The “Dark” Side Of Your Goalkeeping Technique
July 6, 2007
Just like in Star Wars, there is always a “dark” side to the force. Every goalkeeper has that same “dark” side to their goalkeeping…you don’t have any right? Truth is that every goalkeeper has a weak side to their technique, it could be that you can dive like a gazelle being chased by a cheetah to your right hand side, while your left hand side is like a deer caught in some headlights. There is a way around it you know, let’s take a look.
One of our 10 Weeks To Goalkeeping Success readers sent in this question:
Hi, I was wondering If u have any advice, my left side when diving seems to be weaker than the right. Do you have any techniques that I could use to enhance my left side performance?
Dale
You know what the answer is? Repetition. Obviously, form is fundamental, but without repetitions you do not form a solid base for goalkeeping technique. Just like a child learning to walk for the very first time, you will stumble…and that is totally cool, but if you do not repeat the process of the dive again, and again, you’d be better off crawling.
One of the best ways I learnt to iron out weak spots to my diving technique in my own time, was something I call the “wall technique”. I’d get down to the park, near the sheds and throw the ball against the shed wall at many angles and velocities (targeting my weak side) continually until I got a feel for that weak side of my dive. The beauty about using the wall, was that I could constantly iron out many weaknesses in my own time, whether it be diving, catching or kicking. Give it a try and see how you go.
Great article John. I’ve found that when training with a wall, it becomes much easier to target a specific movement in your technique that needs to be refined and allows for more repetitions in the same time, which is vital for it to become ingrained into your mind. i refined my goalkicking technique using a wall since I could work on it in my own time, could do more reps and concentrate on technique not distance (which sometimes happens when your practicing on an open field), not to mention the convenience of not having to always retrieve the ball every few goalkicks. Only problem was practicing with a brick wall, which tore up soccer balls quite quickly.
Keep up the great work
Hey Nathan,
Yeah…poor balls on those brick walls. But it’s great to hear that another goalkeeper has used the technique with great success.
Brilliant response where you mentioned it allows you to focus on "technique", rather than distance (in example of a kick).
Thanks for the kind words!