to use the internet to HELP create session and keep your sessions inline with progression. The internet is one of the most valuable tools for planning goalkeeper sessions, but the key is using it to support your coaching philosophy, not replace it. The best sessions are built around the needs of your goalkeeper and team, then enhanced with ideas and evidence from trusted online sources. So where to start? Ask yourself: - What happened in the last game? - What problems are my goalkeepers facing? - What does the team need from the goalkeeper? - What will the next opposition demand? This becomes the focus of your session rather than simply searching for random practices. But you need to understand the topic of interest through research! Search for specific themes rather than generic "goalkeeper drills." For example: - Playing through the press goalkeeper - Goalkeeper defending crosses coaching points - Goalkeeper 1v1 decision making - Modern goalkeeper positioning - Goalkeeper scanning before receiving This will give you coaching ideas and examples rather than isolated exercises. Understand what you are looking at and what it’s trying to show you. Develop your understanding of sports science as this can improve your sessions. Look into topics such as: - Skill acquisition - Constraints-led coaching - Representative learning design - Ecological dynamics - Motor learning - Cognitive activation - Fatigue and decision making These principles help you create practices that transfer more effectively to match performance. Most importantly!! Review each session and reflect on your own behaviors and practices. Search for answers to questions such as: - Did I create realism? - Was the practice representative of the game? - Did the goalkeeper make enough decisions? - Could I vary the constraints? - How can I progress this session next week? - Was the intention met with success?

Had a quick session yesterday in Crewe and my brother took some pictures of me to celebrate my injury free mode!