and
Goalkeeping
When diving for a ball as a keeper, your body will take a bit of a beating upon hitting the ground since as you land on the ground (usually with a side of your body being the part that makes contact with the ground) you might be coming from relatively high up (if it's an extension dive) or you might be throwing your body down hard (on a collapse dive). This hard landing can result in loss of possession of the ball (since when you land on your side your shoulder is making contact with the ground and this makes it hard to maintain control of the ball). Using the ball as a third hand will help maintain possession of the ball upon landing from a dive and also will lessen the harsh landing of some dives.
In teaching the proper landing on dives I always start with the sitting/kneeling/catchers position progression (see http://finesoccer.com/goalkeeping_edition_81.htm below for more on this progression).
Once you catch the ball as a keeper on a dive you should try to have the ball hit the ground before your body does so as to help brake the severity of the landing. The key to doing this is to have one hand directly on top of the ball and the other hand directly behind the ball. Upon landing, the ground makes the "third hand" so that there is something on top of the ball, something behind the ball and something underneath the ball. If diving to the left, the right hand would be on top of the ball and the left hand would be behind the ball. Not only will this help maintain possession of the ball but it will also use the ball to cushion the landing a bit (not that you are landing on the ball but some of your weight is with the hand on top since you will be leaning forward a bit in the dive). Your body will land behind the ball (and behind the left hand in the example above).
While using the ground as a third hand isn't a necessity, it does make it a lot easier to hold onto ball and also, in the long run, lessens the discomfort of the body after diving a number of times in training or games.
Start with the sitting/kneeling/catchers position progression and really emphasize the proper landing and use of the ground as a third hand and this will help develop this technique into a habit that will, in the long run, make you a better keeper!
Any questions, comments or suggestions should be sent to Lawrence@finesoccer.com or they can be posted on the FineSoccer Forum at
http://finesoccer.net To subscribe to any of the FineSoccer Newsletters,
please go to http://finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm
Have a great day!
Lawrence
The
Sitting, Kneeling and Catcher's Position
Warm-Up for Diving
Goalkeeping Edition 81
Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.
Today’s subject is an extremely important one that I can’t believe I haven’t
addressed already. Today, I will talk about the sitting, kneeling and
catchers position warm up for diving.
This is actually kind of surprising because I
have made references to this in a number of newsletters but never actually
have explained what it is.
Before I begin, if you aren’t a subscriber to the
Soccer Newsletter, I would like to strongly urge you to check out the last
newsletter on the cool down process. You can find it at
http://finesoccer.com/soccer_edition_57.htm and I truly believe
it’s something you should read if you haven’t already.
In teaching diving, I always start from the
sitting position. The keeper should sit with their feet out in front of
them, knees slightly bent recreating the standing position while sitting
(for more information on proper stance, check out
http://finesoccer.com/edition16.htm ). The ball should be tossed
underhand to the side of this sitting keeper who simply catches the ball as
they fall on their side. The important things to remember is that the
positioning of the lower arm here is very important. If, as you land, the
elbow gets caught under the ribs, you will have broken ribs. If you land but
decide to break your fall with your hand, you will break your wrist. If you
land on you elbow, there is a good chance you will separate or dislocate
your shoulder. If you land with your arm out in front of you, NO INJURY! The
reason for starting in the sitting position here is that if there is a
mistake, there wont be an injury. So instead of starting from a standing
position like a lot of people do, start in a sitting position, which will
allow you to determine if everything is being done properly without risk of
major injury. Keeping in mind that the purpose of diving is to get your body
behind the ball, you go toward your side (but slightly forward) as the ball
is served and catch the ball right before you land. When catching the ball,
you can soften your landing by placing the ball on the ground first with one
hand on top of the ball and the other hand behind (not under) the ball. This
is called using the ground as your third hand and lets the ball absorb a lot
of the shock of the landing. As you are going down, your upper leg should be
bent slightly (this is used to get distance on an extended dive which is not
for this newsletter). To get back up to the sitting position, simply kick
out with the upper leg and your abs should get you back up. This is a very
simple way to start off diving and one of the keys to starting this way is
it helps get rid of the fear of injury in new keepers.
Next, the players shift up to a kneeling
position. Their legs are bent behind them with their feet shoulders length
apart, hands in a proper position. The ball gets served to the side and the
keeper goes down on her side while catching the ball exactly like she did in
the sitting position. It’s vital for player to land on her side with her
body behind the ball and her upper body coming slightly forward. Everything
else is the exact same.
Next, the player goes into a baseball catcher’s
position (also known as squatting position). Here there is a little more to
think about. The keeper goes down and the first contact her body should have
with the ground is with the outside of her knee, then her hip and then the
outside of her shoulder while catching the ball. Done properly, she will
realize that this is a very easy thing to do and involves little or no pain.
With strong abs, she can then kick back up to the catcher’s position.
This is all that is involved in the sitting,
kneeling, catchers position progression. I am up front about the fact that I
consider this to be an extremely important part of the warm up and training
process and my keepers do it at the start of every training session. I think
it’s vital that they condition their body to land properly and it’s a good
way for me to make sure they are doing things properly to ensure there is no
unnecessary injury. We do this where balls are served 5 times to each side
in each progression. Once they are accustomed to doing this, it takes very
little time at all but the benefits are tremendous.
Give it a try and let me know what you think by
either sending an email to
comments@finesoccer.com or posting to
http://finesoccer.com/forum.htm
There is a new survey online at
http://finesoccer.com/survey.htm
. I would really appreciate it if any coaches living in the US who subscribe
to this list would participate (the questions are geared toward US based
coached this time).
If you like the Goalkeeping Newsletter recommend it to
a friend by going to
http://finesoccer.com/recommend_finesoccer.htm. Remember that all
previous newsletters are online at
http://finesoccer.com .
Have a great day
Lawrence
Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's subject deals with why keepers should try to take their own goal kicks.
First, all books available from FineSoccer.com are available with no cost for shipping till December 15th! This includes SoccerAtEase (with Pursuing Personal Perfection), Full Season Training Program as well as two new offerings, which are Vision of A Champion by Anson Dorrance plus Coaching the English Premier League 4-4-2 by David Williams. Also, any combination of books comes with at least a 10% discount. To learn more about this offer please go to http://finesoccer.com/book_sale.htm
Too often I see keepers letting field players take their goal kicks for them. While this is fine for younger keepers, as a keeper gets older it becomes more and more important for the keeper to be able to take their own goal kicks.
Some of the reasons it's important for older keepers to be able to take their own goal kicks include the following: eliminating offside on counters, numbers down situation to win the ball and spacing issues.
When a keeper takes her own goal kicks, if she decides to play a long ball and the other team wins the ball, most likely if they play it back down the field for a counter, either the keeper will get the ball back or if the opponent has a player closer to the goal than the keepers teammates she will most likely be in an offside position. If the keeper doesn't take the goal kick, a second player will be far back and this eliminates the possibility of an opponent being in an offside position.
Assuming that there are 11 players on the field for each team, and the keeper takes the goal kick, there are most likely 10 players on her team who can win the ball and 10 on the opposing team that can win the ball (this is assuming the other teams
keeper is playing back where she should be). If a field player has to take the goal kick for the keeper, the opponent still has 10 players who can win the ball but now the attacking team only has 9 players to win the ball (since the keeper and the player taking the goal kick are both back in the 18). This puts the team in a numbers down situation to win either the first ball or the second ball.
If the keeper takes the goal kick it will usually allow her team to compress the field by having all of the backs step up (unless they decide to take a short goal kick). Since the backs step up this forces the other teams forwards to step up to stay onside for the second ball. If a field player takes the goal kick the opponents can spread the field vertically since the offside position isn't a big issue anymore. This puts the team taking the goal kick into a difficult position to win the ball since they now have to worry about their spacing defensively in case of a counterattack.
There are many advantages to a keeper taking a goal kick (especially with older players) and very few disadvantages. If a keeper isn't good at taking her own goal kicks she can go out and practice them in order to get better (for more on taking goal kicks please see the guest article written by Chris Bahr (below).
With younger keepers it's sometimes ok to have a field player take the goal kicks until the keeper gets better at them because with the younger ages, it's frequently hard for them to play a long ball out of the back so even if the keeper takes the goal kick many teams will keep a back near the goal for added protection which nullifies the advantages of the keeper taking their own goal kicks. However, as soon as possible it's best to have the keepers taking their own goal kicks.
Any questions, comments or suggestions can be sent to Lawrence@finesoccer.com or they can be posted on the FineSoccer Forum at http://finesoccer.net To subscribe to any of the FineSoccer Newsletters
please go to http://finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm
Have a great day!
Lawrence
How to Take Better Goalkicks
by Chris Bahr
Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s subject deals with goalkicks. The eight week of the Full Season Training Sessions are now online. To learn more, please go to http://finesoccer.com/full_season.htm
One of the most often asked questions I receive is how to take a better goalkick. Since this is an area I struggle with as a coach, I have asked a friend to write a guest article on the subject. Chris Bahr has written the below article and there aren’t many people who know more about hitting a long ball accurately than Chris. He has been an All American Soccer Player in college, has played professionally in the old North American Soccer League (NASL) and he also was a kicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 years having and has won two Super Bowls as a kicker. Chris’s father Walter Bahr is one of the all time legends in soccer in the US and Chris has taken his fathers experience and knowledge and applied it to hitting a ball (soccer or football) long and accurately. Below is Chris’s article.
As goalkeepers, in addition to keeping the ball out of the net and keeping the defense organized, you have become the eleventh field player. To be a top keeper, not only are you expected to be able to handle the ball with the skill of a field player, you are also expected to be able to deliver the ball with accuracy at distances of up to 50 yards and more. This is a skill that very few players, not just keepers, possess.
Whether striking a moving or still ball, the chances for success increase with proper technique. I spent 22 years kicking a football but I have spent 40+ years kicking a soccer ball. The technique used to strike a soccer ball accurately over long distances is no different than that used by top NFL place-kickers.
Almost all the balls that a keeper is asked to hit a long distance with accuracy are either goal kicks or slow rolling balls where you have time. Both should be struck the same way.
Pick Your Target:
It may sound obvious but you should pick a specific target or spot that you are trying to hit not just a general area. For practice you can place cones at various spots on the field and aim at them.
Focus on the Ball:
You need to focus on the specific point on the ball that you are trying to contact. Solid contact on the proper part of the ball allows you to control trajectory and lets you hit a ball further with less effort.
Control Your Approach:
You don’t gain any power with your approach. You need to be able to repeat the same leg swing over and over. Controlling your approach gives you a better chance of doing this. Power is generated by how fast your foot moves through the ball and how solid your contact is not how fast or how far your approach is.
Follow Through to Your Target:
When striking the ball your plant foot should be even with the ball and pointed towards your target. At impact your body should be square to your intended target. When you swing through the ball, allow your momentum to take you past the ball on your target line. You should still find yourself square to your target after you have finished the kick.
Placement of your plant foot in relation to the ball and approach will vary from player to player. However, successful kickers have two things in common. Their plant foot will be pointed at their target and their follow through will take them to their target. You should not find yourself falling left or right and you should not be stuck on your plant foot after impact.
If I were to
pick the two most important keys to success it would be these. You need to
make solid contact on the ball and your follow through should be on your
target line.
As with
anything it takes a lot of practice to be successful. However, if you can
master this skill you will become a much more valuable asset to you team.
I would like to thank Chris for taking the
time to write this for everyone.
Any questions, comments or suggestions
should be sent to
comments@finesoccer.com or they can be posted on the FineSoccer
Forum at http://finesoccer.net
To subscribe to any of the FineSoccer Newsletters, please go to
http://finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm
Have a great day!
Lawrence
Welcome to the 200th Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's subject deals with the two fisted punch.
First, all books available from FineSoccer.com are available with no cost for shipping till December 15th! This includes SoccerAtEase (with Pursuing Personal Perfection), Full Season Training Program as well as two new offerings, which are Vision of A Champion by Anson Dorrance plus Coaching the English Premier League 4-4-2 by David Williams.
Also, any combination of books comes with at least a 10% discount. To learn more about this offer please go to http://finesoccer.com/book_sale.htm
Knowing when to punch as opposed to when to catch was addressed at
http://finesoccer.com/edition6.htm. Also addressed was the two fisted punch as well as the one fisted punch. Today is simply about some things to consider when using the two fisted punch.
Two things to remember from a safety standpoint when punching with two fists is to make sure you do NOT tuck your thumbs under the rest of your fingers while forming your fist. If you do this you are increasing your probability of injury. Also, many keepers seem to separate their elbows while preparing to punch in order to increase their power (at least that is what I think they perceive they are doing). The problem with doing this it puts a lot of pressure on the wrists, which could result in unnecessary injury. Instead get the forearms behind the wrists instead of "flared out".
The other thing to consider when going for the two fisted punch is you want to get to the ball at almost the highest point possible. Too many keepers let the ball drop to almost head height in order to really punch the ball hard and far. The problem with this is that the one advantage you as a keeper have over the other players on the field is the use of your hands so among other things you can get balls at a higher point but if you let the ball drop to head height you have no reach advantage over the field players using their heads.
To work on proper technique in punching start with the keeper on her knees and a server plays a ball to her. She leans forward and with her hands in proper punching position tries to punch the ball over the server's head (the server would only be 5 yards away or so). Do this a few times and then do the same thing from the catcher's position and then from a standing position (it works best in groups of 3's with one keepers working, one serving balls and the third behind the server catching the punched balls). Next add token pressure from a defender and finally add live pressure. By starting on the knees it allows the keeper to concentrate on hand and arm position without regard for footwork then slowly add in the footwork and things will become easier than just starting from a standing position.
By working on punching properly it allows you to become more effective on balls served into the box.
Any questions, comments or suggestions should be sent to Lawrence@finesoccer.com or they can be posted on the FineSoccer Forum at http://finesoccer.net To subscribe to any of the FineSoccer Newsletters
please go to http://finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm
Have a great day!
Lawrence
Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's subject deals with keepers playing with the feet.
When you watch higher-level soccer you see that keepers have to be proficient in using all parts of their body as opposed to just their hands. However, most keepers seem to neglect that part of their game in training.
Keepers are expected to be both the last line of defense as well as the first line of attack which means it's not good enough for the keeper to just kick the ball away anytime the ball comes back to her. She must be able to receive balls with her feet when a ball is passed back to her and also to then pass the ball accurately to her teammates even when under some pressure. The keeper must also be able to handle bad passes from her teammates and still either get them to her teammates or at the very least clear them out of pressure. The only way to be competent and confident in these situations is to practice them on a regular basis.
Practicing being ready to handle pass backs only requires a partner, a few balls and a target. Have the partner pass balls to you and practice receiving them and passing them to a target, which would represent your teammate in a game. Make
sure you don't just practice receiving good passes but also bad passes since you will see some bad passes during a game. Also, practice playing both 1 touch and 2 touches since you will have to be prepared for both during games.
Another situation keepers have to train for is the long, high ball that comes down near the top of the 18 (either inside the 18 or just outside). In a game a keeper is going to have to make a number of decisions in this situation such as whether to come out for it, whether to let a defender win it and clear it, if the keeper is going to come out for the ball and it's inside the 18 whether to catch or punch the ball, if the ball is coming down outside the 18 and the keeper has decided to come for the ball what part of the body to use to clear the ball and where to clear the ball. Without training for this situation a keeper will be unprepared when the situation arises in a game.
One way to work on the high ball that comes down near the top of the 18 is to have a server play balls in from the midfield line so that they come down near the top of the 18 and the keeper first makes decisions as to whether to catch if it's inside of the 18 or to head or volley the ball away if it's outside the 18. Next add an opponent so that the opponent is trying to win balls as they come down near the top of the 18. Next add a teammate so there is now both an attacker and a defender which makes for more decisions. As you can see, while it doesn't exactly recreate the game situation it comes close enough so that a keeper will be better prepared when these types of situations do arise in a game.
A complete training session working on these types of situations is included (along with 8 other keeper sessions so far) in the 2003 Full Season Youth Training Sessions. To learn more about the Full Season Training Sessions please go to http://finesoccer.com/full_season.htm
Any questions, comments or suggestions should be sent to Lawrence@finesoccer.com or they can be posted on the FineSoccer Forum at http://finesoccer.net To subscribe to any of the FineSoccer Newsletters please go to http://finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm
Have a great day!
Lawrence
Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's subject deals with working on coming forward on dives.
Designing successful keeper training sessions requires more than just finding a few exercises, activities or games and doing them in a practice. It requires understanding how to pick a topic and come up with a complete progression working from easy to complex so that the keepers truly learn and become better. To get access to complete keeper training sessions please go to http://finesoccer.com/full_season.htm
It's extremely important for keepers to come forward and meet the ball while diving. The reasons range from wanting to meet the ball at its earliest point to wanting to narrow the angle as much as possible.
When I work with keepers, after they run, stretch and then have a catch I always have them go through the sitting, kneeling and catchers position progression (see http://finesoccer.com/goalkeeping_edition_81.htm for more on this). If I notice the keepers not coming forward enough on their dives I just make one adjustment to this progression and it makes a big difference. The adjustment is that instead of having the server throw the ball to the keeper in the sitting, kneeling and catchers position, the server instead stands approximately a yard from the keeper and drops the ball to her side. For the keeper to get to the ball before the ball hits the ground, the keeper will have to come forward to meet the ball. At each level (sitting, kneeling and catchers position) the ball gets dropped a little further from the keeper.
Once the keepers have gone through the sitting, kneeling, catcher's position progression with balls being dropped the next thing is for them to do this from a standing position (again with the ball being dropped).
Next go back through this whole progression with the ball being thrown instead of dropped but the keepers are "urged" to continue coming forward to get the ball at the earliest point possible. Once they go through this whole progression again, they can then step into goal for some shots and in most cases the keeper will continue to come forward while diving.
Any questions, comments or suggestions should be sent to Lawrence@finesoccer.com or they can be posted on the FineSoccer Forum at http://finesoccer.net To subscribe to any of the FineSoccer Newsletters please go to http://finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm
Have a great day!
Lawrence
We would like to thank Lawrence Fine and FineSoccer.com for allowing us to publish this article on the NASL website. Please visit http://www.FineSoccer.com and sign up for Lawrence's free coaching newsletters and articles.
Created:
12/20/99
Last Updated:
06/30/04
Since
February 24, 1999
FastCounter by LinkExchange
Web Administrator Ken Gamble