2. Brush up on your field skills, too. You are the “last line of defense, first line of offense”. Your team can use you in many situations. If a man is on your teammate’s back, that person may have to play the ball back to you. When that happens, you may have to one-time it to an open player, or take a dribble or two if you have room. Even after a save, you can always play the ball from your feet. If you play like a field player, that gives you a 12-11 man advantage.

3. Always catch the ball when you can. The only time this rule doesn’t apply is when you are in a penalty kick overtime. Otherwise, always concentrate on trying to catch the ball. It cuts down on your work if you only have to make the save once. Sometimes it is impractical to be able to catch it. If you can’t catch the ball, knock it as far away from the goal as possible! This includes punching over the net out of bounds!

4. Set up the field on dead balls. On corner kicks, free kicks, goal kicks, or penalty kicks, you always want to make sure you are positioned correctly, and that your team is positioned correctly. You are in charge of the whole field. Your first priority is to make sure you are in the correct position to tell your team what to do. Then you get set and ready. For instance, if you are building a wall, you have to first be in position to build your wall, then you get set and ready for the kick. On a corner, you have to get into a position to where you can tell your team to cover posts or help guard the man that’s guarding you, then you get set and ready for the play.

5. Stay focused on the ball. It is a good habit to get into to stay focused on the ball and not the people around you. Though you should always know your surroundings, saving the ball is most important, no matter what (or who) you have to go through. You know the old saying “Keep your eye on the ball”? Well, the saying applies here, as well! You can lose sight of the ball in an instant if you’re not focused on it.

6. Practice makes perfect. No matter how tedious goalkeeper training drills can be, they really help! Whether you need to work on your reaction time, catching the ball, or diving, drills and practice are really beneficial to your ability as a keeper. Even if you excel in one particular area, you should still practice. You don’t want to let your skills get rusty!

7. Don’t get discouraged. Being a goalkeeper is hard, and no one can tell you different. Sometimes balls get to the back of the net before you even know what happened. That’s okay! Pick your head up and let your team get one back. Just because a ball gets through doesn’t mean you haven’t done your job. If you get discouraged, it can lead to mistakes, but if you keep your head up and have confidence in your play, you can still get the job done. It’s a team sport, your team has to help you out and score some goals, too!

8. Take care of your equipment. Have a pair of either practice gloves or backup gloves, especially if you are the primary goalkeeper. Wear and tear on equipment can make for unnecessary mistakes on the field. Have a practice or backup jersey, too. This comes in handy especially when it rains. Warming up in a game jersey can make for a very uncomfortable game. Being uncomfortable can lead to careless and unnecessary mistakes! It’s always good to have a practice set and a game set. That way you can be in your best form during the game.

9. Distribution is as important as anything else. If you miskick or misthrow the ball after a save (or even on a goalkick), the result could end up as a goal. If you need to throw it or roll it every time, do it. Just make sure you are distributing out to the flank and away from the goal. If you need to punt or dropkick the ball every time, then do that. The farther away from the goal the better, whether its to someone on the flank or someone on the other half of the field. If you can’t kick far, make sure you have your sweeper or one of your defenders take the kick. That way you can stay set in your box and be ready for an unexpected play… Which leads to the last point…

10. Always be aware. Anything can happen on the field. A goal can be scored in the 90th minute, or even thereafter. Always be aware of your positioning, and what’s going on around you. You never want a gaf like England’s Robert Green in the World Cup. Nor do you ever want to be out of position someone can score a 50-yard goal on you, like David Beckham! Always be prepared for anything to happen!

Written by: Bonnie Koon

HEY! yah, YOU. Visit the best Soccer Shop, SoccerPro.com, for the best deals on ADIDAS AdiPures and quality soccer uniforms. And remember, “There’s No Charge For Awesomeness!”

Post from: Keeper Skool

Ten Helpful Tips to Improve Your Goalkeeping Ability

So where’s the perfect place to stand, you ask? Well that depends. Sometimes it’s good to be back a little farther, sometimes it’s good to be up a little closer, and sometimes it’s good to stand a little toward the right or left. It’s all about angles and covering your territory.

Let’s break it down into three components: breakaways, crosses, and free kicks.

Breakaways: Being a keeper on a breakaway is one of the toughest parts of the game. As the person is running in, you don’t want to run back, because you will give them more room to shoot around you. At this point, the closer they get to you, the closer you want to get to them. You want to make sure you come off your line as they are coming in to take away the space for them to shoot. You don’t want to come out to fast, because one move and they’re around you. You can’t come out too slowly, either, that just gives them more space. Positioning on a breakaway is similar to defending in the backfield. You want to contain and wait for the ball to get just far enough from them and just close enough to you so that you can dive and snatch the ball away.

Make sure you come out at an angle to cover you near post (it’s always harder for the opposition to shoot on the far post). A general rule of thumb is to come at an angle that if you dive forward and to your right, your hands block everything from the right post to your feet. If you dive forward and to your left, you cover everything from the left post to your feet.

Crosses: Crosses are difficult to judge sometimes. You don’t want to be stuck on your line, becuase a cross could come into the center, giving the opposition the whole goal to shoot on. You want to be somewhere (depending on your range) around the top of the 6-yard box. If you have a bigger range to dive or you can recover faster than most keepers), then coming out a little further is alright. If you have a smaller range to dive or you recover slower than most keepers, then a step or two closer to your line is alright.

When the ball is crossed, the 6-yard box should be considered “your area”. Anything that you can get to in your 6-yard box, you call! If it’s way over your head, shift back toward your line a bit, and break down the angle. If it’s too far out into the center, shift back toward your line a bit and break down the angle. Crosses are all about knowing your range and knowing where your goal is. You have to own “your area” and know what you’re capable of.

One thing to keep in mind, especially on crosses that come from the corner (or on corner kicks) is that it is always easier to run forward than it is to run backwards. Sometimes it’s okay to stand toward the far two-thirds of the goal to cut back on the balls that go over your head. Make sure you aren’t too far back, though, because some good players can bend the ball into the near post!

Free Kicks: Free Kicks are always based on where the ball is and how far out the ball is. If it’s something to the side, play it like a cross and own the 6-yard box. If it’s something close and to the middle, set up a wall on the near post and make sure you have the far post covered. If it’s far enough out that you don’t need a wall, make sure you cover the near-post/far-post angles like you would any shot, but stand back a little farther because free-kicks are often kicked up and over. You don’t want to get chipped on a free-kick.

You can use what you know about breakaways and crosses to determine positioning on free kicks. First of all, the angle you need to cover uses the same rule oft humb that breakaways use. If you dive forward and to the right, you should be able to cover the whole right post. If you dive forward and to your left, you should be able to cover the whole left post. Second, remember that it’s always easier to run forward than it is backwards. On close free kicks, it’s okay to even start behind the goal line a little, to give yourself awareness on the ball, and allow yourself to come out with momentum to either dive or punch the ball over.

No matter the situation, make sure you communicate to your players! Make sure you own your area, and make sure you let your players know if you have the ball or not. Make sure you guide the wall, and make sure you tell your players if you are out of position. All keepers can get out of position sometimes, but if you communicate, your defenders can often cover for you!

By Bonnie Kuhn.

Bonnie stays light on her feet and keeps her goal safe wearing the new Adidas F50 Adizero. Get yours today from SoccerPro, the authority for soccer gear and training.

Post from: Keeper Skool

The Perfect Positioning for any Goalkeeper

Making a save may be the most difficult job a goalkeeper has, but the aftermath is very important! There are several ways to distribute a ball after making a save. You can punt, dropkick, drive, roll, or throw the ball out to your player. However you do it, accuracy and position are the key components to ball distribution.Punt: When punting the ball, make sure to have a proper approach. The power comes from your legs, so if you take a few good steps first, that gives your legs momentum. Make sure you step so that you can plant your non-kicking foot before the 18-yard box. When kicking the ball out of your hands, make sure your toes are pointed downward and you are kicking with your laces. To get the most kicking power, land on your kicking foot. The best place to punt the ball is toward the wings. Punts can sometimes turn into 50-50 balls, so you don’t want to kick the ball right in front of the net, in case the opposing team recovers.

Dropkick: Dropkicks are similar to punts in that that you should place the ball toward the wings, point your toes, kick with your laces, and land on your kicking foot. However, dropkicks are all about timing. When you are approaching a dropkick, you want to make sure you drop the ball in enough time for it to bounce off of the ground for the kick, but you do not want to drop it too early! The bounce should occur just before the kick occurs, otherwise the ball will bounce off of your shins or knees! The dropkick is a great means of distribution on windy days. They drive low off of the ground, and can be very accurate if timed right! The trick is to get the timing perfect!

Drive: Driving the ball off of the ground is a great way to distribute the ball a long way, if you’ve got the foot! It can be the most accurate, especially in the wind. Driving the ball is great, because it drives low off of the ground, goes a long way if you have the power to kick far, and doesn’t need to perfect the art of timing the ball off of the ground (like a drop kick does). Simply place the ball on the ground, approach it as if you were taking a goal kick, point your toes down, kick with your laces, and land on your kicking foot! Again, placing the ball out to the wings is the best place for distribution!

Roll: Rolling the ball out to a defender can sometimes be the most accurate way to distribute a ball. It catches the other team off guard, and it can lead to a very quick attack up the field. The best time to roll the ball to a defender is when the other team is transitioning back to anticipate the long kick or punt. Simply roll the ball (hard, and on the ground) to an open defender making a run. Make sure to time the roll, so that your defender can run onto it. You don’t want to roll it too far in front of them, but you don’t want them waiting for it either!

Throw: Landon Donovan’s game-winning goal against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup came from a beautiful throw-distribution from Tim Howard. This method of distribution can be extremely accurate and is great for a quick transition. The best part about a throw is that it can be used for the short play or the long play (if you have the arm). The key to throwing the ball is to time it so that the open player can run onto it, similarly to the roll distribution. You don’t want the open receiver to have to wait on the ball. You also want to throw it toward the ground so that it doesn’t bounce too high; a low skip is better than a high bounce so that the receiving player can settle the ball with his or her feet.

Now that you know five primary methods to distribute a ball, try a new one in your next game! Whether you dropkick because it is windy (make sure you practice the timing), or throw the ball for a quick transition, an accurate distribution from the goalkeeper can lead to some of the greatest goals!

By Bonnie Kuhn. Bonnie buys all of her goalkeeper gear from SoccerPro.com. They have the best selection of goalkeeper gloves and goalkeeper jerseys

Post from: Keeper Skool

The Art of Good Distribution from the Goalkeeper

Technical:

-The goalkeeper should always be in a centered position no matter what angle they are attacking.

-The goalkeeper should work toward diving at an angle of between 20-30 degrees to effectively attack the ball and cut the angle of the attacker shot on goal.

-Footwork is key with short and explosive steps before launching to attack the ball. A short and explosive step forward helps measurably in attacking the ball.

Physical:

-Leg strength is critical to help facilitate neuromuscular power in the muscle to attack the ball more efficiently.

- Foot speed is also critical in helping to generate efficiency to attack a ball more effectively. This resides in utilizing agility specific training.

- Numerous studies have shown that their is an inherent weakness in the human visual system. Goalkeepers unfortunately can have a hard time reaching balls driven at a high speed as the eye cannot typically track a fast paced balls movement forcing a delayed reaction.

Getting to those hard to reach balls driven wide, low and hard need not be difficult. By simply moving off the line, with a forward momentum and typically attacking the ball at a slight 20-30 degree angle will enable the goalkeeper to be more efficient when attacking the ball.

What I have noticed with many of my younger, less experienced goalkeepers is that they tend to wait for the ball to come to them, and because of this delay they tend to move backward rather than forward. Moving backward, provides ample space for your attacker to score, moving forward reduces the likelihood of a successful attempt on your goal.

Therefore, we should always work toward becoming “attacking” goalkeepers. When a ball is driven wide, low and hard toward your goal, attacking the ball and utilizing a 20-30 degree forward momentum toward the ball will curb this type of shot effectively.

Post from: Keeper Skool

How to attack a shot and win everytime?

This first week I decided to focus on footwork, basic set positions and basic handling. One thing that was brought to my attention early on was just how many young goalkeepers lack basic footwork skill and foot speed.To begin the session (after a basic warm up) I utilized the following drills to help me in evaluating their footwork and also assess how they attack and handle the ball low to the ground. It also allowed for me to break them into the session whilst having them focus attentively on maximizing their footwork.

I’ve mentioned in some previous newsletters (which you can access by clicking here), just how important footwork is. In my opinion it forms the very platform for goalkeeping success. The above drills are some of many you can leverage to help your young goalkeeper succeed with their footwork, attacking the ball low and timing.

If you are in Sydney Australia and are looking for goalkeeper training visit the following link: Keeper Skool goalkeeper training service. Keeper skool provides a year round goalkeeper scouting tour service to europe which you can register for more information via this link.

Post from: Keeper Skool

Footwork and attacking the ball drills

“What drills/exercises would you implement if you were conducting a trial for goalkeepers? What would you be replicating and what would you be looking for in a ‘good’ keeper?”

This question sparks some memories from my time trialling with Bury FC with then performance coach Jimmy Petruzzi. Over a week long assessment, Jim conducted a series of “tests” that were specific to the role of the goalkeeper.

Therein lies the key to gauging a goalkeepers “physical” ability, that is “specificity”. The components of a physical test for a goalkeeping trial should always take into account the nature of the goalkeepers role within the game of play and test these components regularly.

The other side of Jim’s understanding of my goalkeeping ability was one to one work with the goalkeeping coach at Bury. This allowed Jim to measure my “technical” ability, via regular reports back from the goalkeeping coach.

The overall aim is to gain a birds eye overview of physical ability and how the goalkeeper can work to his/her strengths whilst also taking into account their technical capabilities.

Following are a few of the key physical training metrics that I encountered at Bury FC. These exercises should give you a preliminary overview of your goalkeepers physical capability such as:

• Double leg jump

• Single leg jump

• 10×6 yard sprint

• 6 yard sprint

• 18 yard sprint

• Track their reaction time: I do a lot of cone work, with different color markers. In this situation they could be standing in the middle of 4 different color markers spaced out in a square, and as you call each color, you will be able to see the speed of their reaction and time these accordingly.

• Counter movements: Again, you can use a similar exercise as above to test their counter movements.

There are certainly other exercises that you could use, and technical capability should also be taken into account throughout the trial period.

PS…great question Enzo!

To get a more in-depth insight into specific goalkeeper fitness and training methods, subscribe to Keeper Skool Certified to access The G-Code book, and articles and videos from trainers such as Jim Petruzzi, not to mention our exclusive monthly interviews from some of the best goalkeepers and goalkeeper trainers in the world.

Sign up to Keeper Skool Certified by clicking this link.

Post from: Keeper Skool

How to put your goalkeeper to the test?

- Stand centered and slightly facing the angle of attack.

- Utilize your 6 yards effectively by standing off your line.

- Give confidence in building a fortifed goal line. That is, if you are centered and off your goal line, have outfield players cover your near and far posts.

- Communicate with confidence. Meaning if you can’t reach the ball effectively call “away” or a word your defensive line will understand as a signal to clear the ball effectively.

- Punch and or parry should be a last ditched effort. Catch the ball at any and every attempt. Parrying sets the offensive team the ability to consolidate their attack.

The above are some of my observations, certainly there are more tips that many of you utilize and I hope you can add your thoughts to the comment section of this post.

Following is a diagram of what I mean by some of the above points to give you a visual representation. In my next post I’ll add to the above basics and speak to tactical and attacking goalkeeping from a corner situation.

The above drills are examples of the forthcoming goalkeeper training guide from Keeper Skool, to be released by the end of 2009. For exclusive interviews, goalkeeper fitness articles with leading experts, videos and written training drill programs sign up to Keeper Skool Certified by clicking here.

Post from: Keeper Skool

How to take advantage of corner situations?

1. Don’t be a line hog. I’m seeing this over and over with many of the young goalkeepers I train of late…hesitation. Thinking with the mind frame of the attacking goalkeeper, we should be leveraging momentum at all times. What I mean here is that if the player has moved into a shooting position in our 18 yards we attack the ball at all costs.

Moving off your line entails that you have effectively cut off, or at best, limited the attackers vision of the goal area. Therefore, movement off your line helps you cover more of your goal area and allows you to cut the choices an attacking player has of attacking your goal.

2. Timing is everything. Come off your line too quickly and you risk being stranded in your 18 yard box. Move too slowly off your line and you provide the atttacking player with a smorgasbord of attacking options on your goal area…you have effectvely left your goal area wide open.

The key to effective timing when attacking the ball in your 18 yard area is in matching the pace of the ball and the attacking player. So, if the player has broken through your line of defense quickly, then you reach the attacking player at his/her pace.

On the other hand, If the attacker has broken through at a slower pace we make a gradual movement off the line toward the player to make ourselves bigger in goal and cut the angle.

Usually, under these circumstances, the gradual movement allows us to slowly close the gap with shooting options the player has on our goal, and allows the goalkeeper to attack the ball at the players feet (especially if the player also has your defensive players on his/her back).

3. The 1 second rule. In many cases an attacking player will have a short window of time whilst taking a shot on goal that can be vitally advantageous for a goalkeeper in a one on one situation. Whenever an attacking player takes a shot on goal, you will notice that their leg (and hip) is in flexion, before hyper extension, whilst their head is lowered to take aim on the ball before the shot is conducted.

Taking rule 2 into perspective, the above analysis would prove advantageous for the attacking goalkeeper whom has timed their momentum correctly to attack the ball at the players feet. Hard to pull off, but extremely effective in curbing attack. I say it is hard because it requires:

• Full alert attention
• Pefect timing
• Utmost agility and strength to reach the ball in a timely fashion.

An excelllent drill to help provide the groundwork for effective goal coverage (making yourself big in goals) would entail something like the following drillI conduct.

The above drills are examples of the forthcoming goalkeeper training guide from Keeper Skool, to be released by the end of 2009. For exclusive interviews, goalkeeper fitness articles with leading experts, videos and written training drill programs sign up to Keeper Skool Certified by clicking here.

Post from: Keeper Skool

How to get ‘BIG’ and cover more of your goal!

1. 2 actions are better than one.

This weekend I conducted the folowing drill where my goalkeepers had to use both their feet for distribution, followed by a quick change to a diving scenario.

What the above drill allowed the goalkeeper to do is not only emphasize 2 aspects of their technique in one drill, though they had to quickly react and adapt to a new scenario. What I try to do is trigger their minds to switch on exceptionally quickly so their reactions are maximized during a high pressure situation.

2. Spark the mind into action

Goalkeepers need to have their minds switched on pretty quickly. During a 90 minute match your mind has to be constantly ahead of the game. I call this “shaping a scenario”, where the goalkeeper has already seen in their minds eye how a particular action will be played out on the field. It takes constant practice, but is a highly powerful way of thinking on your feet.

With the above drill now you can focus on two technical aspects on one drill and also allow for the golkeeper to switch on their mind and think quickly in a high pressure situation.

The above drills are examples of the forthcoming goalkeeper training guide from Keeper Skool, to be released by the end of 2009. For exclusive interviews, goalkeeper fitness articles with leading experts, videos and written training drill programs sign up to Keeper Skool Certified by clicking here.

Post from: Keeper Skool

Thinking on your feet

Parrying the ball is sometimes the only way to keep the ball out of the net. One of the things I have noticed over the last week with my academy goalkeepers is the prevelance of parrying simple shots on goal back into play.

Now, it should be mentioned that these young kids are playing at a grassroots or elite junior level. It’s still an alarming end result to simple shooting drills. The reason the parrying situation eventuates is a lack of basic handling technique.

Can it be rectified? Sure can. Here are a few things I’ve been taught over 20 odd years of Goalkeeping:

1. Body behind the ball: Ever heard your coach call out that footwork is everything? Footwork provides the platform to success between the sticks. Beg to differ? OK, how many times have you dived for a ball only to “just” make it to the ball? Or, how many times do you sway your arms out  to catch the ball instead of using your feet to get your body behind the ball? Footwork…got the picture?

So, one thing I always focus on in training is footwork as a warm up or as a primer before game based practice. What the following drill allows the goalkeeper to do is get their mind focused on basic footwork (and handling) and also enhancing their footwork to make sure that their body is always behind the ball instead of stumbling to save the ball in a last ditched parry attempt.

(The above image is copyright of Keeper Skool, All rights reserved, 2009)

2. Footspeed: Resident goalkeeper strength and conditioning expert Mark Williams is a stickler for footspeed. Mark uses a lot of plyometric training in his sessions with elite level goalkeepers.

Plyometrics focuses on conducing muscular power, though, it also sets a strong foundation of agility. Agility training can effect foot speed, therefore, allowing the goalkeeper to get their body behind the ball more efficiently.

Following is a very basic  plyometric/diving drill I have developed over the last 20 weeks of training at the academy.

(The above image is copyright of Keeper Skool, All rights reserved, 2009)

The net effect of both the above training drills allows the goalkeeper to be more efficient in goals, whilst allowing them to get their body behind the ball with effective footwork which will help them conserve energy during the game without unecessarily diving at every instance.

But, with that said, there will be many times during a game where the only option is a split second (parry) reaction save. So, I’d rather get you in a mind frame of focusing  on proper footwork most of the time rather than just diving and parrying in every shot at goal and the above drills can certainly help.

The above drills are examples of the forthcoming goalkeeper training guide from Keeper Skool, to be released by the end of 2009. For exclusive interviews, goalkeeper fitness articles with leading experts, videos and written training drill programs sign up to Keeper Skool Certified by clicking here.

Post from: Keeper Skool

To parry or not? Drills to help sharpen your footwork.