With the season starting, this is a thread where parents, coaches, and players can brag about the exploits of their goalkeepers! Inspired by socalkdg's thread about the team getting it about playing with their feet. While discussions on technique or strategy are welcome too, as well as feedback, this is a place for just blatant showing off (no judgement! be as proud as you want!), but not for complaining (there's plenty of other threads around here for that including by yours truly) 
.
Since no one else was willing, I'll hold myself out there and start us off. My son's GK coach has been bringing him along slowly...focused on mostly catching and basic dive technique the first six months. Just started him on the basics of the extension dive and hasn't really even broken out the parts of it yet (power step, knee extension, arms). He got a little bit of the extension dive at One camp hanging out with the more experienced keepers (who were all really encouraging of him and I saw a video of them loudly clapping the first time he got it right). Well, tournament this weekend and he had three beautiful extension saves for the first time. The first made a shut out possible (only the second shut out he's really earned by saves as opposed to teams not being able to take SOG)...it was way across almost near the post banged from the top of the PK area...power step was weak but the dive itself was otherwise perfect. Second was a rebound save off of a DFK rebound....he got to his feet quickly after the first save and then extended for a secondary save winning the game for his team (since otherwise it would have been a tie). Third was a beautiful save but sadly went to an uncovered striker who nailed it in for the game winning score. Still was amazed to see it, and surprised by the height in his dives given he's only just started with the technique. Very proud!
. Since no one else was willing, I'll hold myself out there and start us off.
My son's GK coach has been bringing him along slowly...focused on mostly catching and basic dive technique the first six months. Just started him on the basics of the extension dive and hasn't really even broken out the parts of it yet (power step, knee extension, arms). He got a little bit of the extension dive at One camp hanging out with the more experienced keepers (who were all really encouraging of him and I saw a video of them loudly clapping the first time he got it right). Well, tournament this weekend and he had three beautiful extension saves for the first time. The first made a shut out possible (only the second shut out he's really earned by saves as opposed to teams not being able to take SOG)...it was way across almost near the post banged from the top of the PK area...power step was weak but the dive itself was otherwise perfect. Second was a rebound save off of a DFK rebound....he got to his feet quickly after the first save and then extended for a secondary save winning the game for his team (since otherwise it would have been a tie). Third was a beautiful save but sadly went to an uncovered striker who nailed it in for the game winning score. Still was amazed to see it, and surprised by the height in his dives given he's only just started with the technique. Very proud!
