Category: Playing Tips

Question:

Thought you might want to add this to your penalty flicks answer – a goalkeeper passed this on to me and it works really well….always stand a little over to one side – the side you don’t want the attacker to pass to! The majority of time they will pass to the other side.

This has happened every single time for me … and I easily save the stroke on my stronger side!

Answer:

Thanks for sharing your experience. The one thing I would temper you with from is my experience has been that as soon as you think always, something else happens. I’ve seen keepers set up all the way to one post to give them the entire goal other side of the goal to shoot at and the stroker beat them going right where they set up at. Strokers like to play mind games just as well as keepers. I’ll never argue with what works, though, and if it works for you, keep at it.

Question:

I live in South Africa and am the 1st team keeper for Maties (University of Stellenbosch) Hockey Club and the Western Province U21 B side keeper. I only achieved this at the end of the past season. There is a great deal of competition between myself and the now 2nd team keeper and the Western Province (W.P.) U21 A keeper and I hear that there are a few more up and coming keepers coming to the club FOR next years season. As a result of my desire to stay in the 1st side as well as to get in to the W.P. U21 A side and maybe junior nationals, I would like to know what I can do in the off season to improve my performance for next year. By that I mean what sort of off-season training should I be doing?? Bearing I mind that I am in desperate need to get fit and lose some weight. I think that the biggest problem is not the training, but rather the motivation….could you help??

Answer:

One of my tips deals with off-season training so check out that. Everyone needs to have their own motivation. Obviously you see your weight and fitness as a problem. What you do about it is up to you. As an athlete, there are some things you can’t control. I don’t see these as those kind of things. Controlling the controllable is key to getting what you want.

As far as motivation, for me personally, I can tell you that I did struggle with fitness and I know that it did affect my selection. I took the line that no one was going to work out me. Every time I went out to train in the off-season, I went out thinking of my competition. Whether they were doing the same training I was or not, I imagined them doing it and pushed myself to work that much harder. There’s a lot in the tip about training ideas, but it starts with setting goals that motivate you and that are attainable. Work hard, there is a pay off to it.

Question:

I have always incorporated distance running into my training, especially in the off-season, but recently someone told me that extensive aerobic exercise like distance running can slow down your reactions, which is not exactly a good thing if you’re a keeper. I know that sprinters refrain from doing long aerobic exercise, as it slows their sprinting time. Do you know if there is any concrete evidence to support this claim?

Answer:

There has been research done and the basic principle is that goalkeeping is a fast twitch position and to reinforce that with fast twitch training. Longer, aerobic workouts can be construed as reinforcing medium twitch training and probably isn’t considered as productive as sprint and explosive exercises. Having said all that, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with keepers doing aerobic workouts. I actually encourage our keepers to do it. You need to balance distance work with sprints, but as long as they are done with moderation, I don’t see a problem.

If you’re looking for scientific reference, check sports medicine/training books/journals. My reference is the US Olympic Committee Strength and Condition Director.

Question:

I recently got a set of cloud 9 kickers there brilliant just the front strap keeps coming up over my runners, how do you stop it happening?

Answer:

Make sure they’re pulled back as far as the kickers will go on your feet. This should pull the front toe strap back far enough that it doesn’t slip. If the problem continues, you can use a thin strip of duct tape to secure the front and back straps so that your foot won’t slip out. Here’s an excellent solution from Athol Hill if you’ve got shoes that will work:

“I noticed you made mention of using tape to tape the front and back straps together to keep them from falling off the boot. One method that I have used very successfully, and has removed a high portion of strap wear is to use a boot with a large number of little studs. (I think mine are Olympic, but there are a number in this design) I have now cut away the studs where the straps come across with the following results:1. Strap wear is greatly reduced as the remaining studs extend beyond the straps reducing their friction on the ground/astro. 2. Boots must be left inside the kicker when removing. It sounds difficult at first, but becomes easier as you are putting on the boot and the kicker at the same time. 3. There is NO way in hell, that the front strap will slide off. 4. You have far more grip on your toes when running as the studs extend far enough to keep the grip levels high. The final result manages to remove problems associated with the strap slipping problem. I previously broke a toe because of it, and decided to take action to prevent it happening again…ever…”

Question:

I’m a Goalkeeper that searches all the time for new skills. Can I turn my left hand in 90° when the ball comes? But only the hand, nothing more. I do this often when the players shot in the training, but I don’t make this in the tournament because the referee can say that was a penalty. So can I do that?

Answer:

As long as you are not “batting” the ball, you are allowed a certain amount of freedom in deflecting the ball to safety. You are right to try to do that by angling your wrist and hand. The thing most umpires are looking for to determine if you are “batting” the ball is movement from your forearm and elbow. If you are very concerned that you might be called for a stroke, ask the umpire before the match what he thinks. I’ve been surprised by how much umpires have allowed as far as the keeper deflecting the ball over the end line by angling his hand, but I’m also not going to complain.

Question:

My daughter is a 10th grade High School varsity goalie in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, USA. When she is on the left post, what is the best way quickly get to the right post to defend a quick shot across the front of the cage for a deflect shot on the right post. She is stronger to her left and needs a better technique to get to the right faster to cover these quick shots to the right post when she is set on the left post defending stick activity there.

Answer:

If the ball is moving quickly and the player on the other side of the goal is not going to have the time to stop and control the ball, then I need to get across quickly. Usually, I’m trying to take away an area, like the backboard as I go across and will dive to cover as much area as I can. If the ball is slow and the player on the other side has time to stop and control the ball before they shoot, I want to be upright and try to make a play of that ball while I’m on my feet. In either case, as the ball goes across the goal mouth, I don’t want to chase after the ball. I want to go to the goal post, covering as much of the goal as possible. Ultimately, the shooter wants to put the ball in the goal. It makes sense that I take the most direct path to where they want to go. Experiment. There is no set way to play this type of ball as long as you’re successful.

Question:

A have a few questions regarding goalkeeping. 1. Do you have any tips regarding what a goalkeeper should eat and drink before a hockey-game? (e.g. no sugar – lots of sugar.) 2. When I am playing an indoor game I have this little problem: When I have just made a save and standing still my heart is beating like hell and I get a bit dizzy. Are there any things to prevent this?

Answer:

I think each person is different in terms of pre-game meals. A lot depends on what your body is used to and what time you’re playing. For myself, I don’t like to eat less than two hours before a match. I try to avoid eating fried or fatty foods as they are hard to digest quickly. I think the biggest guideline for eating anything before a game or training session is moderation. If you want sugar before a game, fruit is a good source and is easy to digest.

More important than what you eat, is what you drink. I think more keepers suffer from what they do or don’t drink before games. Beverages like coffee, soda and alcohol are all diuretics. They dehydrate your body. If you have any of these before a match, make sure you also take in plenty of water.

If you are dizzy and light headed during a match, what you are or are not drinking or eating can have a big effect. Try adjusting what you do as a pre-game meal. If you continue to have problems, I’d recommend seeing a doctor.

Question:

I’m using white OBO pads. This is the second year of use. Both kickers are coming apart at the seems near the top. It’s hard to explain, but do you have any suggestions on how to repair the foam. This is affecting how secure the boot stays on.

Answer:

There is something called SPORT GOO, put out by the same people who make SHOE GOO. I’ve had good success using it to repair foam equipment. If the kickers have split, put it between the layers of foam and then bead it along the seam. Give them a good day to set before you try to use them again.

Question:

As a young keeper (15), even at county level the training for keepers consists of lining up players who then fire off a volley of shots from the top-D and little else. I have not got the means to pay for a professional coach and while yours and other websites offer a great deal of help in terms of exercises there are few players (or coaches) who will put aside the time to go through dedicated goalie sessions. Living in Heartfordshire (England) are there any course training sessions etc. that I could attend to help me advance my keeping? Are there people in my area that I should contact? I have been pointed towards John Hurst as the local man in the know.

Answer:

John Hurst is definitely the man in your area to speak to about keeping courses. It’s good that you check the net and other resources for keeping ideas. On the OBO website look back at old tips, especially Rachel’s. There are some good ideas there. The big thing I would encourage you to do, is to make a skills inventory of your strengths and weaknesses and try to work drills around them. If you think about drills field players do, many of them can be converted to keeper drills.

Question:

Which kind of tape can be best used to protect your kickers and hand protectors from wearing to fast?

Answer:

You shouldn’t have to use tape on your kickers if you’re using OBO kickers. They are very durable. Having said that, if you are very hard on your pads and are playing on a surface like a sand-filled pitch duct tape is very good. Duct tape is plastic coated cloth adhesive tape and is available in most hardware stores.