Hard day at yesterday’s goalkeeper training session with the club. Around 30°C (mid-80s °F) and the sun was absolutely relentless — we were even sitting under umbrellas in the stands just to get some shade. Really tough conditions for the kids to stay focused and sharp, but they still gave it a go. Here’s a clip from one of the drills 👇

When choosing gloves which do you prefer I bought Kians first j4k pair black and white classic and simple Kian just got to choose a new pair and he has gone the brightest there is The bionic bright pink and bright yellow In not sure they will go with his baby pink kit but he doesn’t care! Do you try match?

Here is a video I made showing two movements/exercises that need to be ON POINT for goalkeepers to be effective in the position, and they are the hinge and the plank (which would also include the push up). Many athletes I work with have significant difficulty with what I refer to as "foundational movement patterns" and this contributes to restrictions in their overall performance as well as the development of pain conditions/injury. The solution is typically quite simple once you uncover the key factors causing the movement restrictions. Have a look and let me know what you think in the comments including ideas for future videos to help. If there's enough interest I can look at putting together an online class to teach some basic workout progressions folks can put to use! Just let me know! https://youtu.be/Wp9joi0kLnw

It’s funny to think that not long ago I came across a random sponsorship ad on social media — Instagram or Facebook, I don’t even remember which — and who would’ve thought it would lead me to a community like this. I actually held off posting last week because it more or less coincided with @Xavier Stark hitting 100,000 points — and rightly so, that was his moment, not mine. But now that a bit of time has passed, I just wanted to say it. More than anything, a big thanks to everyone here for the warm welcome from day one — and especially to @Ray Newland for building this community in the first place. I genuinely enjoy being part of this forum — sharing my son journey (and mine… although there’s a lot less progress on my side 😅), reading your posts and experiences, and jumping in to support where I can. And if I can contribute anything, it’s just my small grain of sand — based on experience and, every now and then, a bit of common sense… which, as they say, isn’t always that common. Thanks everyone

Preston is off to the ESF Festival of Football Tournament at Butlin's in Skegness next week. His current favourite Gloves are still looking good but he wanted to take an extra spare pair. Not a problem, He watched the Video and read the instructions and away he went. Quick Guide: Pre Wash: Before you even wear your gloves, you should soak your gloves for a few hours in a bowl of water, with NO chemicals, just water. This dissolves the invisible film that protects new gloves, and will make your gloves ready for action. Let your gloves dry naturally, with NO direct light from the sun, and NEVER tumble dry. Dampen Your Gloves While Using: This is so SO important and were a lot of keepers (and parents) get this wrong. You MUST dampen your gloves before you start your game/training AND keep the gloves damp throughout, until you have finished. If you wear your goalkeeper gloves dry, especially on dry surfaces, your gloves might not even last a full game. So it is vital to keep your gloves damp throughout. Wash Straight After Use: Another massive mistake keepers make is after they use their gloves, they put in their kit bag dirty and do not take them out again until next use. So in the meantime, all the dirt on the glove will eat away at the soft latex. So it is important to wash your goalkeeper gloves as soon as you can! Store And Dry Correctly: You must NOT dry your gloves on a heater or leave in direct sunlight, otherwise the latex might go hard, and will render the palm useless. You must dry at room temperature out of direct sunlight. Glove wear and tear is normal on every glove, and in fact you will notice wear and tear more or less immediately on your glove palms. Do not worry about this, please remember the glove palm is a very soft latex, so will wear with every usage. However even though you will see wear and tear, the glove palm will retain its grip, even when the palm latex is well and truly worn.