Recently, PFC Select goalies and families received the opportunity to ask Coach Jamie Meshew any soccer-related questions they had. Below is a description of Jamie and her Q&A session. We thank her for taking the time to answer all of our questions!
Jamie Meshew teaches coaching education courses with the United States Soccer Federation through South Texas Youth Soccer Association. She holds a USSF “A” Coaching License, a United Soccer Coaches Premier Diploma, a USSF National Goalkeeping License and a USSF Grassroots Instructor License. Jamie was also honored to be selected as a member of the inaugural class of NSCAA 30 Under 30 Program in the 2013-2014 season. She has over 15 years of competitive coaching experience, and has played and coached at both collegiate and international levels.
Q: What can my son do to keep practicing as a goalkeeper at home?
Jamie: There are a ton of great free resources out there with at-home training ideas that can be done with minimal equipment. Some of my favorites can be found at Keeperstop.com or Goalkeeper School on YouTube.
Q: How do you come back from mistakes? My son gets really hard on himself when he thinks he could do better. Any suggestions on bouncing back both during a game and afterwards?
Jamie: The mental strength aspect of goalkeeping is critically important. This is a high-pressure position, and learning how to cope with mistakes is one of the best things you can learn to improve yourself as an athlete, and a person. Field players make hundreds of mistakes every time they play, but if a goalkeeper makes even one mistake it can impact the score of the game. That is a tough burden to bear, especially for young goalkeepers. I used to cry every time I got scored on, pretty much up until I was about 13 or 14 years old because I wanted to be the best. I threw myself into my training and dedicated myself to improving every aspect of my game, but none of that meant that I never conceded goals. Goals get scored in soccer. You will get scored on. So the first thing I'd say is that it's ok to be upset and its ok to want to improve, but I'd encourage you to try to talk to yourself using the same language you'd use to talk to your very best friend. For as much as we are always our own worst critic, we have to also be our own best friend. We have to have enough confidence to continue trying after we've had a misstep and positive self-talk is the key to having a good positive mental relationship with yourself. Goalkeepers have to have a good long-term memory (desire to improve and not make the same mistakes) but a terrible short-term memory (not getting so focused on what just happened that we can't continue to play).
Q: What are your favorite conditioning exercises?
Jamie: Fitness is super important for goalkeepers! People often think that because the goalkeepers don't run as much as field players that they don't need to be in shape. Nothing could be more far from the truth! In fact, the goalkeeper should be one of (if not the most) fit players on the team! Our fitness just looks a little bit different. Conditioning for goalkeepers need to be focused on footwork speed, power, explosion, and anaerobic training. Things like plyometrics, short burst sprints, burpees, and power lifting can be awesome for goalkeepers as long as they are done safely and with a trained professional's guidance. Keeperstop.com has some great resources about fitness and conditioning for goalkeepers too!
Q: What types of foods do you recommend before training and games?
Jamie: I love this question! Nutrition is super important and plays a huge role in performance. Your body is a machine and needs the proper fuel to perform at its very best. Junky foods can slow you down and limit your athletic ability. I'm not a registered dietitian, so I'm in no way an expert, but there are a ton of great resources out there about good nutrition for soccer players. Here is my favorite one that keeps things simple and easy to understand: Fueling for exercise fact sheet .
Q: When you were a child how often did you practice?
Jamie: I was in love with soccer from a very early age. I played for my club team, my school team, and my ODP team. Plus I registered as a guest player as often as possible for other teams for tournaments, etc. I would estimate that I trained 5 days a week and played games on weekends - but that was my personal choice. It is super important that practice is equally as fun as it is about improving - otherwise you get burnt out and end up hating soccer and stopping playing. Soccer was my favorite time of day, so it didn't feel like a punishment to have to go to practice. In fact, I asked my parents to help find me extra training opportunities because it was what I wanted - not because they wanted me to want it. A good rule of thumb is to make sure you're getting to your team practices every week, and if there is an opportunity for some specific goalkeeper training that fits into your schedule, definitely take advantage of that. As long as you're enjoying what you're doing, getting better with each practice, and staying on top of your school work and other responsibilities at home that's what counts!
Q: Who is your favorite team?
Jamie: I love watching soccer, no matter where its being played, and I definitely miss being able to watch it now! But I'd have to say that my all time favorite team has to be the US Women's National Team. I've been a super fan since I was a little kid, and nothing has changed! :)
Q: Do you have a favorite goalie currently?
Jamie: There are some really exciting goalkeepers out there right now in both the men's and women's games. I'd have to say my favorite female goalkeeper to watch at the moment is probably Aubrey Bledsoe of the Washington Spirit in the NWSL. She had a tremendous year which earned her a callup into USWNT camp. I'd love to see her in the program for several more years. Here's an article about her awesome year! On the men's side, I've really been a fan of Hugo Lloris from Tottenham. He might be one of the most underrated out there. Here's an interesting article about him if you're not familiar.
Q: How important are good foot skills for a goalie?
Jamie: Goalkeepers are soccer players first, so foot skills are incredibly important! As the game has evolved, teams are involving their goalkeeper more and more as a passing outlet to get out of pressure, or as the "first attacker" to help the team go forward after the GK has made a save. A good goalkeeper should be able to take all of his/her own goal kicks, be comfortable receiving back passes from teammates, support their back line as an additional attacker, and be comfortable accurately serving both short and long passes with both feet. Many goalkeepers are even being asked to take all free kicks in their team's half to allow for more players to get forward into the attack. I recommend that teams incorporate their goalkeepers into all aspects of their training sessions to help them develop confidence in their foot skills as well as to create a connection between the goalkeeper and his/her teammates.
