Edition 21

Welcome to the goalkeeping newsletter.  Today’s topic is positioning on dead balls.

First, however, I would like to invite everyone to subscribe to a new newsletter.  I have received a number of questions regarding subjects on how to handle certain situations as a field player and have decided to start another newsletter dealing with field player issues.  It is extremely important for keepers to have a tremendous understanding of the techniques and tactics of field players so I would hope that each of the keepers on this list (and coaches) would also subscribe to the Soccer Newsletter (tentative title) I also wanted to open this up to field players as well which is why I don’t just answer the questions on the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  You can subscribe to the new Soccer Newsletter by going to www.finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm.  Please feel free to let others know about this new newsletter as well. It will be written with the same style and beliefs as the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  The first issue will go out next week.

Anyone who has watched the Women’s World Cup should have a pretty good understanding of the importance of dead balls.  Unfortunately, people tend to forget about the importance of practicing them from the defensive side of things.  I want to start with the teams positioning on corner kicks (defensive).

The first thing to do is make sure you have a player at the near post.  The best way to position this person is to have her with both feet on the goal line with her shoulder against the near post.  This allows her to prevent anything from scoring at the near post.  Her directions are to only leave the ball if she knows with 100% certainty that she will win the ball.  Otherwise she is to stay on the post until the keeper tells her to leave.  Next the keeper has to decide about the far post.  Some keepers like a player on the far post while others are confident they can cover this area. This is a very personal decision and there is no right or wrong.  If you elect to have a player on the far post, she should be positioned just like the person on the far post.  Next you will want to try to take away any short corners or driven corners to the near post.  Putting a player 10 yards from the ball on the end line can best do this.  This takes away a couple of great options for the attacking team so this one person is actually accomplishing a great deal.  The next important spot you might want to cover is the area around the 6 yard line at the near post extended. A driven ball into this area is almost impossible for a keeper to get to so if you were to put a player there it will nullify that concern plus encourage the lofted ball far post which allows you to cheat that way.  The last important spot I want to mention is the area between the 12-yard spot and the top of the D.  This area is where most goals are scored (frequents after the initial clear) so it’s extremely important to have a player ready to get into that position.  The rest of the players can either play a zone or man-to-man depending upon the desires of the coach.  The keeper should position herself approximately in the middle of the goal 1 yard off her line.  Her lower body should be facing the center of the field and the head is turned to see the ball.  By having her body facing the middle of the field, it opens up the whole field so that she never has to run backwards on a lofted ball played toward the near post.  Corner kicks are very dangerous and often neglected and is one area where the keeper must be completely in control.  The player (or players) on the posts are going to stay until the keeper tells them to get out so she must make quick decisions and be authoritative.   If the keeper positions herself properly, and takes control of the situation, she should be fine.

On direct and indirect kicks within shooting distance of the goal, you would first make sure the wall is set up.  Some teams have their keepers do this while others have another player do it.  Personally, I prefer the keeper to do this since ultimately you will be held accountable.  To set up the wall, go to the near post and you want to set up the end person so that you can see the ball through her legs (her legs should be together so the ball can’t go through).  By seeing the ball through her legs, this will guarantee that a ball played straight at the near post is covered by this person (this person should be a tall player and it’s my preference that it be a predetermined person so there is no question on who will be there.  The other reason you want to see the ball through her legs is this will allow some of her body to be outside the near post which will make it harder for a bent ball to go around the wall to the near post.  As far as how many players should be in the wall, this depends upon the area the free kick is taken from.   You want there to be enough but not too many (enough will allow you to cover the whole goal between the wall and the your ability.    Too many will make it hard to see the ball and cover the near post for chips.    You want to position yourself so that you are on the side of the wall toward the far post but obviously back toward your near post.  This should allow you to cover the far post and also cover a chipped ball over the wall toward the near post (either a shot or a chip to a runner).  If it were an indirect kick, you would want to have a person just off of the wall on the side toward the far post so that when the ball is kicked, she can charge the ball.  When the ball is touched, you want the wall to stay still since this was set up to help you.  Only this one charger should move.    Everyone else should mark up a player.

The other situation I want to write about is an indirect kick inside of 10 yards from the goal line.  If the indirect kick is straight on, then bring all 10 players back onto the goal line with five lined up from one post inward and the other 5 lined up from the other post inward.  This will leave a whole in the middle.  You as the keeper should be on the goal line in the middle of this whole.  When the ball is touched, everyone except the keeper should stay put and the keeper should attack the ball as if in a breakaway situation.   Really you just have to worry about the open space in the middle (if they shoot the ball into an upper corner there is nothing you can do about it so worry about what you can do something about.  When the time is right to get your teammates off the goal line, take charge and get them out of there.  You are in charge.  This is a situation that must be practiced on a regular basis with the whole team, as there will be no time for indecision.  The rule allows players to be 10 yards from the ball on free kicks or on the goal line so get everyone there early.

If you have any other ideas on defending dead balls I would love to hear them.  Send them to comments@finesoccer.com.    Also remember to check out the archives of the goalkeeping Newsletter at http://finesoccer.com

Have a great day.

Lawrence