087-088: Coaching Female Keepers with Dave Latourette

For 30 years, Dave Latourette has been teaching and training goalkeepers – and endurance athletes – to reach peak levels of performance. These have included men and women, boys and girls, youth players through elite college athletes, all the way from Eastern Connecticut to Northern California. On this week’s episode, the Santa Rosa Bear Cubs Associate Head Coach and Director of Goalkeeping for Santa Rosa United turns his attention specifically to the female goalkeeper.

While it is important to evaluate and address every athlete individually, Dave examines the differences that typically begin to emerge among our young male and female keepers, notably in the areas of size, strength and explosiveness. He also discusses methods for overcoming deficiencies, and why comparatively smaller hands, a smaller stature and a smaller vertical can often benefit the development of other areas, like positioning and communication.

In Part I, Dave addresses the importance of the topic and begins with our youngest goalkeepers. Are there differences between male and female goalkeepers? And are they significant enough to alter a coach’s training approach and game strategy?

In Part II, we move to more specific and more nuanced discussions. At the college and elite youth levels, how will the attacking play faced by our girls differ from that of our boys? What role can strength training play in their development? What injuries are women and girls more susceptible to, and how can we prevent them? And what other sports will serve them well on the soccer pitch?

There’s a lot to consider and plenty of actionable advice. I hope you enjoy it.

Special thanks to Dave Latourette for joining me!