Category: PERFORMANCE

Communication

qna
Question:
I’ve been playing for three years and all my skills have developed, all but my communication. Every team I play for has said that they look for a keeper with strong communication skills and I feel that if I can improve my communication I’ll improve my shot of making the teams I tryout for. I ask all the coaches I ever have what they want me to say, but I never get a clear answer. I was wondering what things I should be saying. I will yell at my players when I need them to mark someone or to call a ball “MINE” but other then that I’m lost.

I’m hoping to get into the Junior National Program and eventually represent Canada at the Junior Worlds in 2013 and if I can improve my communication skills it’ll help a lot.

Thanks,
Madeleine

Answer:
Hi Madeline,

I wrote a tip about Team Defense that has a section on Commuincation. Below is the link:

http://blog.obo.co.nz/2004/01/13/decision-making-and-team-defense/

In addition, there is a recent article in the Keeper’s Resources section that also covers a little on the topic, here is that link:

http://blog.obo.co.nz/2010/07/22/acting-analysing-deciding-and-decision-making/

Communication is essentially organizing your defense. It’s recognizing the position of your opponents in relationship to the ball and your goal and communicating to your teammates where you want them to be and what you want them to do. In my mind, that’s Team Defense and Decision-Making.

I’d start with reading the articles and please feel free to e-mail me if you have additional questions. I’ll add that I’ve played with a number of teams over the years and my experience has taught me that there is no one style of communication. I’ve played with teams where defenders do a lot of talking around the ball and my job is basically to keep them aware of upfield forwards or what I’m doing and then I’ve played with teams where I have to take charge and organize who is on ball and who is marking who. It will all depend on your team. Communication is about results and if players aren’t doing what you ask them, then it’s time to rethink how you’re saying things.

As you work on communication, conversations about situations on the field are very useful. Walk throughs where you place a ball on the field and move opponents and have to organize where you want people to go and what you want them to do are useful. It’s good to have common terms so that your teammates are all on the same page.

As I said, there is no one style of communication. The key is recognizing danger as an attack is developing and taking that away through positioning your help,

good luck,

Jon

Acting, Analysing, Deciding and Decision Making

Decision Making, Analyzing, Deciding and Acting are key concepts in hockey goalkeeping. You may have the right attitude, speed, concentration, agility, power, reflexes and yet goals still go in that should not go in due to many different reasons! Goalkeepers must have the ability to correctly analyse, decide and act in crucial situations. Lack of this or incorrect analyzing, deciding and acting will most likely lead to goals being scored. The Fact of the matter is that even if the goal was not your fault you always feel a sense of responsibilty, which isn’ t a bad thing as it shows determination, passion and the desire to suceed!

Good goalkeepers must have the ability to learn from their mistakes by watching the play leading up to a goal being scored and decide were they made the wrong decision. Making one wrong decision or making one mistake in the goal can change the entire outcome of the match, (but that’s what also makes this one of the best positions on the pitch) If an outfielder makes one mistake or one wrong  decision in a match it would most likely not cost the match as they have the time to redeem themselves and make up for the mistake straight after, while the next chance for the goalkeeper to redeem or make up for their mistake is during the next scoring opportunity making analyzing a crucial part of a goalkeepers game! It is important not to over analyse the goal during the match as it will distract you and your concentration will not be on the next shot which is were it needs to be. It is important to get the balance of how much to analyse during the match and how much after the match! This will usually come with experience! Simply acknowledge to yourself that a goal has been scored but the match is not over, you must then forget about the goal and focus on the next shot!

Calling is a very important skill and is used when the goalkeeper has realized what the opposition are going to do. Calling should not  be under estimated. Call the defenders name first and then the action you require them to make; e.g. Ailbhe, move right, player leading behind, or mark player leading in front etc. Calling and talking in matches is a very useful skill that could also get you more match time as it encourages, gives direction and supports the defenders! Often goalkeepers will come off the pitch after only touching the ball a few times but without good communication the rate would be much higher and although you may have preferred to get more action the less action you get the less goal opportunities there are!

It is important for goalkeepers to build up their knowledge about how team mates play, where their strengths lie, watching where and how they distribute the ball, identifying how they tackle and approach players, how they manage pressure and how they react to calls. This is very important to the goalkeeper’s game! It helps goalkeepers to make the correct calls to different players and to know when the players might make  mistakes and be ready at all times to make up for their mistake and be able to react to it. Do not always assume that the defender will get the ball or that they will make the tackle as they might not and you will then have to make the decision to step up!

The goalkeeper should also watch the opposition, watch the strikers, know how and where they lead, the types of shots taken and from where, one on one maneuverer, short corner set plays. All of this will help in the goalkeepers game and also help the goalkeeper to make calls to defenders and prevent mistakes from happening which may lead to a goal scoring opportunity.

The goalkeeper should also build their knowledge about other goalkeepers, their weaknesses, strengths and skills they may have that they can learn from to improve their own game. This will help a goalkeeper to learn new skills and  techniques, if a goalkeeper watches and learns from other goalkeepers mistakes it will help to improve their game as they’re most likely not to make the same mistakes as they may have made! It is also important to learn from your own mistakes and to use the skills and techniques that come naturally to you as you are more likely to use them and remember them as opposed to skills or techniques other people try to teach you! Although it is also important to take the advice and coaching that other people give you as it will help to improve your game!

Maximising Focus and Concentration During a Game

What do we know about focussing on the ball just before a shot at the goal ? A goalie will have little or no chance of a successful save unless there is total focus on the ball as it is travelling towards the goal.

Obviously you want to focus (or concentrate) 100 % on the ball just before the push or shot is executed. But if you try to apply this 100% focussing during the 70 minutes of the game, you’ll find your ability to focus or concentrate will decline after only a few minutes. Another problem of too much focussing on the ball (or at the wrong moments) is that you won’t have an idea where the (offensive) players are on the pitch.

So … how can you maximise your focus and concentration at critical times of game and maintain offensive player awareness?

I have used a technique similar to the DEFCON codes used by the US forces. This focussing aid will help any goalie to optimally distribute his focus and concentration during the game and it will lower the chance you will be left without concentration or focussing abilities halfway through the game.

It is very easy to remember and doesn’t require a lot of thinking or learning. Here is the technique:

While your team is attacking in the 23 meter area at the other end of the pitch, think CODE GREEN, which means you focus about 5 % on the ball and about 95 % on the pitch, like what is the position of the players, your own position in the circle etc. In other words: your ball ‘radar’ is turned on for 5% and the remaining 95 % is applied to ‘pitch radar’. The average intensity level (like the total strength of your radar) is low. The angle of your view is as wide as possible.

When the opponents are attacking and the ball is played around the centre of the pitch, think CODE YELLOW, you increase the intensity a bit and you apply 50 % ball radar and 50 % pitch radar, i.e. you distribute your focus equally on the ball (where is it going, how fast etc) and the pitch (which players are where and how are they moving). Angle of view is wide.

When the attacking team is playing the ball near your circle, switch to CODE ORANGE. Again you increase your intensity. Focus for about 80% on the ball, the remaining 20% focus on the position of the players within your view. The angle of your view becomes narrower.

Just before the shot or push is released towards the goal, switch to CODE RED. You maximize the intensity and you focus for 100% on the ball. The angle of your view is super narrow.

If you are prone to ‘overconcentrate’ you can use this technique to lower your concentration levels. Just stay longer in a lower code, for instance apply CODE YELLOW instead of CODE ORANGE when the ball is near your circle.

Applying this technique is easy. Read this article about 5 times and during the match you just give yourself the commands (just loud enough for yourself to hear, otherwise players may leave the pitch 😉 After several matches, you will find yourself adjusting to the right code, without thinking about it.

Let me know if you find this useful or have any additional comments to make

Cheers

Jack van Messel
Goalie Trainer
The Netherlands

Decision Making

qna
Question:
Hello, can you tell me what should I do, when the attacker is coming closer to goal and I come out but he shoot in this time before the 1-1 is there?

Greetings

Alex

Answer:
Hi Alex,

your question is a tricky one and a lot will depend on where the breakdown you’re describing happens. What you’re talking about is basically decision making. One of the biggest problems goalkeepers have is coming out for the sake of coming out. The two choices a keeper has is to either stay back and react to a shot, or come out and engage the 1v1. If you’re getting caught moving before being able to engage in the 1v1 you’re either coming out too late or should stay back in the goal. I wrote a tip on slide tackling a while ago and I think many of the same themes still hold true, below is a link to it:

http://blog.obo.co.nz/1999/10/20/slide-tackling/

good luck,

Jon

Inbetween Seasons Training

With this years season finishing in April and the next season not starting till September I am looking at various drill/training that I can do to keep my fitness up whilst keeping my reactions up to scratch, footwork still fast and etc.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips on how they keep themselves going over the break or any drills/training sessions that they would recommend I try?

Thanks

The Mental Aspects of Goalkeeping

A great resource download for all you amazing people on staying sharp between the ears!

Here is a great resource for all you amazing people….its written by Francesco Staps who’s tried to help all goalkeepers “stay sharp between the ears!”

Francesco’s 18 page PDF has been written in Dutch and also translated with some help from Keepers Resources writer Dan Pilgrim and Marjolein Kamstra.

This great resource even has its own website – www.mentalgoalies.com and some download links to the PDF’s are below…

Downloads

Great work Francesco!

Beating the lob

Lobs can be a tricky thing to deal with; here’s how to stop them.

The lob is a useful tactic for the opposition; trying to catch the goalkeeper off their line to beat them with an overhead flick. Although not the most regular form of shot, they are still tricky to deal with, and the goalkeeper needs to be aware of and know how to properly deal with such scoring opportunities. Being lobbed can often be an embarrassing experience if you fail to beat it, so you will want to do your best to keep the ball out of the goal!

Being lobbed

The main cause for being lobbed is being too far off your line. Seeing the open space to exploit, the shooter will look to try and lift the ball over you, since you will not be able to . Caught out and unable to get back, you can end up being embarrassed by a well taken lob. If you have come out early to meet the shot, then the attacker, if they are skilled enough, can lob you; putting you in a tricky spot as you have an ‘open net’ behind you.

In this video clip, you can see the goalkeeper get lobbed by a well placed drag flick at 1:05 playing time:

Keeper getting lobbed

Staying deep

Being positioned deep within the D in the first place helps reduce the chances of being lobbed, and also making your life easier if you have to face being lobbed. Playing deep, not far off your line means you are already set in a good position to be able to block the incoming lob. The closer you are to the lob, the easier it is to cover it.

Technique

The way to beat a lob relies on agility to get back to make the save, with the athleticism of a well executed jump to reach into the save; using the glove to tip the ball over the bar to safety. The save can be broken into three stages, involving the goalkeeper moving into a suitable position to be able to block the incoming ball:

  1. move back to cover the ‘overhead’
  2. jump up in to touch
  3. push the ball over the bar/away to safety

Back stepping

In order to get there quickly enough to be in place to cover the lob, you will have to move with speed, backing up against the shot to be able to block it in time. Back step as quickly as possible, maintaining your balance, to get back to cover in time.

Turning sideways

In soccer, goalkeepers will turn side-on as they step back against the lob. The reason for this is that you will face the ball more as it drops. By turning sideways, you too can gain an advantage against the lob, allowing you to make the save successfully.

Reaching into the save

Jumping up against the lob, you need to leap up into reach the ball. Make sure you are explosive; exploding from your stance up into the save to be able to reach the ball.

Tipping the ball over

When making the save, it is important to get rid of the rebound, so you don’t make a ‘dangerous ball’ or give away an easy chance to tap the ball into the goal. Use the technique of tipping the ball over the bar to get the ball away from danger, just like soccer keepers do. Get under the ball and palm it up and over; a push into the ball will put it away with greater velocity.

Leaning back

If it is not possible to reach into the save, then you will have to try and reach back against the shot to make the save. With the speed of the ball, you can easily get caught out. Drag flicks during short corners are the other time when you will see a lob attempt, and it is easy enough to get caught out, having stepped off your line to challenge the angles. With yourself already beaten, you will have to reach back against the play to try and block it; cutting off its path.

Keeping it safe

Against a lob, it is more necessary to ‘keep it safe’ given the danger of allowing an easy goal. It is important to ‘make sure’, checking that you have it covered, so that you don’t give away the goal. The flight of the ball can be deceiving, so if you don’t watch it through, you may end up being made to look silly.

Notice how the ball has hit the top of the netting, but the goalkeeper still ‘makes sure’.

Soccer technique

Another useful to learn from ‘soccer’ (football), is how to deal with this situation. The model for dealing with a lob is based on soccer goalkeeping technique, so learning about the way soccer keepers play can only improve your ability to make such a save. Goalkeepers in this sport often face lobs, having to regularly stay deep and reach up against high shots to block. By watching soccer (which is easy in soccer mad countries) you should be able to pick up a thing or two. Reading guides on is also a good way of learning. Having friends who play goal in soccer is also very useful, as you can pick up a few ideas on how to deal with lobs, when being faced with them in hockey.

Pointers:

  • stay deep in your D to prevent being lobbed
  • back step into a position to block
  • turn sideways to give yourself a better chance of making the save
  • reach up into the save, extending out to touch the ball
  • turn the ball over the crossbar to put it away to safety, rather than back in play
  • ‘make sure’ on the lob so you don’t get beaten, even if it is going wide

Dominate your D!

The D is your zone; you need to learn to control it.

Controlling your D is vital to your game. Goalkeeping is not just about making the save; it’s about controlling the flow of the game. Ian Taylor write an article a while back commentating on the modern game of hockey, stating that this is controlling your D is a key part of the game, which is often overlooked by both coaches and players. By facing fewer shots, you’re less likely to let in more goals, whatever level of ability you play at: know where the goal is, where your defence is, and where the attackers are; where the space is to clear the shot, and where the space is for the shooter to move into. Not only do you need to reduce your shot count, but you also need to control the play. The D is YOUR zone; the D is the goalkeeper’s area and you need to make it that way. Sometimes you can and need to act as an extra defender, such as being faced with having to make an attacking clearance; coming out to challenge an open player or kicking away the free ball.

The D is your area, not just a zone for players, so make it your own.

Clear away rebounds

In order to control the play, you need to control your rebounds; by putting the ball away to a safe place away from danger you limit the scoring chances for the opposing team – with no rebound, there is no second chance on goal. You need to clear rebounds accurately; simply returning the ball back to the shooter gives them an easy chance to put away the rebound. Whenever you make a save, make sure that you make a concerted effort to get rid of the ball on the save, or do your best to clear the rebound after you have controlled the shot.

Shut down plays

As a goalkeeper who dominates their D, you need to be capable of shutting down scoring opportunities. On breakaways especially, you need to come out of your goal and shut down the play; the defence will not get back in time to help, so it is up to you to intercept the player at the top of the D. Attacking clearances, as well, are important, as you need to rush out and have an accurate kick to get the ball away from the area. Interceptions are another play that you need to shut down; eliminating the pass to deny a scoring chance. If you feel that you have the ability to take on players within the D (and have the backing of your defence), you can confidently do so.

Here the goalkeeper rushes off their line to intercept the ball carrier.

Organise your defence

Organising your defenders is key to success in goal. To dominate your half of the pitch, you need to dominate your defenders: shouting out instructions to them. You need to control the defence and get them to do what you want them to do. Feed them constant information; tell them if they are leaving a player unmarked and try to get them not to over commit on a challenge that would otherwise get your team penalised and end up having to face a free hit or corner.

“KEEPERS!”

Whenever you go out to get the ball, you need to put your name on it. Shout ‘KEEPERS’ or ‘MINE’ loud enough to be heard by your teammates. By doing this, your fellow players will know to leave it and you will be able to make a successful clearance or tackle.

Make the D your own

To control your D, you need to make it yours. This is done through your voice and through your actions; your voice controls your defenders and your actions control the play. YOU need to make the effort to be aggressive and be more active in challenging the opposition; it’s no good being passive! If a player is in your way, then you can tell them: shout at them to move out of the way, so that you can get a better view of the play, in order to make the save, or to get them out the way to get to the ball.

Dominate your D: control the zone!

Ultimately, you need to control your D; the D is your zone and you are the leader. Whenever someone steps into the D, they should expect to face the wrath of the goalie! You need to control the play and determine how things occur with your decision making; be prepared to come out and clear rebounds, or launch out to intercept a breakaway. It is up to you to do this, so you need to learn quickly.

Warming up

Warming up is an essential part of a pre-game routine. By warming up properly, you will be ready to go as soon as the whistle is blown.

Warming up is an essential part of getting ready before a game, so that the goalkeeper is prepared to deal with whatever the opposition throws at them. Without it, the goalkeeper would basically go into the game ‘cold’ without having done any preparation (making it easier to get injured). It would be like sitting an exam without having done any revision – you can’t expect to do well! By warming up, you make sure that your body is efficiently warmed up and you are mentally ready to stop shots, having just stopped some practise shots (in real life, it is harder to simply start stopping shots immediately after the game has started because you are not ready).

Top level goalkeepers are fortunate enough to have goalkeeper specific coaches who know how to work their goalkeepers properly. If you get to watch the pre-match practise before EHL games or international matches, you’ll be lucky enough to see the ‘professional’ and proper way of doing it; focusing on getting the goalkeeper ready for the game by building up the level of focus. Warming up is all about reaching the optimum level; peaking in time for the match, so that you are at your most alert and during the game.

Obviously it’s not a perfect world and not all of us are blessed with an understanding team or coach who will give us a proper warm-up. Warm-ups in some teams normally constitute players just smashing the ball at you for a bit before the game starts! This is not the best way to prepare for a game, but can be resolved if you apply a proper approach and talk to your team mates about the importance of it.

Talk to your team

Sometimes teams can be a bit lax on giving their goalkeeper a good warm-up, but being the most important member of the team (they can’t win without you!), you should be able to bargain yourself a deal. In order to get the best out of a warm-up and the time you have before the match, you need to communicate with your team about your needs. A chat to the captain to sort out arrangements will help things along. Having someone that is free to work with you is important, so try and find a member of the team who’d be happy to warm you up.

When to warm up

Warming up before a game is not the only time when you should warm up properly. There are other times when it is just as important to get an adequate warm up:

Before training

It is also important to warm up before training. The saying goes that . In order to make the most of training, you need to have had a good warm up to be able to put up a good percentage of shot stopping. Whilst the players are warming up before drills, you can take a player aside to get them to take shots at you. It might be possible to work with other goalkeepers; that way you can do more specific practise, like kicking to each other.

Between halves

If you watch international matches you will also notice that the goalkeepers will often warm up at half time, or just before the restart. Goalkeepers, like players, need to be warmed up to achieve peak performance. In the recent Champions Trophy games, I saw Korea’s goalkeeper warming up between halves to prepare for the second half. If you can, it is a good idea to get warm for the second half of the game; prepared to be in the action as soon as a shot comes your way.

Warming up on your own

Unfortunately sometimes your team isn’t kind enough to let you get a good warm up before they start drilling shots at you. If this is the case, then you will have to make do with warming up on your own. On the other hand, if you have kitted up and have some time to yourself between taking shots in the team warm-up, then you can use it wisely.

Here are some ideas:

  • Take a spare ball and find a suitable place where you can practise kicking by kicking the ball back and forth to yourself
  • Do some agility drills; doing foot work patterns to work on your shuffles and changes in direction
  • Hand-eye co-ordination work; making sure you track the ball, you can do this by bouncing a ball off your glove/stick and trying to keep it up for as long as possible

Warm-up routine

Having a set routine is important to helping you warm up your body and mind. No matter the pitch or conditions (obviously playing away from home you will come across different pitch conditions), your routine will be the same and help you find a comfortable centre to help you relax.

The following is a routine generally used by international level goalkeepers:

  • warm up generally (i.e. running, footwork) and stretch for about 15 minutes (working your entire body from head to toe, covering all areas)
  • put on your lower padding (jock and shorts), kickers and pads and do further stretching
  • start to bring in ball work, with players slowly knocking shots at the kickers, or throwing the ball lightly at you for you to block
  • pad up completely, speeding up the shot and increasing the power
  • work on shots around the body for you to reach in to cover
  • round off the warm-up with some specific shots to work the reflexes; often quick-fire from balls lined in a row
  • finish and enter the team drills of full stick and ball work and short corner practise

Pointers:

  • Before you do the warm up, it is a good idea to go on a jog. This will help warm your muscles and increase blood flow.
  • It is a good idea to start your warm up early, so you have enough time to be , before the team want to start taking shots at you in their drills. You therefore need to get there earlier than the team, or at least be ready early (when the team goes off on a jog to warm themselves up). 10-15 minutes is a good length of time to give you enough time to pad up and warm up.

Taking shots

The work out of taking shots needs to be progressive; starting off slowly and building up ball speed and power progressively. Distance affects your ability to react and stop a shot (the further away it is, the more time you have to react), so by starting with shots from a distance you can start out easily. You can then decrease the distance, having the shooter taking shots at least five feet away and reducing the distance again so that you have less time to react to the shot and work on quickening your reflexes.

Some teams normally have goalkeepers warm up away from the team in the corner/side of the pitch, as they jog and do basic stick work. Otherwise, if the goal is free, then you can go in the goal and practise from there; making it easier to focus on goals and prioritise .

Starting low

When taking warm-up shots to get your muscles working and blood flowing, you should start low. This allows you to get your body moving; stepping onto the angle and pushing into the save. As well as working on your angles and reaching out with your foot to block, it is also working on your footwork; getting you to work on moving across to get on the angle. Try to get equal shots to each side so that you work on equally practising possibilities of real in-game shots.

Shots in the corners

Taking shots to the corners is a good way of making yourself extend into the shot; forcing you to stretch out and try to reach the ball. By being having to extend into the save, you are stretching your muscles, which can become torn when making athletic saves to stretch across; if you end up facing few shots in the game. If the goalkeeper is warming up inside the goal, then the shooter should target the corners. If they are warming up outside the goal, then shots wide and outside their body will do the trick.

Raised shots

It is a good idea to work on raised shots as well. Again, start slow and then build up speed and power. To get a better work out, ask the shooter to get as high as reasonably possible, so you have to reach and/or jump up to block a lob. Having shots wide of you will also force you to stretch to reach the ball and even possibly high dive in to reach; forcing you to be active in your save making (i.e. as you may face such a shot on short corner drag flicks). Try to work each side, working your right hand as well as your glove to practise shot blocking with your RHP.

Have a good warm up!

Ultimately, a key part of game success is having a good warm up; building up to the optimum level and then maintaining it throughout the match. By warming up in this way, it helps you find a comfort zone and ease the pressure of facing a shot from the get go. Having warmed up properly, if you were to face a shot within the first few minutes of the match, it would not come as much of a shock because you had already practised and faced some similar shots beforehand.