Today's topic deals with balls bouncing in front of the keeper.

In the diagram below, you can see two white lines just in front of the keeper.



Any ball that bounces in the area between these two lines will cause the keeper a great deal of difficulty. If it takes a bad bounce (skids, hits a rock etc) there is very little time to react.

The first option, when possible, is to try to get to the ball before it hits the ground. Sometimes this might mean taking a quick step forward to get to the ball earlier. Other times, it might mean doing a forward dive to get to ball quicker.

Frequently there isn't time to get to the ball before it hits the ground. When this is the case, the keeper needs to do everything possible to try to get as much of their body behind the ball.

Even if a forward dive wont result in getting to the ball before the ball hits the ground, it might result in getting to the ball before the potential bad bounce.

Other options would be a kick out dive or a collapse dive.

One key to dealing with balls hitting the ground in this dangerous area is to make sure to keep your eyes on the ball throughout the whole process. There is a tendency to lift the head to see what is going on in front of the you but it's vital to keep your eyes on the ball the whole time.

Handling balls that bounce just in front of the keeper is difficult. The thing to remember are:

* Try to get to the ball before the bounce
* Get as much of your body behind the ball as possible
* Keep your eyes on the ball at all times.


If you do the above you will be more successful with these balls.

Topic - "Palming"
Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's topic deals with "palming"

In watching recent World Cup matches, I have seen a lot of keepers "palming" or parrying balls when they are able to get both hands on the ball. Sometimes this has been done when the keeper has had to dive for the ball and other times the keeper has been able to keep his feet, get two hands on the ball and still has chosen to push the ball away.

Frequently, the announcers have made comments about the keepers trying to look good by "making a meal of it". In other words, these announcers feel the keeper could have done something less spectacular but instead were more interested in looking good than in doing the right thing.

Admittedly, it's extremely easy to make a save from the announcers booth but when actually on the field with a hard hit shot and a ball swerving in the air, it's much more difficult.

There is no doubt this has been more prevalent in this World Cup than previously but the thing to remember is the first rule of catching vs parrying (palming). If you are sure you can catch the ball, catch it, otherwise you need to push it away.

If you aren't sure you can hold onto the ball or not, you must push it away because if you try to catch the ball and can't hold onto it you will be giving up an easy rebound which might result in a goal for the opponent.

Are today's keepers more imagine conscious than previous ones? I don't think so. Rather, due to the new balls being used, they are having much more difficulty judging the ball (the new ball has made it easier to make the ball move erratically in the air). Rather than trying to be more spectacular, these keepers are more worried about misjudging (and thus mishandling) the shots coming in so instead, they are applying the basic rule of safety first.

If you slightly misjudge the ball, one hand will most likely make contact with the ball before the other hand and this makes it extremely difficult to hold onto the ball.

While safety first might not satisfy the announcers, my guess is it's what their coaches are wanting

If you are playing with a ball and are having a hard time judging it, work on getting your body behind the ball as much as possible and apply the safety first rule whenever possible.

The other option, if you want to always make the right decision, is become an announcer and make the decision AFTER THE FACT!

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on angles and footwork.

This activity requires one keeper, four servers and eight balls.

The four servers start spread out along the 18 and each has two soccer balls. The keeper starts in goal against one of the posts.

The server furthest from the keeper is the first shooter. The keeper sprints out to cut off the angle. As soon as the keeper sets, the shot gets hit. The shooter is not trying to score, just to challenge the keeper.

The keeper makes the save, returns the ball and then sprints back to the far post and then does the same to the second server.


Next the keeper sprints back to the other post and does the same thing for the next two servers.

Once all four servers have shot, the keeper starts again but this time, the servers are trying to score.

By changing the angles and the approach it forces the keeper to really think about the angle and the footwork.

Ideally, you would do this activity with someone videotaping the keeper and immediately after the activity is over, they would break to watch the video, analyze/evaluate the footwork and then do it again. In this particular instance, being able to see the things done right and the things done wrong will make it much easier for the keeper to make corrections. However, if you don’t have access to video this, it’s still an extremely effective way to work on footwork and angles.

How to adapt coaching activities to suit the ability of your players

If your children are having difficulty with a game or drill, you need to reduce the pressure on them by:

Making the playing area bigger.
Reducing the number of players involved.
This should allow them to experience success. If it doesn't, the game or drill is probably pitched at the wrong level, so stop doing it and try something a bit easier.

If your players are finding a game too easy you can:

Make the playing area smaller.
Introduce conditions such as limiting the number of touches on the ball.
Swedish Handball (warm up, 10 minutes)

Split your players into two teams. In a rectangular grid with a goal at each end, the players work the ball up the pitch by throwing it to each other. Don't allow any physical contact - the ball can only be intercepted when it is being passed. Players can carry the ball for two steps and score by throwing the ball into the goal.

If you find the goals being blocked by a line of defenders, mark out a 'no go' area with flat cones five yards out from the goal. No one is allowed to step over this line.

Play the first to five goals wins.

Triangle goal game (15 minutes)

Place three poles in the centre of a large square playing area to make a triangular goal. Place a goalkeeper in the goal. The same two teams try to score in any of the three sides of the goal (the player who gets the last touch scores). Again, it's first to five goals. This game is great for improving goalkeeper reaction times and encouraging quick repositioning.

Color shooting (10 minutes)

With thanks to jbgoalkeeping.com.

Use a small-sided penalty area for this game or mark out a similar-sized playing area. Put four different-colored cones (or other objects) on the edge of the penalty area. At least one should be at an acute angle close to the goal line.

Place at least one player and a few balls at each cone. You call out a color and the player at that cone shoots. The goalkeeper must quickly respond to the color called and find a good position. Keep calling colors until the goalkeeper has faced four shots. Then rotate goalkeepers.

Tip: Make sure the goalkeepers check their posts as they move around to be sure of their positioning. For best results, goalkeepers need to stand off the goal line.
1v1 to goal (15 minutes)

This game should produce plenty of shots for your goalkeeper to save. Remember, refer to newsletter 66 for coaching tips.

This is a game for teams of three or four players at most, so set up two games if you have eight players. Use the same playing area as in the last game but place a small goal on each of the short ends. The teams line up at each end with a goalkeeper in each goal. Give each outfield player a number.

Serve a ball into the centre of the playing area and call out a number. The players with that number challenge for the ball and try to score. The player who scores stays on. The player who doesn't score goes in goal. If the ball goes out of bounds, both players take the place of their goalkeepers and the game starts again.

Tip: If one player keeps scoring, play 2v1.
Finally, let your players play a small-sided game (SSG) with one condition. Rotate the goalkeepers every time the ball goes out.

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s topic deals with distribution.

When a keeper gets the ball, there is an order the keeper should look to for distribution.

In the diagram below, the black right winger has beaten his defender and went down the line and crossed the ball to the middle. The keeper went out and won the ball..

The first player the keeper should look to is player 1. As a general rule, look far first. If this player is open or even in a 1 v 1 situation, consider playing the ball long

Next, look long on an angle in the opposite direction. Since the ball came from the keepers left, he would look to his right to the outside midfielder (yellow 2)

Next look long to the same side the ball came. In this example, since the player was beaten defensively, the opportunity exists to attack into that space. (yellow 3)



Next look short to the opposite side to an outside back yellow 4)



If none of these are available, go back to the long ball

This is a general rule of thumb but if you go through this check down process, you are more likely to be successful with your decision making regarding distribution.

Today’s featured activity involves rapid shooting with a person there for rebounds.

An activity I see keepers (and their coaches) doing on a regular basis is “rapid fire shooting”. There is a keeper in goal, a coach or player around the top of the 18 with balls lined up.

The server shoots the ball on goal and the keeper tries to make the save

Before the keeper can even get back to his feet, the server shoots again and the keeper must scramble to make that save

This continues until there are no more balls to shoot.

The problem with this activity is keepers don’t concern themselves with holding onto the ball or with what happens to the rebound. Since so many goals are scored off of rebounds, this is a vital part of the game that is not only being neglected in this activity but it’s actually being encouraged (the keepers frequently can’t concentrate on holding onto the ball since they are worried about the next shot)

The alternative is to do the exact same activity but this time with a player ready for the rebounds.

The server shoots and the keeper makes the save. If there is a rebound, the second player is there to finish first time

The server doesn’t shoot the next ball until the previous ball is dead.

By adding this second player on offense, it makes this activity more game related and also discourages bad habits.