Following on from their involvement with Hibernian FC Green Shoots programme for the last 5 years, Last Line can announce that they have recently also gone into partnership with Falkirk FC through their Falkirk in the Community programme. Full details can be found on the Falkirk in the Community website:

http://www.falkirkfcf.co.uk/goalkeeping-classes-34-c.asp

Earlier that week, the scorer of the 6th goal in the famous 6-2 derby win, signed for the Edinburgh East of Scotland side meaning Andy lining up alongside his boyhood hero.

Over 700 people turned out to watch the EoS team attempt to progress to the next round of the competition but even the trickery of the Soca Warriors legend was not enough to prevent them going down 1-0.

Anyone wanting to see Latapy play competitive football once more has until January to catch up with him at City. We are sure Andy will appreciate the support too.

It is not unusual to see two Last Liners keep goal at either side of a competitive cup match. However, last weekend saw a bit of Last Line history being made. On Saturday the 17th September 2011,  Edinbugh City Seniors took on Coldstream, which meant Coach Andy vs Last Line pupil, Kerr McLernon, who had been called up to the Coldstream senior squad.

The end result was a 7-2 victory to Edinburgh City. Despite the scoreline, Coach Andy applauded Kerr’s solid performance in what was a difficult game for any keeper.Will we begin to see more Last Line encounters like these? Time will tell…

Congratulations to Coach Andy and Edinburgh City on progressing through to the next round of the cup, and commiserations to Kerr and Coldstrem on the defeat.

Today has seen some fairly horrendous goalkeeping errors by such as Allan McGregor of Rangers (pictured) and Pepe Reina of Liverpool. The Scotland international stopper let a ball slip through his legs as he went to collect a fairly straightforward shot on goal – resulting in a goal and Celtic going ahead in the Old Firm derby. It was “school boy stuff” (continuing the theme of tabloid type expressions).

Not long after that, the Spanish international keeper spilled a ball back into the path of Adebayor in an uncharacteristic error that saw Liverpool concede a third goal at White Hart Lane against Spurs.

McGregor was to be allowed “out of jail” by the forward line performances of Kyle Lafferty and Steven Naismith and his mistake ultimately did not cost his side the game. Rangers went on to win the Old Firm game but McGregor will be a relieved man. Reina’s mistake also did not cost Liverpool their game. The Anfield side lost 4-0 to Spurs in the main due to Charlie Adam AND Martin Skrtel getting themselves sent off and Liverpool playing the last half hour of the match with only 9 men. Nonetheless, Reina will not be happy about the manner in which he lost the third goal.

So what is this article all about? Is Last Line not a firm member of the Goalkeeping Union any more?

Of course they are! And that is why we thought we would share with you the thoughts of Hibernian goalkeeper Graham Stack on seeing these blunders on television like the rest of us. Stack regularly “tweets” or comments on line. He is not afraid to put his hands up if he gets it wrong but he will also comment sensibly on others. When questioned today by another online football fan about the mistake by McGregor, the Hibs keeper quickly put everything into perspective…

“It happens pal, nature of being a keeper, just the best ones make the fewest (mistakes)!”

In that one online comment the Hibernian stopper summed things up. ALL keepers will make mistakes. It happens. The important thing is to a) move on quickly from them as you still have a game to complete b) reflect on them sensibly afterwards in order that you can consider what you might do differently in future – learn from things you do and c) work towards minimising the errors in the long term.

There is no such thing as the perfect keeper. There never will be. You can only play the game in as professional manner as possible and work hard on the three aspects described above. Making mistakes today does not mean McGregor is suddenly a dud. Nor does it mean Reina is either. The latter is arguably the most consistent stopper in the Premiership, the former has bailed Rangers and Scotland out on umpteen occasions. The management around them will hopefully remind everyone that this is the case.

Even if the papers probably won’t!

The days when professional players tackled a steak before a game, in the misguided belief that it would aid strength and fitness, are long gone. Much attention is now devoted to ensuring athletes take in the right food and drink. Nowadays, getting it right can make the difference between winning and losing.

Food is the body’s fuel, providing the energy to allow muscles to work. Without food and drink the body cannot function. Without the right foods there is no energy. Without petrol, the car will stop. Poor quality fuel will leave the car working inefficiently. So, lack of food or poor quality food will cause footballers to under-perform.

The Right Foods For Footballers

In general, the body’s energy supply comes from the three main types of foods – proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Fatty foods contain the most energy but are useless as an energy source during the high-intensity activities associated with football (e.g. sprinting). They can only used during lower intensity aerobic exercises such as jogging.

Carbohydrate foods contain energy which can be used to fuel the muscles for prolonged aerobic activities and for shorter anaerobic activities such as sprinting. Therefore, carbohydrate foods are ideal energy sources for footballers.

Protein foods are used by the body as energy sources usually after 45 minutes of exercise. Again, this is ideal for footballers.

The Importance of Carbohydrates

Research shows professional outfield players run about 5-8 miles in a game and are in personal posession of the ball for a total of only of 3 minutes. As a result they use up huge amounts of carbohydrate energy. These carbohydrates must be replaced after the match – the sooner the better. However, in the two days prior to a match, professional footballers increase the amount of carbohydrates they eat. In this way, their muscles are fully prepared for the exercise which lies ahead. Goalkeepers may not run as far or appear to the untrained eye to use up the same amount of energy but do not underestimate the energy needed to make saves, take cross balls, come off your line quickly or get back on your feet sharply.

Drinks

Is is very easy to dehydrate as a result of exercise especially during the summer months. However, relacing lost fluids is not a simple matter;

Drinks which are very fizzy, or very cold should not be drunk during periods of exercise as they often lead to stomach pains. Also, drinking great quantites at one go should be avoided for the same reasons – `little and often’ is a good rule. Well-known sports drinks like Isotar, Gatorade and Lucosade Sport are ideal to take during exercise as is plain water. Carbohydrate drinks such as Coca-Cola, Lucozade and Orange Barley contain too much carbohydrates to be taken during exercise but are ideal afterwards.

Diet, Food and Drink for Footballers

Sport nutrition, diet or food and drink, for footballers players is becoming increasingly scientific and recognised for its importance in the game of football. Almost every professional club will have a nutritionist or similar expert advisor for their team.

Why is sport nutrition or diet important in football?

Food provides us with energy for our muscles, brain and other organs. Football requires plenty of exercise, and therefore it is important to have energy available to us during the game. The energy available to us at any particular time depends on our blood sugar levels .

If we over-eat, we become over-weight. The heavier we are, the more work our muscles have to do to take us the same distance. This reduces our stamina, and our ability to accelerate quickly. If we under-eat, we can become weak and our overall health can decline, because we are not getting enough nutrients.

A healthy diet improves our general level of health, and can help us recover more quickly from injuries.

Along with a program of fitness training, our diet can help us develop stamina and improve athletic performance.

Diet is essential for our growth, and development.

Easy Steps to Improve Your Diet

Eat breakfast. This is the most important meal of the day, so it should not be skipped.

Reduce the amount of coffee, tea and cola that you drink, and replace them with water, fruit juice or other healthy drinks.

Eat healthier snacks. Eat carrots, dry breakfast cereal, nuts, rice cakes, rye, crisp breads, bagels or toast rather than crisps, chocolate bars and sweets.

Reduce sugary foods, for example by eliminating sugar from tea, coffee and breakfast cereal.

Reduce your intake of fatty foods. For example, reduce the amount of butter, margarine, fatty meat, beef burgers, chips and crisps that you eat.

Drink plenty of fluids before a match, at half-time and after the match, particularly in hot, humid weather.

Avoid sugary snacks immediately before the start of a match. Fruit, such as bananas, or other carbohydrate-rich snacks are better. Avoid over-eating before a match.

Replace fluids, salts and carbohydrates that you have used during the match (see below).

Recovery After A Match

Here are four tips to help you recover from a hard match or training session.Rest, and make sure you have enough sleep.

Replace your body salts by eating. Most foods naturally contain salts, but fruit juices are particularly good choices, and these will also replace fluids.

Replace your body carbohydrates by eating

carbohydrate-rich foods within two hours after a match or training session.Drink plenty of fluids to replace those lost through sweat.

Summary – General Dos and Donts:

• Cut down on fatty foods such as chips, crisps and fried food.
• Cut down on red meat, pasties, pies and sausage rolls.
• Replace ‘simple’ carbohydrates like sweets, biscuits and cakes with fruit.
• Eat more ‘complex’ carbohydrate foods such as bread, pasta, rice, vegetables and cerials.
• Don’t eat immediately before a match or training. Allow time for the food to be digested.
• Don’t play on an empty stomach.
• Don’t delay eating after taking exercise. Try to eat within 2 hours.

A young athletes diet should be based around high carbohydrate foods, where 60% of the total energy intake should be from carbohydrate sources, between 12-15% from protein, and 25-30% from fat. The carbohydrate intake should be modified if a player is injured or ill, to around 50% of total energy intake. Young footballers who are training regularly should have a daily target of 8-10g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight (e.g. player with 40kg of body weight = 40 x 8g = 320 g per day.

A diet that is high in carbohydrate and fluids, moderate in protein and low in fat will give athletes enough calories and nutrients to grow, train and compete. Below are some suggestions of recommended meals and snacks and foods to avoid before, during, and after games.

Guidelines for water
All athletes should drink water before, during, and after exercise.
Before exercise: Drink 10-14 ounces cold water 1-2 hours before game. Drink 10 oz of cold water 10-15 min. before activity.
During exercise: Drink 3-4 oz of cold water every 15 minutes.
After exercise: Drink as much cold water as needed to quench thirst.
N.B. – Thirst does not indicate when an athlete needs to re-hydrate, if an athlete is thirsty then they are already de-hydrated, the trick is to monitor your consumption to avoid dehydration and thirst.

 

Between game snacks
Low fat cheese, peanut butter with saltine crackers Yogurt with bananas, apples, pears, nectarines, oranges, Frozen yogurt, milk, pudding, pretzels, Italian bread with low fat cheese or margarine.

For the goalkeeper, a penalty-kick really is a no-lose situation. The keeper is not expected to make the save, so the pressure is on the player taking the spot kick…but there are tricks a goalkeeper can use to increase their odds of making the save.

The days of guessing the right way and taking a dive are outdated. The goalkeeper should be encouraged to learn to “read” the body language of the penalty taker in order to try to predict where the ball is going.  It should be remembered at all times though that although picking the correct direction of the shot it doesn’t always mean the keeper can make the save what it does is give them a head start.

Reading the Penalty

• Watch the penalty taker’s eyes and overall demeanour. Often they will give away small clues before they are ever ready to shoot, like peeking at the corner they are aiming for.
• Watch the approach. Is it straight on, or wide? A very wide approach often indicates the penalty taker is going towards the opposite corner. A straight-on approach gives fewer clues.
• Watch the planted foot. The ball will go where the planted foot points.
• Watch the hips. The ball goes where the hips point. A “push pass” shot will require the hips to open up in the direction the ball is going.
• Watch the head. If the penalty taker drops their head low with a big pull-back of the leg, it usually means a cross-body shot. If the head stays up more, it can mean the penalty taker will stay open to push the ball to the opposite corner.
• Don’t react too soon. Use the cues above to predict where the ball might go, and be ready to go that way, but wait a split second to be sure it really is going there. The keeper might think one direction based on the shooter’s eyes and approach, but the plant foot and hips may tell a different story just before the ball is struck.

General Tendencies

A study done of all the penalties taken in the 1998 World Cup (including shootouts) noted that almost 70% of the kicks taken went to the opposite side from the kicker’s dominant foot. This is the natural swing of the foot across the body; it is difficult to put the ball to the other corner with an instep kick. So, if all else fails, the keeper should go right for a right-footed kicker and left for a left footer.

Don’t Act, React

The goalkeeper should also react quickly, but not too quickly. Many penalties, especially at the youth level, are poorly taken – either weakly hit or right down the middle. Often the goalkeeper can easily make the save if they just wait and simply react to the shot.

Due to the heavy rain that has fallen in the last 24 hours and the forecast that further showers – thankfully lighter – are due tomorrow, we have taken the step to contact Peffermill and change the surface of our training session tomorrow night.

All seniors who have been contacted with information about starting their 2011-12 Friday sessions tomorrow should come equipped to train on the all weather pitches at Peffermill. No studs people – and lots of sensible training gear.

We look forward to seeing you then…

At every summer camp Last Line hand out one of our own water bottles along with a Last Line training top. Some may see the bottle as a nice wee extra, others glad to have something to put a drink in for the long week of training. However, our coaches are only too well aware of the importance of water to the performance of young goalkeepers – and all athletes – on the training park and playing field alike.

Dehydration is a major issue for any sportsperson. You may think being dehydrated is something you see marathon runners suffering from after 26 miles of running or something your pet dog gets when its a hot and sunny day. However, dehydration occurs long before you see such obvious outward symptoms in an individual and the impact it can have can be significant:

Hydration for Goalkeepers
 

Fluid (water) is important for goalkeepers

• To replace water lost through sweating
• To avoid decreases in performance due to dehydration
• To help maintain core body temperature
• To deliver carbohydrate during prolonged exercise
• To provide electrolytes lost through sweat.

Effects of Dehydration due to loss of fluids from sweating

• 2% dehydration results in a 10% drop in cognitive ability (how your brain works affecting your thinking, reactions, reflexes during games)
  
• 4% dehydration results in muscular work decline (your ability to perform throughout the course of the game)
  

• 5% dehydration results in Heat Exhaustion occuring

Branded isotonic drinks and other fluids labelled “sports drinks” are marketed at impressionable youngsters and advertised by their heroes. However, water from a tap is widely recognised by sports physiologists and nutrionists as being the best way to keep your body hydrated – and its free!

A common reaction to drinking water is to wait until you are thirsty. This is a signicant mistake as the body is already dehydrated by the time thirst is apparent. Thirst sensation is triggered by a high concentration of sodium (from salt) in the blood. When you sweat water is lost from the blood so the remaining blood becomes more concentrated with sodium.

Rehydration

Scientists have discovered that the total amount of water lost each day is approximately two litres in non-active adults in cool environments. Although the daily minimum requirement is about 8-10 cups just to maintain efficient bodily functions, regular exercise and hot/humid weather compounds the need to increase fluid intake. This brief table reflects the differences in fluid requirements brought on by activity and environment:

Person Environment Fluid replacement (daily)
Sedentary cool 2-3 litres
Active cool 3-6 litres
Sedentary warm 3-5 litres
Active warm 5-10 litres

To consume this much water on a daily basis may seem daunting. However, try to drink water continuously in small amounts as the process of re-hydration can be very slow.

Fluid intake before exercise or a fitness competition

Keepers should drink adequate fluids throughout the 24 hours prior to an event or workout. They should start drinking early, and at regular intervals, in order to consume water at a rate sufficient to replace that which will be lost through sweating.

Fluid intake during exercise

Fluids consumed should be cooler than ambient temperature as this ensures more rapid absorption through the stomach into the body. If a game is greater than an hour long then isotonic sports drinks can be useful in this situation.

Fluid intake after exercise

It is difficult to completely replace all of the water lost during exercise. Generally speaking, individuals lose between 0.5 and 1.5 litres of sweat in 1 hour of exercise. In the majority of cases, the average person is definitely dehydrated when he/she has finished exercising. Try to consume 8-10 ounces every 15 minutes after exercise.

Types of drink

Remember that soft drinks have no nutritional value whatsoever, except to provide around 150+ calories of sugar! This sugar may temporarily refuel the muscles with carbohydrates, but the natural sugars in fruit juices perform the same task and also replace the potassium lost in sweat. Juices with Vitamin C, a healing and antioxidant nutrient, will promote more efficient post exercise recovery and reduce muscle soreness. Sports drinks are good during a long workout because their low carbohydrate levels are easier to absorb. After exercise slightly diluted juice or water are your best choices.

We would encourage all of our keepers to try to increase their water intake. You will be very surprised at how much better you will feel and perform just by drinking more water. That is why we distribute water bottles to all of our keepers at the summer pre-season training camp…get using them and feel the benefit!

Our weekly goalkeeping school starts up again this Friday evening at Peffermill Playing Fields, Edinburgh. Our Seniors will kick off the new season with the first session, followed by the Junior keepers’ session on Friday August 19th.

If you have already booked your place at Last Line for the coming season, we will be in touch with details of your grouping and training times. If you have still to renew your place at the school and are intending doing so please contact Brian as soon as possible so that we can plan and organise appropriate groupings accordingly.

If you are new to Last Line and are interested in coming along for a taster session please contact us using the details on this website – come along and see what we do. No commitment up front is required.

Kick off the new season in the best state of preparedness at Last Line!