Book Overviews

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The goalkeeper, an enigma, an outlier, a match-definer, a special breed or……. just another player? This A-Z has been years in the making and delves into the intricacies of all thing’s goalkeeping.

Bought to you by worldwide goalkeeping author Andy Elleray, the book encapsulates everything around the position, and whittles down the vast array of information available, into key areas that help to increase understanding of the position.

This publication will be made up of a mixture of characteristics, attributes, roles, playing factors and performance indicators that go into the position of the goalkeeper. With the aim of summarising some of the key elements that make up the goalkeeping position.

About the Author. Andy Elleray holds the prestigious UEFA A Goalkeeping and Advanced Youth Award Goalkeeping Coaching Licenses. He also has a Master’s degree in Sports Coaching. This is Andy’s ninth goalkeeping book and is the latest instalment in the ‘Scientific Approaches to Goalkeeping in Football’ series. 

Goalkeeping training in football has long utilised a drill-based approach, often with a major technical focus. But there is an alternative approach; one that centres around specially-designed games that enhance and mould key goalkeeping characteristics. 

The Games-Based methodology looks to complement the traditional goalkeeper coaching pathway, and the ideas behind it have stemmed from observations around goalkeepers who are technically and physically proficient, but who lack the decision-making capabilities to transfer their ‘drill-based’ proficiency to the game as a whole. The new approach aims to foster goalkeepers who not only make better decisions, but who are able to become more tactically adaptable, psychologically robust, and socially aware of working with others and how they can affect their team in a positive way.

In this full-colour book, containing 45 illustrated training exercises, goalkeepers will work on areas of their game relevant to their position – without them even knowing it – as they are made to think quickly and do what comes naturally to them. They will learn to cope with new and challenging situations in these games and often how to work in a team to win points or solve a problem. Much of games-based goalkeeper training is designed for coaches who have a large group of goalkeepers to work with. With large numbers, it is tough to do small technical practices in goals because of space constraints and having so many goalkeepers not working.

Before You Buy – Note: This is an updated and revised version of “65 Goalkeeper Training Exercises: Modern Games-Based Soccer Drills for Shot Stopping, Footwork, Distribution, and More”. As such, large parts of each books’ content overlap each another.

About the Author. Andy Elleray holds the prestigious UEFA A Goalkeeping and Advanced Youth Award Goalkeeping Coaching Licenses. He also has a Master’s degree in Sports Coaching. This is Andy’s eighth goalkeeping book and is the latest instalment in the ‘Scientific Approaches to Goalkeeping in Football’series. 

Have you ever wanted to take up goalkeeping? Have you ever wanted to understand the position more? Do you want to help support a goalkeeper on their football journey? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then this stunning new publication from goalkeeping specialist Andy Elleray is for you.

Like any sport, the basic foundations of any physical or technical action is fundamental to performance. Without the basics, it’s impossible to expand a player’s game in terms of more advanced techniques. This book investigates the common types of saves, movements and actions that the goalkeeper can and is expected to perform. 

Goalkeeping in football is made up of many techniques. Both with and without the ball. The idea of this book is to go through a large selection of different types of common techniques and strip them right back to the core of how they are executed, what they look like and how they can be enhanced and learnt. There will be many photo examples of different actions and a series of practices designed to work specifically on certain saves or situations.

This exciting book will consolidate some of the key aspects of goalkeeping you already know about, possibly clarify some of the key roles and responsibilities and finally create some new thinking around all aspects of goalkeeping.

In this latest publication from goalkeeping specialist Andy Elleray, the goalkeeper’s position is looked at through an age-specific lens. Looking deeper than the traditional 4-corner approach, the book covers a variety of topics, such as: innovative player support, the latest in performance analysis platforms, age-appropriate training practices, and female player development. Numerous player case studies and 30 ready-to-run practices are also included in this full-colour book.

Young people learn and develop in different ways and at varying rates – depending on factors such as age, genetics, and environment. This book seeks to provide useable blueprints for goalkeeping development, and the overall intention is to provide a meticulous and comprehensive guide to working with goalkeepers across different age groups and with differing levels of ability.

All the methods of support and player development have been used not just at the highest level of youth international and professional football, but also with amateur and grassroots players.

Goalkeeping in football is changing, and scrutiny – in terms of training, support, and on-field actions – has never been higher.

This fully updated, resized, and revised second edition of Scientific Approaches to Goalkeeping in Football builds upon the success of the original 2013 bestseller, offering both theoretical and practical changes that have emerged in the area of goalkeeping over the last few years.

Written by goalkeeping specialist Andy Elleray, this book offers a 2019 update to his class-leading approach to goalkeeping in football. Focusing, in particular, on young goalkeepers, it sheds light on training, player development, match performances, and player analysis. New methodologies, training approaches, and development considerations are included, along with brand new content on goalkeeping in female football, performance analysis examples, and advances in practice design.

Practice and theory are merged together to create a creative hands-on book with its roots in the latest research and thinking.

> Uncover the latest in training exercises to bring out the best in goalkeepers

> Explore ways in which to design your own training practices

> Learn and explore ways to combat issues such as anxiety and nerves by boosting confidence and concentration

> Utilise performance evaluation techniques to develop goalkeepers better

> A wholly new chapter dedicated to working with female goalkeepers

> Develop the physical attributes needed to be a top goalkeeper

> Learn about specific goalkeeping research and methodologies from other countries

Delve into numerous case studies and approaches used from novice grassroots players right up to senior international goalkeepers. No matter what your involvement in goalkeeping, there is something for everyone in this book!

In 101 Goalkeeper Training Practices, goalkeeping coach Andy Elleray follows up his previous trilogy of goalkeeping books to provide fellow football coaches and goalkeepers with a wide variety of new practices that cover many aspects of goalkeeping. Practices are broken down into three areas: working with an individual goalkeeper, small groups of goalkeepers training together, and fuller team-based exercises. The overall intention is to provide realistic, varied, relevant, and innovative practices that stimulate the goalkeeper in every element of their game and performance.

The goalkeeper training exercises in the book – illustrated with colour diagrams – focus on five main viewpoints – technical, tactical, psychological, physical, and social/environmental. Each practice is weighted to develop these elements to greater and lesser degrees, and exercises include 1v1 techniques, decision making, shot stopping from different angles/distances, travelling around the goalmouth, re-positioning, cutback scenarios, and more. There are also sections on key coaching observations and how to progress/regress the practices.

All the listed practices are real-world and have been used at a variety of levels within football to enhance goalkeeper development of all ages. They can all be adapted based on the numbers of players and resources available to the coach, while fundamental factors such as time and space allow the coach to be creative with how the exercises are implemented. The variety of practices and exercises will provide goalkeepers at all levels with the opportunity to hone their skills and not just become a brilliant protector of the goal, but also the 11th player on the ball – a prominent member of their team’s strategy and dynamic.

In 50 More Goalkeeper Training Exercises, goalkeeping coach Andy Elleray follows up his previous book – 65 Goalkeeper Training Exercises – to provide fellow football coaches with a wide variety of new practices that cover many aspects of goalkeeping. Practices are aimed at developing holistically-comfortable and effective goalkeepers who fit into different coaching philosophies and approaches. The practices are designed for working on the specific skills that goalkeepers need within the game.

The goalkeeper training exercises in the book focus on five main viewpoints – technical, tactical, psychological, physical, and social/environmental.  Each practice is weighted to develop these elements to greater and lesser degrees, and exercises include 1v1 techniques, decision making, shot stopping from different angles/distances, travelling around the goalmouth, re-positioning, cutback scenarios, and more.

All the listed practices are real-world and have been used at a variety of levels within football to enhance goalkeeper development of all ages. They can all be adapted based on the numbers of players and resources available to the coach, while fundamental factors such as time and space allow the coach to be creative with how the exercises are implemented. The book’s introduction and glossary sections outline how to go about applying the exercises and offer suggestions based on goalkeeping themes and the learning detail required within them.

In 65 Goalkeeper Training Exercises, goalkeeping coach and educator, Andy Elleray, offers fellow football coaches a way of training that takes keepers from the confines of the goal or penalty area, into new, challenging, and fulfilling settings. Games-based goalkeeper training is an alternative to the traditional goalkeeping curriculum and combines physical, psychological, technical, tactical and social skills in small situations that keepers will face in matches. These include 1v1s, communicating with the defence, decision making, shot stopping, and more.

Games-based training is about using games and activities drawn from football, selected sports, physical education, sports science, and other spheres, to help progress keepers with the skills they will really need in competitive match situations. Aimed at readers who coach goalkeepers at all levels, from junior level to elite standard, the games can be conducted within a variety of playing environments including, in many cases, indoors.

Goalkeepers will be working on areas of their game relevant to their position without them even knowing it because they will be made to think quickly and do what comes naturally to them. They will be learning to cope with new and challenging situations in these games and often how to work as a team to win points or solve a problem.

Whilst standard technical drills still have a central role to play in goalkeeper development, games-based development aims to offer an alternative to traditional sessions. Much of games-based goalkeeper training is designed for coaches who have a large group of goalkeepers to work with. With large numbers, it is very hard to do small technical practices in goals, because of space constraints and having so many goalkeepers not working.

Do you coach goalkeepers and want to help them realise their fullest potential? Are you a goalkeeper looking to reach the top of your game? Then search no further and dive into this dedicated goalkeeping resource.

Written by goalkeeping guru Andy Elleray this book offers a fresh and innovative approach to goalkeeping in football. With a particular emphasis on the development of young goalkeepers, it sheds light on training, player development, match performances, and player analysis. Utilising his own experiences Andy shows the reader various approaches, systems and exercises that will enable goalkeepers to train effectively and appropriately to bring out the very best in them. Practice and theory are merged together to create a highly practical book with its roots in the latest research and thinking.

- Combat issues such as anxiety and nerves by boosting confidence and concentration

- Delve into cutting edge video and performance analysis systems and implementations

- Utilise alternative games-based training methods to bring out the best in goalkeepers

- Develop the physical attributes needed to be a top goalkeeper

- Learn about specific goalkeeping research, including physiology and biomechanics

- Explore training methodologies from around the world.