Goalkeeping Tips, Tidbits and Random Thoughts

More than football

2008-07-16T21:50:00.004-06:00

To paraphrase Phil Jackson: There's more to life than football. There's also more to football than football.

West Ham keeper Rob Green went to Africa this summer for a charity that uses football to get its message across.

The most common mistakes

2008-07-13T16:19:00.002-06:00

What are the technical breakdowns that lead to the most goals given up by goalkepeers? Most people would probably say that the problem is with the hands when the keeper lets and easy one get through, or perhaps with the diving or parrying technique. I don't think so... in fact, I'd put "hands" third on the list of mistake-prone areas after these two:

Footwork. Many goals are allowed before the ball ever reaches the goalkeeper. With only split seconds to react, a keeper must be in the ready position before the shot is struck, if possible. It's hard to react and make a save when you are still moving. Footwork is also at fault for many diving and parrying miscues and for mishandled crosses—if the proper footwork isn't executed from the start, the resulting save will be much, much more difficult.
Eyes. It's the simplest thing in the world: watch the ball all the way into your hands until it's secured. It's also the simplest thing to forget. Take your eye off the ball a second too soon to look upfield, or look at that charging forward instead of the soccer ball, and the ball could be in the net.

So, my saying for keepers is, "Feet, Eyes, Hands". Get the feet set, have good footwork; focus your attention completely on the ball; then attack the ball with your hands.

Forward in all directions!

2008-06-27T18:12:00.002-06:00

Myself and other goalkeeper coaches preach stepping forward at an angle to make a diving save. Sometimes, when a keeper I'm training makes a mistake directly attributed to diving backwards, I'll jokingly say: "That's reason number 17 to dive forward!" While there may not be 17 reasons, there are at least a half-dozen advantages of stepping forward into the dive:

More speed and extension. The human body is designed to go forward, not backwards. A forward step allows the stepping leg to generate more speed and power, and potentially get to a ball that might have gotten by if going backwards.
Better catching angle. The "perfect" dive, one that is perpendicular to the flight of the ball, gets the hands in the optimum angle to make the catch. Any other angle means the ball is not coming square onto the hands, making it more difficult to catch.
Better angle of deflection. If the ball isn't held, a forward angle has a much better chance of propelling the ball away from goal or around the post. A backward angle may mean just pushing the ball into the side netting.
Covering more of the goal. Diving forward takes the keeper away from the line, which has the result of covering more of the goal mouth.
Going away from the post. A backwards dive can put the keeper at risk of colliding with the goalpost. The post will usually win. A forward dive takes the keeper away from potential collisions.
Room for error. Just like any other catch, we want to get the hands forward so that if there is any error in judgment, we have some leeway to adjust. A forward dive allows for that.

The next level

2008-06-26T20:39:00.003-06:00

What are the things that separate the top goalkeepers from the rest of the pack? Here are a few:

Handling crosses. This is a key and not easily mastered technique. Timing and judgement are everything.
Ability to play with feet. When I see players in a game without keepers, I shouldn't be able to tell who the goalkeeper is.
Communication skill. Is the goalkeeper specific, commanding and organized?

And, most important of all:

Mental toughness and attitude.

It is mentality that separates the best from the rest. How hard you work, how you handle failure, and how determined you are.

Outstanding athletes? A dime a dozen. Good shot stoppers? Everywhere. There are incredibly talented players everywhere who never made it anywhere.

"How hard you work has a lot more to do with success than we ordinarily imagine. Ability cannot be separated from effort."
� Malcolm Gladwell

Orange highlighter

2008-05-23T16:15:00.003-06:00

In this week's Champion's League final between Manchester United and Chelsea, Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech wore a flourescent orange uniform:

One poster over at The Glove Bag wrote: "My brother sent me a text during the game saying 'Cech looks like a highlighter pen'". That was after some discussion about whether bright goalkeeper kits would influence strikers to hit the ball right at the keeper.

I've heard that theory bandied about for many years, but I've never seen any scientific study on it. I'm not convinced it makes much of a difference.

In fact, when I am playing striker, I want to see the keeper. My target is a specific area of the goal, where the keeper isn't... and to know where the keeper isn't, it stands to reason that I also need to know where the keeper is. My visual target is a "frame" formed by the ground, the crossbar, a post, and the keeper. I almost never look at the keeper directly, but I do see the keeper's body as a part of the target frame. A brightly outfitted keeper just makes that frame easier to distinguish against a mottled background.

Other strikers may, literally, see things differently, but particularly at the higher levels I don't think a bright goalkeeper kit has any big advantage. The keeper should wear whatever they feel is most comfortable and makes them the most confident.

Show or substance?

2008-05-06T20:52:00.002-06:00

Over on SoccerNet, Steve Davis writes:

"I can't quite endorse Colorado goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul and his theatrics, his unconventional and yet strangely successful methods, the silliness of "Bouna Time" and the other comedy that unfolds around the goal at DSG Park. But I'll say this: His high jinks make MLS a more interesting place."

I'll agree that Condoul makes things interesting. I saw him debut last year as a starter for the Rapids. Here's some footage of him recently against Kansas City, and even this brief glimpse lets you see a few, um, interesting plays. I have to say that I preferred Joe Cannon in the Colorado net.

Both keepers are quality, but the way they approach the task is quite different. Condoul is more flash, more showy but can occasionally make a big bone-headed mistake. Cannon might not get that one "Save of the Year" candidate, but he exudes an aura that nothing short of a brilliant shot will get past him.

Which kind of keeper are you? If you're a coach, which kind of keeper do you prefer? In the end it's personal preference, but I go more with the Cannon type. I want a goalkeeper who almost never lets in the stupid, soft goal. I don't want my defense constantly having to think about what is going to happen behind them. A defense that is confident in its goalkeeper, I think, will play better. In particular, they will feel able to support the attack more since they are confident that things are secure behind them.

In my opinion, goalkeepers ought to make the simplest save possible. Save the showy stuff for when it's really needed.

Goalkeepers are no fun any more

2008-05-01T15:15:00.004-06:00

Former Colombia No. 1 Rene Higuita thinks that goalkeepers are no fun any more. Where are the keepers who try to dribble the entire opposition? Has anyone else ever even attempted a scorpion kick in a high-profile match?

Of course, Roger Milla has Higuita's antics to thank for this goal in the 1990 World Cup finals.

The easiest save

2008-04-30T17:57:00.003-06:00

I found a great picture over at The Guardian of David James making a diving save with excellent form:

He's at full stretch, but his head, eyes and hands are aligned, he's focused on the ball with two hands securely on it.

Our goal as keepers is to make every save look like the easiest save possible. The easiest save is one that is right in front of us. So a big part of why we dive is to get our body behind the ball as much as possible. If you plucked a keeper with good form out of mid-air, he should look like he is saving an easy ball in front of him:

The only difference is that he is horizontal and several feet off the ground.

Better?

2008-04-23T22:35:00.001-06:00

Seth Godin asks: Better?

"Are you better at what you do than you were a month or two ago?

A lot better?

How did you get better? What did you read or try? Did you fail at something and learn from it?

If you got better faster, would that be a good thing? How could you make that happen?"

Common keeper communication

2008-04-19T19:27:00.003-06:00

Goalkeeper communication with the defense needs to be specific. "Mark up!" is one of the things I hate to hear most... unless you have a defender named Mark on your team who needs to move "up"! Otherwise, it is meaningless. Everyone typically thinks somebody else has got it covered.

The most common thing I probably say to defenders when in net is, "Step to the ball!" They are sometimes unsure, and it seems I can see the shot coming well before anyone else. Shutting down the shot before it happens is critical.

After that, I tell defenders about free players... to their right, left, behind them, outside of them or in the middle, etc. If players are marked before the ball arrives, again my job is made that much easier.

There are a few things that goalkeepers might not think to say, however. Another frequent bit of info I tell my defense, especially central defenders, is "Stay there!" They will often start to drift towards the ball when it's on the flanks, exposing dangerous space in the center of the field. Often, they don't need to drift out at all, but will be fine just holding the center right where they are.

I will also try to give positive feedback. If a defender is in good position but has a lot going on behind them, I might just tell them, "You're okay!" And of course, there kudos for great defensive stops, but also a pat on the back for solid, organized defending if I've not had to move them around much at all.

Which end are we attacking again?

2008-03-29T20:29:00.001-06:00

Being a goalkeeper is hard enough without your own team shooting at you.

Glove storage and care

2008-03-25T19:39:00.001-06:00

Some good advice on storing gloves over at TheGloveBag.com.

The howling wind

2008-03-08T21:45:00.001-07:00

Ever thought you played on an incredibly windy day? Try this.

Save the easy PKs

2008-03-07T22:39:00.003-07:00

The high school girls team I coach opened their season tonight. With us up 1-0 and 13 minutes left, the other team is awarded a penalty kick (and rightly so). My goalkeeper, who has played the position for several years but has never had any formal training, steps to her line. We haven't really worked on PKs, but I have passed along my advice to not guess and simply react to the shot if you don't get a strong read. The shot goes right down the middle, and she makes the save without even moving. I don't know if it was poorly hit, or if the kicker expected the goalkeeper to guess and dive out of the way.

Regardless, what could have been a 1-1 game and a huge momentum swing ended up in a 2-0 victory for us.

Save all the ones you should, then save a few of the ones you shouldn't.

Goalkeeper own goal

2008-03-04T22:07:00.003-07:00

Poor Jussi Jaaskelainen. It's not often you get goalkeepers credited with an own goal, but he managed to do it in Bolton's match against Liverpool this past weekend. On a shot that might not even have been going in, a lowish drive by Steven Gerrard, Jussi didn't get his hands to the ball. In fact, it takes a bounce, hits him in the side of the head, bounces out a few feet in front of the goal, and then the spinning ball rolls into the net. Ouch, physically and mentally.

Glove Cuts

2008-02-24T16:23:00.001-07:00

The best guide to goalkeeping glove cuts, over at The Glove Bag.

Great coaches are great communicators

2008-02-15T20:40:00.003-07:00

Business guru Seth Godin writes:

"It's really easy to insist that people read the friggin manual. It's really easy to blame the user/student/prospect/customer/[player] for not trying hard, for being too stupid to get it or for not caring enough to pay attention. Sometimes (often) that might even be a valid complaint. But it's not helpful." (more....)

Evaluating goalkeeping talent

2008-02-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

How well do most coaches evaluate goalkeeping talent? IMHO, not very. Of course, it happens across the board, to field players, and athletes in all sports. The bust #1 draft pick, or the walk-on who ends up being the All-Star. It certainly is true of soccer players, as a poster in a thread over on BigSoccer notes:

Too many coaches cannot analyze the talent before them and as a consequence pick the wrong players, pick the wrong things to work on with the players they chose and pick the wrong tactics to use with theplayers they have.
...
Until we develop better coaches, coaches with the analytical tools needed and with the philosophical underpinnings necessary to understand the game we will not develop the players with these skills.

Two personal anecdotes lend credence to this for goalkeepers particularly. There are two girls I have trained for several years, both outstanding goalkeepers, solid fundamentally, smart, vocal, and strong. Both seemed mired in mediocrity in their clubs, being stuck on the 3rd teams, in spite of my opinion that they were the best keepers in their age group.

The first moved to another club when a coach who could recognize a good keeper convinced her to jump... and she promptly made the top team at this much larger club. Tonight I saw her play her first match with her new teammates; she was nervous and ecstatic at the jump in play, and I'm sure she will be up to the challenge.

The second keeper attended Star Goalkeeper Academy this summer where I was coaching. After the first day, the camp director invited her to join the Premier campers even though she wasn't signed up for the top group. Not only did she join them, she excelled, and the director told me he felt she was one of the strongest keepers there.

[Update, 18 months later, 2/9/08: The first keeper ended up winning State Cup with her new team... ironically against her old club's first team. Not only that, the victory was in a penalty shoot-out, and she was selected the game MVP! She is now playing Division I college soccer on a scholarship. The second keeper has moved up to the second team, and the first team coach has said he made a mistake in not choosing her. She will be the starting keeper for her high school team this spring as a sophomore.]

In both cases, these goalkeepers were overlooked by those who had no clue what they were looking at. Those with goalkeeping knowledge, however, got it right. What is it that you need to know? The BigSoccer poster (a coach and goalkeeper in his own right) summarizes it well:

I think most club coaches do not understand keepers. They do not understand the mental make up that is necessary; they do not understand that positioning is often as important as technique in catching and controlling the ball; and, they do not understand that distribution is as critical as being able to position players on defense.

In short, they can tell the difference between a shot blocker and a goal keeper.

Orignal post date: 8/10/06

Brazilian

2008-02-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

Brazilian. Almost every soccer player who isn't would like to be. Even if you aren't, you can at least give yourself a Brazilian-sounding name, with the help of BrazilName.

The Guardian used it to show how how soccer can explain the US elections, with the Democrats fielding Hillisco and Barildo, while the Republicans lined up with Giulianson, Huckerbea, Mccaincha, and Mildo.

I personally was christened Benjamão or Jeffrincha, but I prefer the Spanish transliteration of "Jefe", or barring that, just the one name "Jeff".

Last night's USA-Mexico game

2008-02-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

Last night's USA-Mexico game was the usual scrappy, no-love-lost affair. US goalkeeper Tim Howard had a fine game, but one play in particular stood out for me, both for the good and the bad.

In the first half, Mexico sent a cross in from the flank. US goalkeeper Tim Howard came out to claim what should have been an easy ball, but US defender Carlos Bocanegra ran right into Howard and sent him to the turf, where the ball popped free.

That's the bad. Either Howard did not call "Keeper!" early or loud enough, or Bocanegra couldn't hear him due to 70,000 screaming fans, or a combination of both. Lack of communication between Howard and his defense was difficult all night, particularly on setting walls for free kicks. While the players don't get much chance to train together before mid-week friendlies like this one, the lack of communication was inexcusable at the international level. If you can't hear, you must make eye contact.

The good was Howard's focus after he lost the ball. Watch the highlight here, starting about 10 seconds in. Look at Howard's eyes in the replay. As he does a complete 360 roll, his eyes never leave the ball until he gathers it in again. Now that is focus.

A great point about communication

2008-02-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

Lawrence fine makes a great point about communication in his Goalkeeping Newsletter from FineSoccer:

It's not uncommon for me to receive emails where the keepers says �I'm communicating my teammates aren't listening�. While the keeper might think they are communicating, if their teammates aren't hearing or aren't listening, it's not communicating but rather, just talking. There certainly are situations where no matter what the keeper does or says, someone doesn't accept the communication but more often, it's not just the defenders fault. Communication is a two way process and if one side isn't responding, it's the job of the other side to figure out a different way to get through to them.

How do you communicate better? Four keys: 1) Be loud. 2) Use names. 3) Be specific. 4) Get feedback.

Facing your audience

2008-02-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

Always be aware of what's happening on the field, even during apparent stoppages. Actors and presenters have a rule: Never turn your back on the audience. When you're on the pitch, you're on stage, so try to make it a habit to do the same thing: never turn your back to the field. Cruzeiro goalkeeper Fabio found out the hard way.

Goalkeepers vs Shot-Stoppers

2008-02-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Goalkeepers vs shot-stoppers. Which are you? More importantly, which one are you training to be?

All goalkeepers are shot-stoppers. It's the core of our job on the soccer field: keeping the ball out of the net. But not all shot-stoppers are good goalkeepers in the broadest sense of the word. A true goalkeeper is a communicator, an organizer, a leader, a general, an attacker as well as a defender.

Take time in training to develop other aspects of your game beyond just shot stopping. Work on communicating with your teammates clearly and concisely so you can organize and lead. Study the game tactically so you can be a "general" on the pitch. Work on your distribution skills so you can help your team attack as well as defend. Train to be a real goalkeeper, not just a shot-stopper.

Four ways to get more and better keeper training

2008-01-25T21:55:00.001-07:00

Four ways to get more and better keeper training in your team practice. Three are for coaches... or for keepers to ask their coaches about. The last is for the keepers... to tell their coaches to let them try.

Let keepers participate in field player games as goalkeepers. It doesn't work for everything, but it will in many games. Playing keepaway? The goalkeeper receives and distributes with the hands. Place a time restriction on them as necessary; allow them to take the ball off the opponent's foot with their hands if you like.

In games with goals and keepers, restart after any stoppage with the coach (or an attacker) taking a shot at the keeper, who distributes after the save.

Play numbers up on attack in games with keepers, rather than always playing even numbers. You can put more players on the "attacking" team, if there's only one goal, or use neutral players to always put the attack a player or two up. This will increase the number of opportunities the keeper gets to make a save.

Goalkeepers should stretch their range during practice. How else are they going to find out what their limits are? This applies particularly for things like crosses and breakaways--the time to be daring and aggressive is in training, then dial it back a bit for the match.

Coaches: can you implement the first three, and allow your keeper to do #4? Goalkeepers: ask your coach if they can help you by doing the first three, and make sure they know you are going to try #4.

Kickoffs are direct

2008-01-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

Remember, kickoffs are direct.