Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's issue will deal with the
subject of being safe at all times with the ball.
Sometimes, keepers get a bit too confident with the ball (actually I think it is the
result of getting bored as well), and they tend to do stupid things such as receive a pass
back
with their feet and when they feel pressure coming at them, they cut the ball away from
the opponent and then clear the ball. The reality is that if this works 99 times out
of 100, it's not worth it to take that chance. Anytime you are under the slightest
degree of pressure, be safe, be simple and get rid of the ball. It always goes back
to risk vs reward. Is the risk of the keeper getting the ball stripped from them
worth the reward if it isn't stripped? I think the answer is fairly obvious in that
since the keeper primary responsible is to keep the ball out of the back of the net, they
should never take a chance that might result in a goal scoring opportunity for the
opponent.
I saw a keeper this weekend sprint into the corner for a long ball and since she got to
the ball before the opponent did, she then dribbled the ball (under pressure) into the box
and picked it up (it was not a passback so she could pick it up like that). In her mind,
this was a very smart thing to do (I spoke with her after the game) since it resulted in a
punt instead of her knocking the ball long first time out of play. However, the first
time she tries this and it fails, she will realize just how dangerous a play this
really is to attempt. Be safe and simple and when in doubt, knock it out. Not
only is this the safer thing to do, but it also will help to gain confidence from
teammates who will appreciate the keeper making the correct decision
Safety in distribution is also an important subject. I am a big proponent of
maintaining possession whenever possible, but there are times when it is appropriate to
realize that the long ball is the correct decision. It's great to throw to a near
person, but not if she will be under pressure immediately. Playing safe will result
in you making so many fewer saves long term that it is definitely worth it. Always,
consider the consequences of any short distribution and then and only then should you
actually use
that option.
