A step closer to GKHeroTV, a sneak preview of a new glove, and news of a fun weekend in the Brain household

This week we’ve received yet more auditions from goalkeepers who want to get involved with GKHeroTV. The volume of interest the project has generated has easily surpassed my expectations, as had the quality of the majority of the videos we’ve received. I’ve been writing some guidance notes for our reviewers and as soon as I’ve got a replacement toner cartridge, these notes will be printed and wil accompany the first batch of reviewers’ products we’re distributing. After exploring a number of options and carefully considering the pros and cons of each, I have decided to launch GKHeroTV as a YouTube Channel, at youtube.com/GKHeroTV, although video reviews will also be accessible directly through Facebook and Twitter.

This week I’ve also been fortunate enough to get a sneak peak of the HPG’s 2012 glove stencil, and I’ll be providing some feedback to the brand’s owner, Tony Caig, in the next couple of days. For those of you who have recently taken advantage of our special offer on their 2011 range and have experienced the quality HPG produce, I know you’ll be blown away by the 2012 release.

A digitally re-mastered version of MINDSi’s Eye on the Ball goalkeeping performance aid is now available this was received by the first of our customers this week.

This weekend has been a really nice one for the Brain household, having witnessed the first birthday of our youngest son, Alex. I often take the opportunity when writing this blog to reflect on how quickly GKHero is growing and developing, but it really does pale into insignificance when compared to witnessing how rapidly a little person not only grows but absorbs everything around them and forms their own view of the world.

Chris

New and half-price gloves, working with us, and how Paul Rachubka might still be Leeds’ first choice but for £15

I’m writing this week’s blog after another busy week (cue the comparison with a broken record) and around a month after the launch of the new and improved GKHero.com.

On the product front, we added F-Line’s Ultima glove to our ever-increasing range, and we slashed the price of WarbyGK’s Legend Knight glove, which is now half price.

We also announced work toward a new and exciting project, in the shape of GKHeroTV. This is a venture I’m personally massively enthusiastic about. GKHeroTV represents the next stage in the development of the business and of the GKHero ‘brand’. Equally importantly, it offers the opportunity for us to get a little closer to you, and also for you to get involved with us. I’ve been overwhelmed by the response and the level of interest this projected has generated across the goalkeeping community. Within hours of the inviting ‘auditions’ I was sat watching the first arrivals, and our inbox has been steadily growing with video after video arriving. If you’ve sent a video to us and we’ve not yet replied please don’t be offended, I will personally be in touch very shortly.

The event that drew the most attention to our special breed this week was undoubtedly Paul Rachubka’s performance for Leeds against Blackpool on Tuesday night. Anyone who’s ever donned the gloves could feel nothing but sympathy for Rachubka after the mental battering he suffered at the hands of his own ‘fans’. Was it the right decision to substitute him at half time? The goalkeeping community seems fairly split on this, and to be honest I can see the case for both camps. But what it does go to prove is just how important confidence is to keepers. Making mistakes is an inevitable and inescapable part of being a keeper, irrespective of what level you play at. What is vital, and often separates the very best keepers from the rest of us, is the ability to mentally recover from a mistake, not by the end of the season, or by even by the time of the next game, but within seconds. Controlling our own mental state is one of the most challenging things we can attempt. There are however some extremely effective and, thankfully, very simple techniques we can use. Many of these techniques are unveiled in Eye On The Ball, a tool produced by MINDSi Sports Performance which is available from GKHero in both CD and MP3 formats. At under £15 it could be the best investment you ever make as a goalkeeper.

Until next time…

Chris

Psychology of goalkeeping, gloves for under a tenner, and this week I have been mostly wearing…

When we decided that I would try a weekly blog my main worry was that I wouldn’t have enough to write about. Putting pen to paper (or rather finger to key) over the last three weeks has really opened my eyes to just how quickly things move at GKHero, and my biggest difficulty has been in squeezing everything into a reasonably-sized chunk of text. I have a tendency to get engrossed and caught-up in whatever I’m doing whether it be working, goalkeeping, playing with my boys or doing the laundry! Taking some time out at the end of the week to reflect one the previous, and look forward to the next, seven days has actually proved really useful and ‘m sure will benefit the business, as well as helping you keep up to date with GKHero and my thoughts on the industry.

Last week I announced that I’d reached an agreement with Watford FC coach to make his brand available through our Outlet Store, and four RK1s models, including negative cut, roll finger, wrapped-cut and finger protection gloves can now be purchased, all for under £20.

I also mentioned that I’d secured a partnership with a sports psychology company, and earlier this week an audio product produced by MINDSi Sports Performance, available in both CD and MP3 formats, was launched at GKHero.com. Eye On The Ball Peak Performance for Goalkeepers features MINDSi’s founder and Senior Sports Performance Coach Gavin Wilson. Gavin has a rare, but very effective skillset, being both a FA-qualified goalkeeping coach and scout for a professional club, and a wealth of experience and qualification in psychology, and sports psychology in particular. You can benefit from Gavin and MINDSI’s experience for just £14.99.

This week we also started what I can only describe as a frankly ridiculous offer on HPG’s current 2011 range. Their full range of roll finger and negative cut mega grip gloves are now less than £10. I really should mention the caveat that this is only while existing stocks last, so if you’ve yet to give these models a go, before to order before your size is sold out.

This week I’ve also agreed a deal with German company Josef Fischer. Their 678 Legend models have been our best-seller since GKHero.com was reborn two and a half weeks ago, and I’m really pleased to have reached an agreement to make many more of their models available. I expect these to be online in the next fortnight, so if you’ve tried (and without question, loved) the Legends, be sure to keep an eye out for their new models.

Away from the GKHero, I also play a bit too. After what had been a very positive week, my team suffered a massive disappointment yesterday. Having gone through the various qualifying and preliminary rounds, we were knocked out of the FA Vase at the hands of the league leads from a step higher. Our lads matched them for work rate but the difference in quality eventually manifest itself in two second-half goals which we couldn’t answer. A big positive for me however was the performance of my Bramic Signatures. I worked closely with Bramic in developing and testing the prototype and the retail Signature model; although this was the first occasion I had given the retail model matchtime. It’s without question one of the best-performing supersoft latexes I’ve experienced and, in my opinion, and like many of the models we offer, it really does put many of the household-name brands to shame. Especially when you consider that it’s less than £20. I’ve been led to believe that Bramic may be extended their Signature range and I’m looking forward to seeing their future releases.

Unfortunately we sold out of our stock of PRO-GK’s Revolution 09 glove this week, although we do still have their Revolution Aqua and Revolution Aqua NC for half price, although this stock is dwindling quickly also. I think it’s likely that we’ll sell out of these models fairly quickly after the season’s first drops of rain hit pitches around the UK, so if you want to guarantee getting your hands in pair I’d advise doing so before the first downpour.

I think that’ll do for this week’s blog, as always please feel free to comment or drop me a line using the ‘contact Chris’ link in the navigation bar toward the top of this page. Alternatively you can get in touch through Facebook or Twitter or through the contact form on our site.

Chris