Category: Goalkeeping
Type: Tip
TONY DICICCO'S TIP OF THE MONTH JUNE 2000
Question #1: What drills do you recommend for teaching goalies how and when to come off their line when under pressure?
What you are describing here is a breakaway situation. A breakaway is when the goalkeeper is the last defender and if the keeper isn't there the attacker will be able to dribble the ball right into the goal. The goalkeeper must remember three choices:
- Win the ball before the shot if you can
- Smother the shot as it is taken if you can win it clearly
- Play the shot or dribble if the attacking player clearly has possession.
By knowing the 3 choices that every goalkeeper has every time the ball is played or touched in a breakaway situation, the keeper can now start to read the game. Most keepers are aggressive by nature, but sometimes patience is the correct tactic to use in a breakaway, especially when the striker has possession of the ball. Here are a couple of exercises you can do with your team or even in your backyard with your friends to work on when to come off your line.
- Breakaway tag: It really isn't a tag game, but it may look like one. The keeper is in goal and about 20-30 yards away is a striker with the ball at his or her feet. One yard behind the striker is a defender. Once the striker touches the ball at the goal, the defender can sprint in to get in front of the striker. By creating this pressure, you make the game more realistic. The goalkeeper must evaluate each touch from the striker, if the ball is over-dribbled, then the keeper may be able to come out and win the ball before the shot. If it's a good dribble by the attacker, the goalkeeper can come out a little, stay under control and wait for the next touch, which can be a dribble or a shot, and react to that touch. Repeat and have fun with this. Remember, strikers must always avoid contact with the goalkeepers to keep from creating an injury situation.
- Situation: Breakaway In this exercise, one friend has the ball 20-30 yards from goal. A second friend (striker) is facing away from goal and near the ball. The player with the ball, passes it into the area around the goal, the striker turns and runs to play it, the goalkeeper must decide whether he or she can win the ball before the striker gets to it, or comes off her line a little and has to wait for the next touch or shot to make the save. By creating little fun games like this, the decision on when to come, how far and fast to come will become easier to read. Good luck.
Question #2: What is the best way to teach distribution to goalkeepers, when to punt, throw etc.?
Once the goalkeeper has the ball, he or she becomes an attacking player and just like any attacking player, the keeper wants to move the ball towards the other goal in possession if possible. If a keeper wants to learn how to throw or punt or dropkick the ball better or more accurately, high repetition is required. If the keeper wants to understand who to distribute to and whether to punt or throw, then they have to be put into game situations. Anything from a 3v3 to an 11v11. Here are some rules:
- If the ball comes in from one side, distribute to the other side.
- If your team is under heavy pressure, punt long to relieve pressure.
- If your team needs possession, then throw the ball out to the outside areas of your final third unless players are not open.
- If your teammate is close to you, bowl or roll the ball out underhand.
- If your teammate is farther from you, then sling throw overhand the ball to get it there quickly and to cover more distance.
- If your teammate if standing, then throw to their feet, don't lead them into space
- If your teammate is running, then lead them into the space they are moving to.
The following are a couple of games to teach distribution.
Game #1: For hand distribution. Play a short-sided game 4v4 or 5v5 with goalkeepers. Put a training goalkeeper in the middle of the game as a plus player. Allow the plus goalkeeper to use their hands. Now, they have to distribute with their hands. Coach when they are very good and you want to make a coaching point on how to do it and when they make mistakes that have to be corrected. The game is fun because; the goalkeepers should create a lot of possession and a lot of scoring opportunities. Remember also coach the distribution of the two keepers playing in the goals.
Game #2: For footskills. Play a game in which there are 6 players against 2 players and on the outside, there are the 4 teammates of the 2 players. The 4 outside can play with their teammates inside, but they can not go into the playing field. (Restrict their touches 1 or 2). The goalkeepers also play with the 2 in the middle.
The 6 try to win the ball from: the 2 field players in the game, the 2 goalkeepers at either end and the 4 outside the game. When they win the ball, they can score in either goal.
The only way for the 2 to survive is to use the goalkeepers, (who can't use their hands if the ball is passed to them by the 2 in the middle or the 4 on the outside) and the 4 outside to keep possession. If the goalkeepers have good footskills, they can keep possession from the 6. Otherwise, they are going to give up a lot of goals. Play 6 minutes rotating the 2 inside the game every 2 minutes. Then switch teams so that the 6 have to play as the other team did with 2 in the middle. Play another 6 minutes. The team scoring the most goals wins.
A variation is to have the goalkeepers always punt or dropkick the ball. Now their accuracy must be good or possession will be lost.
Question #3: What training can keepers do on their own when they don't get enough attention during their practices?
You are right on. Goalkeepers must take responsibility for their training. If they don't get enough attention during training, then they have to make up for it before or after training or at home. Ask your coach or another goalkeeper to come early and train together or stay late. Do simple technical exercises that train fitness, technique and mental skills.
Some of the best training a keeper can do is, pressure-training exercises. Pressure training exercises are done over 30-45 seconds at high intensity and energy and then rest for the same length of time (30-45 seconds). Just think of all the things that goalkeepers do during a game and then duplicate them into exercises. Here are a few: 1. Start on the ground on your side with the ball. Roll the ball away, stand and go save it breakaway style. Repeat and do as fast as you can. 2. Standing, bounce the ball to your right and collapse dive to save, get up quickly and repeat to your left. Back and forth at speed, with intensity and energy trains the technique, fitness and mental toughness. 3. Standing with a partner, roll the ball to your partner so that he or she has to make a diving save. After you roll the ball, do a push up yourself. Now, your partner rolls the ball and you make the save, while your partner does the push up. If done correctly, both goalkeepers are going down and getting up together.
Good luck. Tony DiCicco
Submitted by: Tony DiCicco
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