Manuel Neuer: captain at FC Bayern, captain of the national team and record goalkeeper in the Bundesliga — no one else has played so many games without conceding a goal. Clearly, he is an absolutely exceptional talent and an exceptional sportsman. There is a lot of work behind his success, but also a very special coach: Toni Tapalovic.
The two got to know each other as players in Gelsenkirchen. However, Tapalovic's own active goalkeeping career was characterized by injuries, long breaks and setbacks.
And his goalkeeping career also got off to a rather unusual start: He joined FC Bayern in the 2011/12 season — and without coaching experience at the highest level. Before that, he had only coached young talent at Schalke.
But when a new player was signed at FC Bayern, he suggested his friend and mentor Tapalovic as the new goalkeeping coach. And he was able to convince former head coach Jupp Heynckes of himself - also with his special philosophy: Tapalovic says the goalkeeper should be the 11th field player. And you can see what he means by that when you watch Manuel Neuer playing.
Neuer has perfectly internalized Tapalovic's philosophy and is putting it into practice. The fact that this worked so well is also due to interpersonal relationships: Tapalovic describes the relationship between himself and Neuer as unique. He once said in an interview that the two can communicate without words. One look is often enough and both know exactly what is meant.
This special and close personal relationship is part of Tapalovic's coaching concept. He also tries to build something like this into the young keepers he supervises. Because for his protégés to trust him blindly, there must also be a kind of friendship, says the goalkeeping coach.
Especially for people who have always seen their place in soccer in goal, it can be interesting after their active career to continue in exactly this area and pass on their own experience and passion as a goalkeeper coach. Especially because goalkeeping training must differ significantly from the training of the rest of the team. And the trainer must first learn to make this meaningful and effective.
That is why there is special goalkeeper trainer training at the DFB. It consists of three major parts, which build on each other: The advanced goalkeeper course, the B-license and the A-license. Depending on how far you want to go and how professionally you want to do goalkeeper training, you can therefore train yourself several times and thus create the conditions for the next career step.
This is, so to speak, the start of a professional career as a goalkeeper trainer. There are therefore several admission requirements and a clearly defined application process for the limited places in the course. The most important requirement is:
You must have already gained experience as a soccer coach and especially in the area of goalkeeper training. This is because the advanced course does not impart basic knowledge. It is about professional work among people who are already well versed in this area.
The aim is to use the accumulated experience of goalkeeping coaches*to back up with expertise and to deepen existing knowledge. Applicants for the advanced goalkeeper course must therefore either have a valid trainer B license from the DFB, or a trainer C license in combination with the basic course for goalkeeping coaches (The basic courses are each organized by the responsible national association). And they must be able to prove that they have already worked as goalkeeping coaches.
In addition, an extended police certificate of good conduct and a medical certificate of fitness for sport are required for the advanced course. Applicants must prove that they are members of a club that itself belongs to the DFB and they must write a curriculum vitae that also describes their sporting career.
In addition, they must conclude an arbitration agreement with the DFB and agree to its statutes. For more information on exactly how the application process works, visit the DFB website.
The advanced goalkeeper course is organized by the DFB and focuses on the following:
Jörg Daniel is coordinator and sports director of the DFB talent promotion program and trainer trainer. He has helped shape the current system of goalkeeper trainer training at the DFB and has taken the special requirements for keepers in soccer as a starting point: As far as athletics is concerned, they must be well trained in the areas of speed, jumping power and arm and shoulder strength.
They must also have outstanding coordination skills, use their entire body in the game and be equally strong on both sides (i.e. they must not have a “favorite side”). But the very decisive point for Keeper is the psyche. You must be mentally strong and be able to make a decision within a fraction of a second.
It is now also clear why the DFB has its own goalkeeper trainer training. In order to be able to train and promote these specific skills among keepers, the goalkeeping trainer (s) must also*receive special training.
As part of the advanced goalkeeper course, five or six top specialists are therefore invited to lead the training — for example sports psychologists or athletic experts from science.
The advanced goalkeeper course costs around 300 euros and consists of 40 learning units — this corresponds to a one-week course. It is offered at several sports schools in Germany. Anyone who has successfully completed the course can work as a goalkeeper trainer for amateur teams or for national associations.
If you also have a Trainer B license, you can also be deployed at the DFB base. Above all, you will have a better understanding of how successful goalkeeper training should be designed.
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The next level is the goalkeeper B license. It comprises 80 learning units and lasts half a year. The training consists of several theory and practice modules and work in one's own association. At the end, the goalkeeping coaches pass a test.
The aim of the training is for trainers to further deepen their knowledge and competencies and to be able to work well, especially at an advanced amateur and performance level. With the Goalkeeper B license, goalkeeping coaches can*carry out their work full-time in an association or in a performance center.
The formal requirements for the goalkeeper B license are the same as for the advanced course, but this training is aimed at people who are already actively working as goalkeeping coaches. That's why there are a few special admission requirements here:
Applicants must have at least a Trainer C license, they must have completed the advanced goalkeeper course and then have worked as goalkeeping coaches for at least two years. At least one year of this must have been completed in a higher-class club. That means:
Applicants must also*inside prove that they have a contract for the duration of their training and are engaged as goalkeeping coaches in a club. This should ensure that they can also implement and practice the content they have learned directly in practical work in the association.
The main content of goalkeeper B training is:
The latest scientific findings are used and existing knowledge is further deepened. So it's about learning how to put the finishing touches on good keepers, so to speak, and take them to the next level. The content goes far beyond the question of what good goalkeeper training should look like.
An example:
The goalkeeper B license recently added training on the topic of “neuroathletics”. As a result, participants should learn to conduct strategic, neuro-centered training specifically for soccer keepers. The reason is that keepers must be extremely responsive and need a long attention span. And this also depends on the nervous system and its functionality. It is therefore important to keep an eye on the neural system and its special features when training.
This is the highest license specifically for goalkeeping coaches. The focus here is on working with keepers who are already absolute professionals in their field. In order to push them to further top performances, you have to take on the role of a special coach and become much more individual with the keeper as an athlete*engage in and also as a person. At this level, it is no longer about teaching specific techniques, but about working together in detail with a view to a specific goal.
Goalkeeper A training consists of 120 learning units and lasts eight months. It is divided into several phases. This includes working in the local club, attendance phases at the sports school and, at the end, an examination.
Normally, only 16 participants are admitted per course. If you want to get the Goalkeeper A license, you need at least a Trainer B license and also a valid Goalkeeper B license.
And practical experience is also very important here: Since the start of your goalkeeper B license, you must have worked as a goalkeeper coach in a soccer club for at least two years — either:
And here, too, the following applies: You must have a contract in one of these areas for the duration of goalkeeper A training.
With each additional license level, the requirements for goalkeeping coaches are becoming ever higher. That is why there are currently relatively few coaches in Germany with a goalkeeper A license. And especially at the beginning, this path can hardly seem feasible. But if you have a career as a goalkeeping coach*In find interesting, don't be put off by that. The knowledge and skills come automatically with work and experience, and you will continue to develop yourself over the course of your job.
The only important thing is that you always try to give exactly the best training that is possible for you at the moment. Over time, you will also develop a close relationship with your keepers and working together will help you both move forward.
Manuel Neuer, for example, said last year as a reason for his contract extension with FC Bayern that it was important to him to be able to continue working with his goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic. This kind of relationship between keeper and coach should be your goal — that's when your career as a goalkeeping coach in soccer runs almost by itself.
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