Ever wonder what it takes to be a goalkeeper? Not sure if you’ve got the skills and mentality to be a No 1? She Kicks speaks to Bristol Academy’s Mary Earps to shed some light on life as a Keeper!
SK: Mary, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. How are you settling in at Bristol?
ME: I’m really enjoying the season with Bristol so far – the girls, staff and fans have been very welcoming, which has made the move a lot easier. It’s great to be playing every week and I’m really excited for the rest of the season, especially when I have finished my University work for this year and can focus a 100% on football.
SK: Why did you want to become a goalkeeper and who are your role models?
ME: I saved a penalty in one of my first ever games, and then never looked back! I would say I look up to a number of different goalkeepers for different reasons – Joe Hart has great all-round technique, Pepe Reina’s distribution is faultless, and Iker Casillas is fearless in 1v1 situations, but I wouldn’t mind being half as good as either one of them!
SK: What do you think are your strengths a goalkeeper?
ME: I like to think that I distribute the ball out from the back as much as possible. I also feel that my handling and pitch presence have been important parts of my game.
SK: How have your training methods changed over the years and why – can you explain the different phases of training throughout your development, perhaps coming through the different age groups?
ME: Over the years, I’ve been exposed to many different and both good and bad experiences, environments and coaching techniques.
As you mature and the more you train, the more you understand how you can get the best out of yourself, for example, what training programmes, drills and environments work best for you – what works for others may not work for you, and vice versa.
It’s important to find the balance between working on your weaknesses and building on your strengths, continuously pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone in order to improve. A key thing to realise is that every time you step on the pitch is an opportunity to progress, whether it be for a game or a training session, it’s important to always try your best and work as hard as you can.
SK: Does pre-season training differ from in-season training and does your England programme fit around or dovetail with your club training?
ME: Obviously in pre-season there is more of a fitness focus, to make sure you’re physically ready for the season ahead. Other than that, you continue to work on your weaknesses and build on your strengths, so it’s similar to training all year round – particularly as fitness work also occurs all year round! My individual training programme is based on guidance from many different coaches, at both club and country, to ensure I have the right training balance and to push me to improve.
SK: Are there specific areas of your game that you focus on in the lead up to a game and may you sometimes work on a particular goalkeeping skill depending on a particular opponent?
ME: If I feel that there is something specific that I can work on to counter the strengths of the opposition, or equally exploit a weakness, then I will most definitely incorporate that in my training leading up to the game. In my opinion, it’s all about confidence – you should do whatever it takes/whatever you need to do to put you in the right frame of mind, where you believe you’re going to go out and put in a solid individual performance to help the team keep a clean sheet and ultimately win the game.
SK: On the 7th June this year, you’ll be supporting an event organised by Reactions GK that will help girls aged 7-16 with goalkeeper specific coaching. How old were you when you first received goalkeeper specific training and how important is it to have this?
ME: In all honesty, I didn’t receive regular goalkeeper coaching until I moved to Leicester City WFC when I was 14, which is quite late to start developing a young ‘keeper! Goalkeepers are often overlooked, but it is very important for the individual’s progression to receive adequate GK training and should not be underestimated.
SK: What is your favourite goalkeeping specific drill?
ME: I enjoy handling drills, as there is nothing like the sound and feeling of catching the ball cleanly.
SK: Mary, thanks for your time and good luck for the remainder of the season.
Mary will be appearing at the Reactions Goalkeeper Coaching GIRLS ONLY event on Saturday 7th June from 11am to 2pm at Royal Society of Academy Arts, Tipton, West Midlands DY4 0BZ.
If you are interested in attending the event please email Eddie at info@reactionsgk.co.uk or call 07973 618 169 for more details. For more information you can visit: www.reactionsgk.co.uk or send a tweet to Mary – @1MaryEarps.
Photo – TheFA.com
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