Welcome to the
Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's issue will deal with backward dives.
Please understand that this is very different from diving backwards which is
something I try to emphasize is very wrong.
Backward dives are usually done
when a keeper is caught off her line and the ball is chipped over her head.
The keeper will have to get back toward her line and push the ball over the goal
line. A great example of this was in the women's world cup game between
the US and Brazil. Brianna Scurry was caught off her line cheating to get
a cross when the ball sailed over her head. With great footwork she was
able to get back and push the ball over the goal. While it's true that she
put herself into a bad position by guessing wrong, and it's also true that her
athleticism is tremendous, the real reason she was able to save the ball was
with proper footwork and technique.
Assuming the ball is played over
your left shoulder, you would take a drop step with your left foot so that your
body rotates 90 degrees. Depending on how far off of your line you are,
you would then take a big step with your right foot crossing over your left foot
(this is one of the few times in athletics where you ever cross your feet).
The reason this is a safe time to do this is you will be turning at the same
time with your lower body so that instead of crossing your feet, you will that
you are really just running toward the goal line. Your upper body should
stay facing forward. This will, at first, feel unusual but with practice
can be done very comfortably. When you get back far enough back you will
push upward with your left foot using it in the same way as you would on a power
dive (extended dive) and come around hard with the right leg in order to get
high and far. With your right hand (your upper hand on the dive you will
make contact with the ball with your finger tips and literally try to catch and
push the ball over the goal line with this one hand. The technique is
identical to an extended dive. The ball does not have to be pushed hard or
far. The main emphasis is on getting the ball up and over the goal.
Use the momentum of the shot to clear the goal.
Some of the important things to
remember is you must be aware of your arms when land. It is
real easy to put your hands down to break your fall. However, the only
thing you will break while doing this is your wrist. Also, realize that if
the ball does not clear the goal and hits the cross bar, you will have to get up
quickly and save the next ball.
This is a very difficult dive to
master. The best way to practice it is to have a server throw the ball to
you underhand starting off in a catcher position so that you get the technique
right without risking injury. Once the technique is mastered, you can
then build up to doing it from a diving position (with a served ball). It
has been my experience that once a keeper does it correctly one time, they can
do it on a regular basis. However, it can take a long time to get to the
point where a keeper can do it correctly. Be patient and it will come.
