Paul Clements discusses an average week for Huddersfield Town’s goalkeepers
- Paul Clements talks supporters through a normal week for goalkeepers
- Head of Goalkeeping on why the ‘keepers work harder at the start of the week
- Listen to his full interview below on #HTTV
Htafc.com chatted to Head of Goalkeeping Paul Clements for an exclusive insight into what an average week, outside of isolation, looks like for the Huddersfield Town four First Team keepers.
A key part of any footballer’s week is the preparation for the games ahead, the work done at the training ground, and at home, to physically and mentally prepare them for the upcoming match.
Paul Clements’ style of training consists of a six-week cycle that covers all aspects of goalkeeping. Every week there are three main themes to focus on, and ‘Clem’ talked us through an average week.
Monday
The start of a new week, and a chance to build on the weekend’s performance.
“Monday’s are where everyone is on the grass, even Jonas or Kamil if they’ve played.
“We’re working through a theme, but obviously because we’ve just had a game at the weekend, we’re building up for the week of hard training ahead.”
Tuesday - Wednesday
Big training days for the Terriers’ goalkeepers where skills are learnt and developed, keeping to the specific themes that Clem is focusing on for that week.
“We have long, hard sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday working with those three main themes in mind.
“As an example, if we were doing a session on one v ones and blocks, we would start in the gym for pre-activation. This is based around the muscle groups they’re going to be using and the positions they’re going to be in, so when they come out on the grass with me, they’re ready to train.
“We would then do a technical warm-up, which would consist of practicing their blocking shapes and getting their heart rate going while practicing their technique.
“Then we go straight into a themed practice, repeating the same scenario, for example, when someone breaks the line and the ‘keeper has to get involved.
“We have discussions about it and try to create problems for the ‘keepers in order to make it hard and get them to find solutions so they get into good habits that they’ll do on a Saturday.
“Towards the end of the session, I’ll create a load of different situations that they’ll have to think about at once and hopefully what we’ve specifically worked on in that session starts to come out.”
Thursday
Otherwise known as ‘Individual Specifics’, this is when the weekly schedule of Town’s goalkeepers begins to alter from one another, as it allows them to choose what they’d like to do, as Clem explains below.
“If you’re Jonas Lössl, who’s over 30 and needs a rest because you’ve had a really big week, then you have the day off and rest at home.
“If you’re a young ‘keeper who is still developing, then you might come in and do some work just on your specific skills, it’s all about the individual ‘keeper’s wants and needs.”
Friday
As the weekend’s fixture draws closer, both mental and physical preparation are key.
The ‘keepers ensure that their bodies are feeling good and ready for the match ahead, as any inconsistencies could lead to a poor performance or risk injury.
“Friday’s are very much about maintenance really, just making sure that the players feel really good, so that they are comfortable making saves on match day.”
The different needs of a goalkeeper…
Clem discussed some of the differences between the needs of the goalkeepers to that of their outfield teammates.
“Goalkeepers are power athletes, whereas the outfield players are more endurance-based athletes, so their training in the gym is much different to ours.
“I’d say that goalkeeper’s train longer and have more gym sessions after training out on the pitch.”
Nutrition is also a vital part of a footballer’s schedule - managing what they eat in order to control their calorie intake based on the amount of physical activity they will be doing.
“Goalkeepers eat less before the game compared to other players and then eat more at the front end of the week as that’s where our harder days of training lie.”
Clem also gave an exclusive interview with htafc.com on how delighted he is with his current goalkeeping group, CLICK HERE.
You can listen to the full interview below on #HTTV!
