My Favorite Goalkeeper Positioning Trick

Our very own goalkeeping whiz-kid Liviu Bird, talks turkey about his most powerful goalkeeping secrets, and some of the best techniques he utilizes to enhance his ability (hopefully this can become a weekly thing for all of our readers):

One of the most vital skills for a goalkeeper to have is the ability to be in the right position at all times. This is my favorite positioning trick. I learned this from a coach here in Fairbanks who now coaches for FC Portland in Oregon.

• Properly measured, the 6 yard box, 18 yard box, and near post line up perfectly.
• Using this knowledge, the near post is covered when: The goalkeeper is inside of this imaginary red line and can reach the line before any shot. The goalkeeper can cover any shot taken to the inside of this red line, especially if they narrow the angle properly by coming off their line.
• Also, notice that if the ball’s endpoint is inside this line, it is on target. By the same token, if the endpoint is outside of this line, it is not on target.
• The “endpoint” is where the ball ends, after accounting for bend and other factors.

Using this trick, a goalkeeper eliminates the need to mark the pitch, which is technically against the Laws of the Game and should result in a yellow card for unsporting behavior. It is also a good way to tell whether a shot is on target or not.

Liviu Bird is a young and avid sports writer and competitive goalkeeper playing for the Alaska Northstars State Select Team.