Category: Dan’s Tips

Detailed playing articles from Daniel Pilgrim.

Baselayers

Sorry for not writing more this past year; been more busy than I’d hoped with studying. Here’s a very quick article to point you in the direction of baselayers if you didn’t know about them before!

You will now see a lot of goalkeepers wearing ‘baselayers’; a special type of top worn by sportspeople to keep themselves free from sweat. Rugby players, footballers and other types of athletes all wear them, and they are now becoming popular in hockey. The clothing is used to keep the goalkeeper cool and dry; reducing humidity and wicking away sweat from the body. Canterbury is one of the most famous brands. Baselayers are simply worn under the chest pad. Instead of wearing a t-shirt, you just wear the baselayer. Baselayers are long-sleeved and will keep your arms warm in the cold weather. Baselayers are easy to get hold of. Sports stores stock them, as do some camping outlet stores (they do a different type designed to keep you warm as well as sweat free, which is useful for the winter months!).

 

Simply put, they are a good way of keeping cool when you are working up a sweat, although that’s not to say your muscles won’t keep optimally warm!

 

 

 

Watch and learn off other goalkeepers

Been pretty busy lately and will be this year, so unfortunately can’t post as much as I’d like. Nothing spectacular, but a basic concept about how to learn by watching other goalkeepers (generally of the higher levels!).

Ever wondered what the best way to learn about how to play in goal is, without being coached or learning by game experience? Well, the simplest answer, is to watch someone else! You can learn a great deal simply by watching another game after your match has ended or watching game highlights over the Internet.

Don’t just be an observer!

Firstly, you need to ‘participate’ in the game. If you just watch what happens and don’t absorb the reason for the goals and a team conceding and losing, then you won’t learn how to prevent that happening in your own games. You don’t want to be a passive passenger to the game, but actively think about and mentally remember what the causes for the goals were. It may sound sad, but taking notes of the game and the goalkeepers (especially easier if you’re watching highlights over the Internet because you can make notes on your computer/laptop!) will help you to keep track of the things you have learnt.

Act like a scout

The best way to watch a game is to watch it as if you were scouting for the best goalkeeper there (out of the two playing). The mindset to have is to think like a scout. Imagine you’re the goalkeeping coach for the international team and you’re looking to add depth to the squad or want to decide on who your first choice will be for an upcoming tournament. I have actually been at a game two years ago where there was a scout doing exactly that and noticed what they were looking at (even if I failed to politely ask a few questions!!). Note: I wasn’t the one being scouted!! I was just watching!

Don’t just scout just watch the goalkeeper you follow or are rooting for, but also the opposition goalkeeper at the other end. You may miss out on exciting battles in the midfield, but your focus is after on the keeper and how they work with their defenders. When watching any game, try to keep track of both goalkeepers and evaluate who was the best. Goalkeeping duels are always fun to watch!

What to look for

When watching any game, there are certain things you want to look for. Focus mainly on the successes and failures to isolate what is good about their ‘game’ and what is bad about it:

  • What the goalkeeper does well – if they make significant saves to turn the game around and when they make the save e.g. an important, timely save to keep the game tied
  • The goals the goalkeeper allows (if they do!) and why – think about the reasons i.e. over active in their D and straying too far from their starting line…

What to listen for

Watching is not the only thing you can be doing. You can also listen in on the action and work out what the goalkeeper is saying to his team mates; what changes they are calling for etc. Knowing how a goalkeeper interacts with their defence will help you improve on your own skills in organising your team.

What to analyse

You can also analyse more deeply the things they are doing. In terms of technical skills try to apply what you’ve been taught (or what you know from experience if you don’t have a coach) and see how the goalkeepers are acting in relation to that. Sound technical goalkeepers should make few mistakes.

Here are some ideas:

  • How the goalkeeper controls rebounds
  • When the goalkeeper takes command of the situation instead of letting his defence deal with it (such as coming off the post to tackle)
  • How the goalkeeper positions themselves in their ready stance
  • How quickly the goalkeeper recovers after a low save

Where to watch games

The best action is obviously going to be watching it in person, so if you are lucky enough to live close to top division national league hockey, then go and watch a game at the weekend (in England most national league games are played or have been played on a Sunday, with everyone else mainly playing Saturdays, so there’s no excuse!)! When I wasn’t playing, I would go down and watch East Grinstead or my home club Oxted. If possible, try and make it to international games (some nations will also play friendlies, such as England’s series of friendlies last year) to really get a feel for the highest level of the game.

The Internet

If you can’t get to high level games because you aren’t local, then the Internet is your friend. Here’s a few links to some prominent websites that have highlight footage of games:

YouTube

YouTube is another great place to look for hockey highlights to watch and learn from. Hockey nations like Holland, where matches are televised, will consistently upload videos. Do a search for a team you know, like HGC of the hoofdklasse and you should be able to find some matches.

For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvAgM3hYekQ

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.

P-flicks: commit or react?

On spot flicks, the goalkeeper can either pick where to go and commit, or react to the flick. By reacting, the goalkeeper increases their chances of making the save.

Penalty flicks are dangerous territory for goalkeepers. Going up against a deadly shooter who , the goalkeeper often doesn’t stand much of a chance in stopping the ball. However, they are more likely to allow a goal if they commit and end up getting wrong footed; going the wrong way to where the ball is headed. Instead, by reacting, the goalkeeper has an increased chance of stopping the ball; moving in the flick’s direction to cover the shot.

Committing

Committing on the flick is essentially making up your decision of where you will go (i.e. left or right) and going that way as soon as the flick has been taken, even if they end up getting beaten. The goalkeeper makes the choice about where they will go and sticks to it; paying little attention to where the shooter is actually shooting at. This may be down to watching the flick taker’s eyes or body position, in an attempt to go the way they appear to be shooting at. If you watch soccer (football), then you will notice that it is a technique often used in penalty shoot-outs: the goalkeepers will usually try to commit to the shooter’s strong side, or usual shot placement, so that they can try to block the shot they think they will be facing.

By committing, the goalkeeper stands a greater chance of misplaying the flick.

Reacting

Reacting is the opposite of committing: instead of choosing where they will go, the goalkeeper waits for the flick to be taken and then moves in relation to where the ball is headed. By doing so, they have a better chance of making the save; going the right way to be able to block the incoming ball. In this way, the goalkeeper increases their chances of save making. Even if they get beaten marginally, they have still gone the right way and done their best, which is all that can be asked of them.

Notice how this goalkeeper has stayed up and waited for the flick before reacting to it.

There are a number of reasons why reacting is better than committing to the flick. At the higher levels of play, flick takers can fool the goalkeeper by pretending to shoot in a certain way; making a deft move by looking one way and going the other. Another way is to position the body so as if to be shooting a certain way, but then turn and go the other. By doing this, the shooter is able to outwit the goalkeeper and send them the wrong way. However, by not committing to the pretend shot, the goalkeeper is able to gain an advantage; not being tricked and being able to go the correct way to meet the shot.

You may also be playing against a regular opponent, but even if you play the opposition regularly (which helps you in knowing what are the shooter’s preferences), they may choose a different flick taker; reacting counteracts the problem of working out where the flick taker will go.

Studies have also proven that a goalkeeper is more successful if they react. Although it doesn’t sound like much, you are 27% more likely to have success stopping the ball when standing and then reacting, than you are picking your way.

Track the ball

In order to have a chance of stopping the flick, you need to track the ball. When watching the flick through to going the correct way, or making the save, you need to focus on the ball from the point it is at the base of the shooter’s stick, through to facing the shot. Focus intently on the ball, trying to maintain your concentration on the shot so you stand the best chance of getting behind it.

See how this goalkeeper has followed the ball to its destination; able to track it into the save attempt.

Pointers:

  • don’t commit to the flick
  • react to the flick; wait for the release and follow the flick to go the right way
  • watch the ball, tracking it through to the save

React, don’t commit!

Ultimately, you should react to the flick rather than trying to guess and wrongly commit where you would end up putting yourself out of the play. You don’t want to go the wrong way or be made to look stupid, so make sure you wait to see where the ball is headed and move with it. Do your best to react to the flick, than guessing and committing to a shot that doesn’t go where you wanted it to.

Playing the passed shot

Playing against a pass is a difficult situation for the goalkeeper. If you come out and try to commit yourself to taking on a player, then you leave open space to shoot into. Instead, by staying deep and waiting for the pass, you can successfully make the save.

When faced with a pass, the opposition is looking to shoot around you; moving the ball to expose and opening up gaps in the goal to shoot into. This is difficult for the goalkeeper, as they have to immediately change direction and try to get across as quickly as possible to make the save on the scoring opportunity. By playing deeper, you can cut off the intended shot; reducing the space and making it easier it get across in time to block, with less ground to cover.

The back door

In effect, the back door is the space left open by the goalkeeper as they challenge the initial shot; an outlet pass will leave the goalkeeper vulnerable to the space left open on the angle they have set up to make the save. By dragging you out of position, the opposition stand a chance of beating you easily, getting you to challenge too far out, and then ‘hanging you out to dry’, with a pass-shoot transition.

An aggressive goalkeeper who likes to challenge the angles is especially vulnerable to the back door pass, where a pass across the face of the goal would leave him open to the space on the side, left because of his aggressive positioning. By staying back against the play, as a lot of reflexive and reactive goalkeepers do, it is easier to react to the back door pass, diving across to make the stop.

How to react properly

The best way to react is to stay deeper in the net than normal, making it easier to react to the shot as it is fired, rather than trying to challenge the initial shot, which will leave you open to the pass and back door goal. By staying deeper and moving with the play and using reflexes, or diving across, you stand a greater chance of making the save. Let them do the work; don’t fall into their hands as they try to score on you.

Playing on the back line

Playing on the back line is a technique you will see top level goalkeepers using regularly (and something soccer goalkeepers also do); they are more passive and reflex styled to deal with a shot rather than trying to close down or tackle the ball carrier. Staying back against the shot, and deep within their box, they are more able to deal with a passed shot; able to reach across on the save, rather than get caught leaving open space by challenging the angle too far against the player with the ball.

When staying deep within your goal, you can either stay just off the goal line (where you can then run along the line to cover space), or use a much smaller ‘D within the D’; moving around a semi-circle reduced to meet the incoming shot off the pass.

With less distance to move to meet the shot, it also gives you a greater chance of making the save, as you have less to do to react; giving you more advantage. If the shot is straight off the pass, like a slap hit, then you have less time to react.

Moving into save

As the pass is made, you can react to the play, moving across to cover the available space and get set for a save. You should be able to follow the direction of the ball; cutting across by running horizontally, or going diagonally in order to challenge the shooter’s angle and cut down the available shooting space to limit their chances. A good shuffle across laterally should bring you into the ball’s path; moving along the goal line ready to block.

Making the save

The way you make the save depends on the type of shot you face. If you can, standing allows you to cover both high and low, filling up a lot of goal; if you do try to extend with your leg/arm to reach into the save. However, you may have jump or reach out for the save if you have little time to meet the ball. Diving will help you get more reach on the save, especially if the shot is low; pushing out in full extension to meet the ball on the shot, but be ready to get back up again immediately afterwards for further shots.

Pointers:

  • stay deep in the D, close to the goal line
  • be patient; wait for the pass
  • once the pass has been made, move quickly across to meet the shot
  • try to get behind the ball as much as possible to block
  • if the ball is out of reach don’t be afraid to dive and extend into the save

Shots outside the D

For a shot to be a goal it needs to be scored within the D. If a shot is taken from outside the D and no-one touches it within the D, then it won’t count as a goal. By leaving it, you will give your team a 16 and the chance to restart play to their advantage.

When a shot is taken outside the D and it is not touched by anyone within the D, then your team will get to restart play with a 16 (free hit from the 25). For example, a failed pass that has gone through your defence with no-one on the opposition to get on the end of it, or if and your defence has chosen to leave it (so that it can go off the pitch for a free hit). Instead of kicking it away, straight back into play, you can essentially ‘leave it’ to give your team a sixteen; the rules of the game mean that your team will restart the play after the ball has gone off the pitch.

Ball into the D untouched

Instead of stopping balls that make there way through the D without an opposition player touching the ball, you can leave it for a 16. The rules state that if an opposition player does not touch the ball inside the D, there is no connection, meaning that your team gets a free hit. Shots outside the D don’t count as goals. It is therefore a good idea to take advantage of this, to give you team control of the play; restarting play from a free hit. Learning to leave the ball in this way will benefit your team by giving them the chance to start breakouts, instead of giving the other team a chance to score from your mistakes.

Letting the ball past you

If a shot taken outside the D is untouched and does not get redirected within the D, then, your team will be able to restart the play from the sixteen. A sixteen will be given, so you can let the ball hit the backboard, with your team gaining a free hit. Therefore, if a shot is taken and there are no opposition players within the D with a chance of touching the ball, you can happily leave it and let it go off the pitch.

Remember: any shots outside the D aren’t goals, so leave it for a 16!

Tracking the ball

You need to track the ball all the way through until it is off the pitch; just like you watch and follow a shot into the save. In case you are not paying full attention and another player moves into the D when you weren’t looking, it is a good idea to keep an eye on the ball to make sure nothing goes wrong. Watch the ball’s path; tracking the ball to see if any other opposition player gets on the end of it, just in case, and also to ensure that it goes safely off the pitch without getting touched. Afterwards, go and collect the ball to give to your defender to restart the play from the sixteen.

Moving out the way

In order to successfully play the situation to make sure the ball goes off for a sixteen, you need to move out of its way. As you get more experienced and improve your technique, you can soon pick up the ability to ‘dummy’ any players by pretending to kick it; stepping out to “meet” the ball, before dodging its path, before letting it roll off the pitch, or into goal, without touching it. This way you fool the player and make sure it goes off at the same time.

  • Move out the way: simply step or shuffle out of the ball’s path, which gives you the further option of being able to watch and track where it ends up
  • Lift the appropriate leg up and out of the way;
  • Jump out the way; jumping up and over the ball as

Pointers:

  • Make sure you move out of the ball’s way
  • If you do touch the ball, accidentally, then you need to kick it away, as the sixteen will no longer count because you (a player) have touched it.

Turning round

There is always a danger that the ball could hit the post and go back into play. By turning round, you can check that the ball does not hit the post and ‘stays safe’; ending up hitting the backboard. If it did hit the post, then you can easily get behind the ball to kick it away from danger, so that an attacking player can’t get to it. Act instantly and rush to get behind the ball (to block if needs be), or kick it away as far as possible to a safe area.

Rule of thumb

    • If in doubt, kick it out!

Tips and deflections

There is still often the chance of a player running into the D and getting on the end of the pass to redirect it. If they get a touch on the ball, even the slimmest, and it goes past you, then it will still count as a goal. If you are worried about a goal being scored and can’t tell if , then you can follow the maxim of “kicking it out if in doubt”. If a deflection does occur then make sure you close off holes in your stance (i.e. bringing your legs together and bringing your gloves in to help cover) to block the ball.

Being set for the shot

When making a save, you need to be in position in time. If you are still moving, then you can put yourself off balance or turn away from the shot. Instead, it is important to cut down your movement and pre-set for the save.

If you have ever seen a goalkeeper running out in the attempt to get in front of a shot, only to miss the ball and end up allowing a goal, then you will have seen first hand the inability to save on the move; it’s simply just not possible to move a limb to block whilst moving at the same time. In contrast, if you stop moving, you will be able to make a balanced save (whereas running would throw you off balance). By limiting your movement (which often involves playing deep within the D and close to the goal line; cutting down the distance you have to move), you are able to get behind the angle and therefore stop the shot successfully. Obviously, though, whenever a breakdown occurs in the defence and the goalkeeper is forced into moving out to challenge and cover space, then you will need to move across.

Still moving

If you are moving with the play, there is very little likelihood that you will actually be able to make the save. Racing out to instantly cut the angles and pressure the shooter, you will normally end up losing balance within your ready stance. Unable to stop within the stance and properly move your legs in order to block the incoming shot, your forward momentum will carry you away from ball and the result will be an allowed goal. Staying up is more advantageous as you cover more of the goal, so you need to find a way to cut down the movement you have to make to get behind the shot.

Effectively, the only time you would purposefully choose to make an active save on the move, is when opting to slide out against the play to block; choosing to play the percentages and cover as much as possible against the shot. Whereas normally you would have no chance of blocking on the move; like moving across laterally against a passing play, which you cannot stop upright as you simply cannot move with the play in time, trying to save with a piece of equipment; forcing you to leave your feet and dive into the save.

Problems surrounding being still ‘on the move’:

  • you are still moving, so cannot stop in time, or stop your momentum, in order to be able to make a save
  • you cannot get set (in your stance, or in relation to your angles and goal positioning), if you are still moving
  • you are unable to properly balance and therefore make a ‘good’ save
  • with your momentum, you are also moving away from the shot, rather than into its path

These problems essentially mean that a successful save is impossible: the chances are in favour of the ball ending up in the goal because of loss of balance and moving away from the shot.

Pre-set

In order to get set in a balanced ready stance on the angle in time, you need to consciously get yourself prepared; getting into position before the shot. Setting before the shot, rather than setting on the shot, or trying to attempt a save whilst still on the move, allows you to make a more efficient save by being balanced in a solid ready position. Properly balanced and prepared for the save you will next have to make, you are in a better position to keep the ball out of the net. Even if you are not on the best angle, you are still ready in your stance; giving you are better chance to make the save, than if you were trying to move onto the angle and still moving when the shot was released.

Notice how the goalkeeper in this picture is in a good position, with a balanced stance, to make a save immediately, if he is forced into action.

Pointers:

  • try to minimise movement; take less steps and cut down on , so you have more time to prepare
  • get set early before the shot is released (e.g. instead of taking another step, stop and get into your stance, so that you are ready)
  • make sure you have a balanced ready stance in order to maximise your chances of making the save
  • always maintain your ready position throughout moving around in the D, so that you are already set in readiness for getting ready for a shot (minimising the time needed to get into a good stance), regardless of whether you end up facing a shot or not

Rule of thumb

– If it is a point shot you are facing, then get into a good position and be well balanced before the shot. However, if it is a passing play, then you will need to be agile to get across in time.

In essence, you don’t want to over step: still moving means that you are not ready for the save, so by being precise and conservative with your movements, you are more capable of shot stopping by simply arriving on time as it were to meet the shot – being in the right place at the right time for a successful save.

Get set!

Ultimately, you need to pre-set for shots when you are seeing straight shots at you. If you are faced with a 2 on 0, then you need to react to get across to block the ball on the pass. You need to consciously think about getting set, so that you are always moving with the play; ready to get into the correct position against the incoming shot. Try to play a smaller D so that you have less to do; moving less and being able to get on the angle quicker. Maintain a balanced ready stance all the time, so that your task is made easier by being already prepared for the save.