Abukari Damba reveals secrets to becoming a successful goalkeepers’ coach

• Abukari Damba says goalkeepers’ trainers should not limit themselves to goalkeeping alone

• He says it is important that the gather knowledge about other departments of the game

• He also want them to build special bonds with players

Former Black Stars goalkeepers’ trainer, Abukari Damba has disclosed that to become a successful goalkeepers’ coach, one ought to have knowledge in general coaching.

Damba stated in a GhanaWeb interview that it is important for goalkeepers’ trainers to acquire knowledge in the training of outfield players as that helps them understand the game better.

He averred that with the changing trends of goalkeeping where keepers are now required to play functionally by contributing to attacking play, trainers need to have knowledge on the various passing routines and positions so as to impart same to their trainees.

Damba admitted that thought goalkeeping is his area of specialization, he has taken general coaching courses and is able to handle outfield players and not just goalkeepers.

“I was once a goalkeeper and I specialized in goalkeeping but now I’m a full-fledged general coach. If you want to be a very good goalkeepers’ trainer, you must have knowledge in general coaching.

“You must understand strategy, you must understand plan and must understand system of play because football is functional and goalkeepers are part of the game. In as much as I’m a specialist in the goalkeeping department, I juxtapose that against the totality of the game. I deal with the functional aspect of goalkeepers as well.”

Damba also revealed that he is the head of a project by the Ghana chapter of the Professional Football Association (PFA) to train players who are currently club-less.

He noted that the objective of the initiative is to ensure that the players are active and do not get rusty as they work on getting new contracts.

He disclosed that there more than forty players on his books with nearly fifteen being goalkeepers.

“I deal with out of contract goalkeepers as well as out of contract players, both male and female. I don’t do only goalkeepers but outfield players. I teach them how to do the build up with slow play and how to do it long to locate a striker upfront. I do complete academic training,” he told host of GhanaWeb’s Sports Check program.