Edition 57

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's topic for discussion might seem like a minor one but it's something that is more of an issue then most people might think. Topic is where to stand when the ball is on the far side (offensive half) of the field.

At first thought, your reaction might be "who cares?" but this is something that can create a tremendous amount of problems for a keeper. One way it becomes a problem is if keeper is asked (or told) to stand in an area that they are not comfortable standing in. A subscriber wrote to me a few months ago and said that his son's coach wanted him to stand 30-40 yards out of the goal when his team had the ball in the offensive third of the field. Unfortunately, the keeper (aka the only one that matters) wasn't comfortable being out that far. The coaches reason for wanting a keeper out that distant out was to help give directions to the team on attack as well as to play almost as a sweeper/keeper. The keepers reasons for not wanting to be out that far were that he wasn't comfortable enough with his foot skills to be of assistance plus he was more comfortable going forward to meet the ball then he was going backwards to get back into position to play as a traditional keeper. Who was right? They both were but despite what the coach might want, the keeper must do what he is comfortable doing. If the coach wants him to change, he must work with this keeper to make him comfortable with his foot skills so he will want the ball played back and also work with him on his footwork so he is comfortable working his way back to goal. Only when this has been worked on to the point where the keeper is comfortable with these things should a coach try to get the keeper to change his positioning.

I would love to have a keeper who is comfortable being 30-40 yards off his line and intelligent enough to understand how to play that role but truthfully, I have never had one with that comfort level. There are only a few things that I do think are important enough to make a keeper do even if they don't want to.

At the very least, a keeper must come out 15 yards or so ideally, they should come out at least 19 yards. People might wonder why 19 yards and not just to the top of the 18 but this is something I feel very strongly about. In our society, we are taught not to cross lines and because of this, I have seen too many keepers hesitate when they get to the top of the 18 for fear that they will be leaving their box. Unfortunately, this hesitation costs them goals. By standing just outside the box, they wont have that deterrent to stop them from going out and meeting a ball that has been played over their sweepers head. This extra yard (and more importantly, the psychology of crossing this extra yard) becomes a huge factor in games.

The further out a keeper is comfortable playing, the more support they can provide to their teammates. However, each player is going to have a different comfort zone and while it's important to expand that zone, they shouldn't be forced out of it by a parent or a coach.

As a keeper is willing to play out of the box, they must learn to be able to read the field so that they can have a strong feel for their location at all times.

Before the game, make sure that the two goals are lined up perfectly. Also, check to see that the 18's are the correct size and the goal is centered. Next, look for specific spots on the field that will be easily recognizable. Get used to constantly checking your location at all times.

Basically, always know where you are and gradually work on expanding your range.

The archives for www.finesoccer.com have not been updated in awhile, I hope to be able to get around to this within the week. I apologize for this inconvenience but time has been a problem recently.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please send them to comments@finesoccer.com or post them to the FineSoccer Forum at http://finesoccer.com/forum.htm.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the Soccer Newsletter by going to www.finesoccer.com/subscrib.htm. 

Have a great day.

Lawrence