Category: Playing Tips

Tips on playing, nutrition, fitness and training.

High ‘diving’

High diving, extending out with a jumping motion like a dive, helps you reach those high balls you cannot get to when standing.

Diving high and wide is a key example of athleticism in field hockey goalkeeping. ‘High diving’ or dives where you leave your feet and jump diagonally into the save are a useful option when facing short corners where you need to push into and extend to reach a high ball wide of you. Based on your positioning for the corner defence, you may not have a man on the right post, which will mean you will have to be ready to push out in extension against a wide flick. The save technique could also be used when faced with tips and deflections where the ball is redirected high at goal, now more regular and difficult due to the new ‘own goal’ rule, with the opposition looking for a redirect from a ball smashed into the D.

 

The technique

It’s useful to watch football goalkeepers make similar saves as a way of following the correct procedure to make the save in a game (if you have no access to proper coaching etc.). Without having an illustrative example, it’s difficult to explain! Plymetric exercises and leg strengthening should also help to improve your reach and power as you push off with momentum.

 

The following is essentially a breakdown of the method:

 

  • Push from the lead foot, energetically driving upwards to push up in order to reach the ball
  • Turn at the hip to move your body behind the incoming ball
  • Push out with the appropriate glove, turning the wrist to help rebound control
  • Extend into the save, diving out high and as wide as needs be as you make the diving action and leave the ground

 

The second save in the following clip demonstrates how to make such a save successfully:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hZYpMguwew

 

Whilst a poor quality video, the following also shows how to make the save process:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOtbZ-5Jid4

 

You can watch Stockman (Holland’s number one) high diving well in this clip:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezhKR476MVk&feature=relmfu

 

The following shows the appropriate push and how to save to the left, but again, not sure about going down onto the knees:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn-c2Biqxg4&feature=related

 

Here’s a soccer goalie demonstrating the required level of athleticism and agility, really pushing into the saves to make the stops, along with a demonstration of the barrel roll. Not sure about the landing though, as needs to be more cushioned:

 

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

 

Although this is more of a ‘parade’, it shows the process from start to finish:

 

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

 

Tips and pointers

It is important to remember that, like diving, the high dive is purely the method to reach the ball: it is the process, not the action of saving. The save is made with the glove or stick, diving merely gets you into the position you cannot reach from a standing position. The following should also be helpful in developing the technique:

 

  • Ensure you have a well balanced ready stance to start off with, so that you don’t fall back during the save attempt
  • Make sure your land horizontally on the pad rather than on the knee, so that you can recover more quickly if faced with a rebound or secondary shot
  • Make the glove the focus of the jump: it is this that is making the save, the high ‘dive’ is merely the vehicle for getting you in position to stop the ball
  • You may find it useful to ‘stamp’ (pushing into the ground to drive into the save) or get lower in your stance like football goalies to get more power into the movement
  • The higher the ball, the more of a high angle you want in the diagonal push and extension
  • Make sure you don’t land on your elbow or wrist, you want to absorb the fall through the whole arm and body. Football goalies often ‘barrel roll’ to help absorption but I’m not sure this would work in hockey (although I’ve found evidence of Jaap Stockmann doing it, so depends on how quickly you feel you can recover!). Try to make a smooth transition, ending up in a line

 

The following clip demonstrates the concept of the dive as the method to reach the ball and demonstrates the focus being on the appropriate glove to make the save (ignore the land which is wrong!):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BIqT9KIF_c

 

Copying football drills and exercises should be a helpful way of learning the process. There is a specific drill starting off with catching the ball on the ground, then making it higher and higher until the goalkeeper is high diving, in order to build up the practising goalkeeper’s confidence, but cannot find evidence to place it in this article unfortunately.

 

Here’s a clip with a good drill and great example of the save making process (although the goalkeeper did actually break their wrist – ouch – so only the exercise is useful for explaining the process as he landed wrong, thus causing the injury):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5vWqr8pkLM

 

Short corners

Short corners are the main scenario where you will have to make such saves. A lot of corner defence set-ups do not have a man on the right post, since the defender comes off the post to protect against the slip pass to the injector coming in for a deflection. With more room to cover, the goalkeeper has to be ready to defend more of his goal wide to the right. With the drag flicker looking to take advantage of and exploit the extra room to the side of the goalkeeper, you may find yourself having to extend for the save. With the speed and height of drag flicks, it is harder for the goalkeeper to move across from a standing position for the save, so high diving gives them the extra reach needed to make the save. Thus, high diving and use of athleticism becomes incredibly useful.

 

The following is a great save by Australia’s first choice Nathan Burgers as he makes a high dive to stop the ball with his rhp:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlYMJZMy054

Saving with the rhp

Making use of the rhp to make saves to the right will obviously help with shot stopping but also with rebound control.

With the ever improving production of developed right hand protectors (rhp’s) with an increased blocking surface and better rebound properties, the modern goalkeeper has a better chance of making saves to their right hand side. Without the need to bring the left hand glove across, the goalkeeper can make use of their rhp to block shots. With a larger surface to block the ball than the shaft of a stick, you should look to actively make a strong technique of saving to the right side appropriately on raised shots and flicks.


Manu Leroy saves a shot with his rhp in a warm-up.

Why use the rhp?

Making use of the rhp is done for obvious reasons. With an increased surface area than the stick to block with, you can actively turn the rhp to turn away the ball to safety, whilst making the save. Also, when trying to make a save with the glove on the right hand side, you can end up over rotating as you turn to reach the ball; effectively taking yourself out of the play as you turn too far. By learning to make saves with the rhp instead, you increase your chances of making the save, as you turn in to face the ball, as well as making it easier to control rebounds. It is possible to make saves like this with a tubular style glove, but there are more, larger surface area rhp’s out there for goalkeepers to utilise. Making independent saves like this means you are not in danger of over rotating and makes you harder to beat!

Eye contact and focus

Just like any save, you need to be focused on the specific piece of kit you will be making the stop with. As much as you concentrate on your glove for a save there, you need to be just as intensely focused on the shot going to your right. Rather than focusing on the stick, you need to focus your attention on the larger blocking area of the rhp. As the ball comes in, this sustained eye contact will make it easier to see the flight of the ball into the rhp and away to safety.

Attacking the ball

As discussed before, attacking the ball helps cut down the time the ball takes to reach you, and helps with a forceful push away on the save. Having your arms forward so your gloves are upright and facing the shot makes it easier to move into the save. By pushing into the save, from a 30 degree angle, rather than passively reacting helps with you when turning the glove to control the rebound. If the ball is high, then you will be looking to push up, whilst if it is to the side of your body, then you are obviously going to be looking to push out to the side in extension to block the ball.

The following clip (from the middle onwards), demonstrates strong application of attacking the ball when saving to the right with the rhp:

Turning the rhp

Turning the rhp allows you to push the ball away to control the rebound, like you would when stopping shots with your glove to the left. The angle would almost be about 70 degrees, but you also want to turn at the wrist, so it blocks to the side, rather than simply blocking to the front. Rather than the ball simply bounce off your glove and down, into a dangerous area for a secondary chance at goal, turning it away on the shot, to safety, effectively kills any rebound opportunities. You need to aim to push into the block, turning at the elbow and wrist, for the redirect. If it is to the side of you, you can turn the ball away wide. It is possible to redirect a high shot over the ball, although this takes practise and a second sense of where the goal and crossbar is!


As the crudely drawn diagram illustrates,
an angled rhp gives greater redirection
on an upright shot, for rebound control.

The following shows a goalkeeper practising the technique in training:

This clip demonstrates a goalkeeper making good use of turning their rhp on the save for rebound control:

Saving low

When making low saves, it is also possible to turn the ball away with the rhp as you stop the ball. When diving low (as well as high), in extension, or diving at around knee height on drag flicks off the floor, employing the same technique will help control rebounds. In this clip you can see Pirmin Blaak actively using the technique, but at 0.54 playing time, you can watch him turning the glove as he dives against a low shot to the right:

Stick inclusion

In case you miss the ball, the stick is a back-up option. Your focus should be on making the stop with the rhp, so should not over rely on the stick. Whilst you should prioritise making saves to the right of your body, the option is there to save your blushes if needs be. The technique remains the same; focusing on the ball and turning at the wrist as you move to block.

This clip shows a save made with the stick, with the wrist turning to block as an insurance policy, and the stick making the save, with good coverage since the shot has been missed with the rhp:

Decisiveness with the save

Confusion over which glove to use can obviously cause problems when aiming to stop the ball to the right, which is another reason you should practise saving solely with the rhp. By crossing gloves and being indecisive, it is obviously harder to make the save. Instead, by restricting yourself to using the appropriate glove for the appropriate side, you will be better suited to making the save.

The following goal comes from the goalkeeper committing with both gloves rather than a focused save effort:

Active with right hand saves

Ultimately, you want to be just as strong and active with your saves to the right as you are with those to your left. Improving technique and getting more proactive with blocking to the right will help you against shots high to the right, being able to make a controlled and active save with your rhp. The more you enforce this in training and in games, the better you will get at having an active rhp.

Pointers:

  • Actively push into the save and attack the ball
  • Focus on the ball and rhp to exercise concentration
  • Turn the rhp into the save, to help redirect the ball away to safety
  • Don’t over rotate or cross over with the glove, making sure you choose the rhp rather than glove for the save

Attack the ball!

Actively acting the shot helps challenge and will improve your save percentage.

When we think about goalkeeping, there can often be perceptions of reacting to a play or shot rather than increasing the save chance by challenging in the situation. Since we are saves and actions are a result of reading of the play, it is therefore easy to think that because the play comes to you, that your job is to simply react and therefore get caught in the trap of not taking control of the situation. However, showing aggressive qualities and confidently challenging shots with our depth in the D, will increase our chances of save making.

 

‘Saving’ and not attacking

It is easy to become passive with your efforts when you are learning to play in goal, especially in training (which isn’t the most effective place to improve your goalkeeping!); creating bad habits in game situations when you need to actively challenge the shooter and dominate the play. By ball watching and reacting to the game as it happens rather than involving yourself and challenging shots, you make it easier to get scored on. By merely reacting and making the save in reaction to the shot, you are actually making it harder to make the save.

 

Attacking the ball

By attacking the ball you challenge the angle of the shot and give away less shooting space, as well as reacting to it more quickly. The quicker you are to react against a well struck shot, the better chance you have of making the stop! With the save being made in front of you, it is easier to track the ball from their stick into the save (as discussed recently in another article). You are also cutting down the angle the ball can travel through, so you are effectively reducing the time the ball has to reach you; therefore getting into the motion of save making more quickly and with less movement. As a result of attacking the ball in front of you, you are putting you weight through the ball as you make contact, meaning you have more power of the rebound, which should effectively result in better clearances.

 

The following video is a great example of aggressive goalkeeping where this technique is being taught. Watch how the goalkeepers are being taught to push into the save rather than ‘sitting back’ and waiting for the shot, both with the legs and hands:

 

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

 

The Thirty degrees

When attacking the ball, you want to be driving into the save, that is, pushing into it. The best way of visualising and thinking about attacking the ball when saving is ‘the thirty degrees’. If someone was shooting at you from the top of the D, you should be pushing into the save at roughly thirty degrees. An easy way of checking this is to measure your finishing position against pointing towards where the 25 yard line meets the side line. When pushing into the diagonal, it doesn’t just apply to kicking, also diving and glove saves. This theory can also be applied to short corners where you want to challenge the shot and possibly against flicks (although I think I need to check what the umpiring rule is!).

 

 

The ‘thirty degrees’!

 

 

With no angle of attack it is harder to make the save and you make yourself easier to beat.

 

 

In contrast, by attacking at the thirty degrees, you are able to attack the ball and challenge proactively.

 

Driving from the head

As you drive forward to push into the save for the stop, you need to push forward from your head; essentially moving forward as you locate the ball with your forward vision. With the head being the centre of balance within the stance, you need to push forward against the shot. In doing so you can retain your balance, which is obviously of great importance. Keeping your head forward and your weight forward, you are not going to fall or lean back as you make the save, making it easier to move into the second save or control your rebound.

 

Pushing into the save

Pushing into the save requires concentration and an agile approach and strong footwork. As a result, to gain better rebound control, it is also important to angle the redirect; by which, you can get greater control and distance on the rebound. As you push into the save looking to control the rebound on the save, you will be pushing with your foot or glove angled to control the rebound. It is important that you get your weight into it, driving forward to really attack the shot.

 

As this goalkeeper accurately demonstrates, you need to be pushing from the head to get better control on the redirect and ability to make the strong save.

 

Attacking with your gloves

Just as you are focused on attacking the ball with your kickers and pads or dive (as they rightly teach in football), an obvious point of notice is that you can similarly challenge with your gloves. An active ready stance with gloves up and forward will help you to actively challenge. Try not to ‘swat’ at the ball, pushing in as the ball comes at you.

 

Attack the shot!

Ultimately, you need to attack the ball at every given opportunity. The more you actively attack shots, the greater chance you will have of denying scoring opportunities. Although it is a difficult skill to master, it will drastically improve your shot stopping making you harder to beat. Rather than being a passive respondent, work hard to actively attack the ball, increasing your chances of making every save!

Learning from the ‘sweeper keeper’ myth?

Looking ‘outside the box’, I think something can be learnt about goalkeeping from the soccer ‘sweeper keeper’ myth.

The mythological concept of the ‘sweeper keeper’ comes from football (or soccer to those outside the influence of the British Isles!) where playing a more attacking and fluid passing style means the goalkeeper has to be more active in their defensive role. As last line of defence, they become more essential to ‘sweeping up’ (I don’t think that’s what it’s meant to mean, but I feel it’s appropriate to the explanation!) back passes and start outlet passes via strong distribution to set up attacks on the opposition’s goal. Whilst it may not be the idealised version of a goalkeeper you would expect in (field) hockey, I believe something can be gleaned from the methodology and applied to the way we ‘keep’ our goals.

Stuart Hendy comes out to intercept a pass.

 

The theory

The myth and theory originally comes from the pioneering playing style of Gyula Grosics. The Hungarian goalkeeper playing in the 1950s is credited with the revolutionary approach. With a high defensive line, the goalkeeper is often left with a large gap between them and the defensive line. The goalkeeper essentially acts as an extra defender, coming off the line and sometimes out of their area to quash attacks and also calmly distribute the ball to their defence. The ‘sweeper keeper’ has all the desired attributes of a modern goalkeeper; agile, quick, and comfortable on and off the ball. Victor Valdes of Barcelona is seen as the atypical modern version, comfortable with the ball at his left or right foot and able to make pinpoint passes, is said to look so comfortable with the ball at his feet to be able to play in midfield! Hugo Lloris (who has recently joined Tottenham) is said to be the missing piece of a puzzle AVB is putting together, centred around fluid, passing and attacking play.

 

Here you can see Valdes operating as an extra defender, giving his team options as they are pressed by the opposition:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SboOtGN-Kvc

 

The following link gives better insight from the soccer perspective:

 

http://backpagefootball.com/hugo-lloris-avbs-missing-link/48954/

 

How can it apply to hockey?

When it comes to looking to apply this style to hockey, thinking outside of the box to reflect on can be a good way of new ways of developing the goalkeeping approach. The new penalty shuttles have shown how pro-active and aggressive the modern goalkeeper needs to be. The more a team pushes forward and plays an active, aggressive press deep into the opposition’s half, the higher the defence plays and therefore the more open to attack the goalkeeper becomes. By stepping off their line and treating the D as theirs to control and defend, the goalkeeper is more able to shut down scoring chances. With the change in free hits to allow aerials, the goalkeeper needs to be prepared for more aerial threats into the D at the higher level, which become more dangerous when the defence is playing a high press.

 

Acting like a fifth defender is not as uncommon in indoor hockey, with a mobile and aggressive style befitting the fast paced game. Peter McNally in the 80s of Australia acted like an extra player, able to trap with the glove and then play the ball with his stick, along with Scott Kovacs and now Andrew Charter, demonstrate the aptitude of aggressive goalkeeping to shut down scoring chances by working in unison with their defence. However, in terms of the outdoor game, there is little to comment on, but there are some who show a more attacking style in the way their defend their goal. The French style of goalkeeping in hockey often follows the indoor style, with a pro-active and aggressive style which sees the D as the goalkeeper’s role to protect. Julien Thamin was famous for his pro-active approach with the French international team and St Germain HC. I have noticed examples in the England Hockey League of pro-active goalkeeping, with Andrew Isaacs at Havant comfortable coming out his goal to punt away aerials thrown into his D, whilst Stuart Hendy regularly comes off his line to intercept passes in the D.

 

The following link (didn’t want to plagiarise the photos!) demonstrates Isaac’s style, with pictorial evidence of a goalkeeper active within their D:

 

http://www.cbosports.nl/fotos/20120826_T-Trophy/index4.html

 

Comfortable with the ball at your feet

Whilst hockey goalies aren’t expected to hoof the ball up the pitch to set up a goal (although I’ve seen it done at the national league level!) we can learn a lot from football in the need to be comfortable with the ball. In essence, as goalkeepers we should be comfortable with our kicking enough to act as a passing option. A couple of times I have had to bail out my defence and acting like an extra defender, was able to pass the ball back to them or rush out to kick away a pass into the D and save their blushes. Like a football goalkeeper with strong kicking ability, the field hockey goalkeeper should also have strong kicking skills; able to kick with both feet strongly to distance with strong technique. The ability to come out off the line to intercept or kick away a pass into the D with distance to the sidelines, is an important part of goalkeeping.

 

Actively out to challenge

When faced with a lack of defensive support and having your team push up to push for a goal, you need to be ready to come out and challenge the play. By acting like an extra defender and coming off your line, you offer your team mates the chance to slow down the play; challenging the ball carrier, which in turn gives your team mates extra time necessary to get back into position and provide support to defend the goal. Similarly, whenever a ball gets through, you should be prepared to come out and clear it, like you will soccer goalies do. Just like Casillas rushing out of his box to knock away a high ball with his head, or sliding out with the feet to block (we would have to use the stick!), hockey goalkeepers can sometimes be seen shutting down scoring opportunities by sliding out with the stick to prevent a one on one. This is an elite skill and needs confidence and practise, but if executed well will shut down a potential goal.

 

At 5:08 you can see Manu Leroy (of KHC Dragons) pulling off such a feat:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z38daR6NR_8&feature=player_embedded

 

 

Hendy comes out to challenge.

 

Pro-active positioning

‘Sweeper keeping’ like an extra defender revolves around aggressive positioning: able to read the play well, the goalkeeper can respond to what occurs in front of them from active positioning at the top of the D. Closer to the edge of the D, you will be quicker out to aerials or long passes into the D, ready to challenge a breakaway player or unchallenged players coming into the D. By being prepared to come off your line actively, you stand a better chance of shutting down scoring chances and preventing goals through pro-active goalkeeping involved in the play.

 

 

On their goal line, the goalkeeper gives away too much space to go through on goal.

 

 

Off their line, the goalkeeper is more able to challenge a pass or player.

 

Whilst it is a basic example (and not off hockey!), the following illustrates a goalkeeper challenging the angles and pushing up off their line:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YaBvrHoGUw

 

Protecting your ‘house’!

The American phrase often used in field hockey refers to the need to dominate your area. It complements the theory of sweeper keeping, with the recognition that is more than just your goal, but your D, that you are guarding. The idea that you need to protect more than just your two posts is essential to strong goalkeeping and a more broadened role of supporting your back line. By ‘protecting your house’ in an active way, it helps reassure your team with a commanding, dominant presence, knowing that you are ready to come out and shutdown scoring chances yourself.

 

Playing as a ‘sweeper keeper’

Playing like a ‘sweeper keeper’ will obviously as listed previously, involve acting like an extra defender; prepared to come out and play the ball away or shut down attacks. The more active you are in the D, the more agile and physically fit you will need to be. As soon as you go out and down to block or intercept, you need to be up on your feet as soon as possible, before getting back into position to stop further shots at goal. Strong decision making and confidence in your ability will obviously be important as you don’t want to be giving unnecessary goals or getting stranded and out of position.

 

At 3:24 you can see a great example of pro-active goalkeeping:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37L0toHH7yI

 

The following are examples of ‘sweeper keeping’:

 

  • Aggressively challenging breakaways
  • Making interceptions against passed plays
  • Coming to the edge of the D to sweep away the ball with the stick, or using the stick to intercept outside the D
  • Attacking base line runs with slide tackles
  • Coming off your line to deal with aerials into the D
  • Being alert to rebounds; actively coming out to kick clear a deadened rebound etc.

 

Being a ‘sweeper keeper’

Ultimately, considering the role of the ‘sweeper keeper’ should cause you to rethink the goalkeeping position. Whilst the buzz phrase of ‘sweeper keeping’ is a good way of attributing the skills of a commanding goalkeeper, it is a good way of reflecting on your activity within the D. In essence, the theory acknowledges the need for goalkeepers to be more than shot stoppers. A key part of goalkeeping is to deny scoring chances through interceptions and the like, rather than allow shots to come in. By recognising this you can develop into a stronger and more commanding goalkeeper that your defence has trust in.

Focus on the ball!

Focusing on the ball will increase your success rate in saving shots.

When setting for the save, you need to be watching the ball. True eye contact allows you to focus on the ball and react accordingly to make the appropriate blocking action. Obviously this is not always possible in every situation, like tips and deflections where you see the ball at the last minute, but on point shots and at short corners, you should maintain a strong focus on the ball. By being pro-active and alert, you are in a better position to make the save; so whenever you make a save, or kick clear, you should always set your focus on the ball and maintain it throughout the save process, so as to maximise your efficiency.

 

Focusing on the ball

When watching the shot, you should focus on the ball from the ball carrier or shot all the way into the save. The way you watch the ball goes back to the fundamental skill of reading the game; not over committing and reacting to what happens in front of you. When the potential shooter becomes obvious, you can then focus on the ball’s positioning, setting up on the angle and in your stance ready to make the save. Watch the path of their hit or flick; watching the ball from the stick all the way into your equipment; putting a strong emphasis on focusing on the ball from release to reaction. Self discipline is the order of the day, with you needing to remind yourself every time to give 100% focus on the ball and the shot.

 

Watch the ball ALL the way in

In order to make a strong save with good execution, you need to be focused on the ball. If you react at the last second, you can’t expect to be in a good chance of stopping the ball! When some goalkeepers will close their eyes or flinch at shots (which is a problem we can all face, not helped by poor equipment), you instead need to be confident in your kit and confident in that you will be able to make the save unharmed.

 

When making any save, you want to be watching the ball ALL the way into your body – the specific piece of equipment making the save. In each case the basic principal remains the same: by focusing on the ball’s complete flight, you stand a better chance of making the save than if you only caught sight of it at the last minute. It terms of concentration and focus of elite goalkeepers, you can find photos of soccer goalies facing penalties where they are clearly following the path of the shot even if they have been beaten.

 

Remember, it’s fairly simply; the more you focus, the more chance you have of making the save, so do your best to give it a hundred per cent.

 

 

The ‘quiet eye’

Research and sports science studies has shown that the more a goalie focuses on the object coming at them (depending on the sport played!), the more they save. In ice hockey, the concept of the ‘quiet eye’ has been developed. It has been scientifically proven, that the more focus the goalie puts on the puck, the better chance they have of saving it. This link between eye contact and reaction is important to realising the need for total focus on the ball when goalkeeping in hockey.

 

The following clip is a good insight into the understanding:

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

 

‘Well watched’

Watching professional soccer (football), you will often see the goalkeepers raising their hands up against a shot that goes wide. This asserts that they have been paying attention and know the ball is not going to end up in the net! When Vogels was playing (he is obviously retired now), he used to put his hands up when the ball had gone off, to show to the umpire and team that the play was dead and the ball had gone off. Similarly, you can show that you are certain the ball is wide of the goal or going over (by knowing your angles), by raising your gloves. If you feel it helps, calling “Wide!” will also help your defence know you are leaving the shot. It takes a bit of experience and practise though!

 

 

 

Glove saves

The glove save sounds the most obvious form of save involving eye contact, with the goalkeeper watching the raised ball from shot to finished save, moving the glove into touch to block the incoming ball. However, you still need to be focused on the saving process and the ball, maintaining it throughout the saving motion in order to execute technique properly and help focus on the redirection for rebound control.

 

Stick saves

Stick saves are a little trickier due to the width of the stick and the reduced stopping surface that the stick offers. Nevertheless, it is important that you read the shot off the shooter’s stick and move the stick in to contact with the ball as required.

 

RHP

Using your RHP to block the shot, rather than relying on the stick (if ), gives you a better chance of making saves to your right given the larger surface area the new styles of right hand protectors provide. Turning at the wrist and pushing into the save, your focus remains the same: making prolonged eye contact with the ball into contact with your rhp.

 

Pad saves

The pad save may not seem like an area needing a write up on, but eye contact with the incoming ball will allow you to concentrate on the initial save along with the following rebound. As the shot comes in you will obviously be lowering your view to the ground, following the shot low into your pad.

 

Kicker stops

In order to make a well executed stop with your kicker, you need to watch the ball into your foot; looking down to the pitch, to focus on being able to react appropriately, just like a pad save. When kicking clear, or making the save, the focus is the same: watching the connection with the foot to make sure the angle is correct and the clearance is sufficient. For the ball to be effectively cleared on the play, you need to be paying attention to the angle of the incoming ball and then set up the redirect to match.

 

Chest/body

Though it’s not always orthodox or best (though I have seen it being taught by Dutch coaches and is good for blocking against deflections and killing rebounds), body saves still need your focus (and trust in your kit!). If you are forced into blocking the ball, you need to be aware of where the rebound goes in order to respond with your repositioning or clearance, forcing you to make eye contact with the ball.

Diving

When diving, the concept remains the same, and watching the ball all the way into the save betters your chances of making the save, as well as getting a look at the incoming ball, for a well placed redirect to steer the ball to safety. Diving into the save puts the focus on the stick and rhp or glove; changing your focus to a lowered state to watch the ball into the save.

 

Jumping saves

When jumping, or high diving to reach the ball, your focus translates to the ball’s position, with your eyes ready watching the distance between you and its destination, so you are set to make the save with your equipment as you get closer to the ball through the jumping motion. With the ball away from you from the beginning, you need to watch with great awareness; judging the distance of the ball as you move in to block it.

 

Blocked view

Sometimes you will be faced with situations where your view is impinged and you may struggle to see the ball. Here, the need is to locate the ball holder and react to the situation as it develops. This obviously makes life difficult. Whilst you may not get the chance to be totally focused, you can still prioritise your focus to react on the instant you catch sight of it, making sure you made the effort to focus on the incoming shot.

 

Pointers:

 

  • Give a 100% in your efforts; focusing on the shot ALL the way in
  • Use training and warm ups as a chance to focus on each shot in this way to reinforce good habits for game time
  • Try not to block your view of the ball unnecessarily during the save process; using your gloves independently when bringing the glove across to the right could block your vision

 

On short corners

Short corners are a time when you see goalkeepers losing their focus on the ball, even at the elite level. Instead of watching the ball from the injection to the flick or shooter, they simply choose to react to the corner as the play unfolds. However, I feel that short corners are an important time for goalkeepers to be focused on the ball because of the score rate of corners. Focusing on the ball at the injection right through to the drag flick or shot will help provide you with a good focus for making the eventual save, as well as helping you to track the ball to the shooter (if there are multiple ‘castles’ or dummies) or slip pass for a routinely planned redirect.

 

At flicks

Penalty flicks are another time when it is important to have good focus on the ball. Players can easily wrong foot you and send you the wrong way with a dummy or using their eyes to pretend to be going one way (and go the other!) as you play against better quality opposition. Instead, make sure you focus on the ball and nothing else; going the right way as it comes at you in order to stand the best chance of making the save.

 

Focus, focus, focus!

Ultimately, the most important thing to remember is the need for focus when faced with making the save. The more you focus, the more likely you are to stop everything! In training and practise try and set your targets on focusing on every shot without fail; the more you force yourself to focus totally on the ball for the shot, the better goalkeeper you will be.

Quantity versus quality?

When analysing performance, quality of saves versus quantity of shots is a point of interest.

Having played on teams where I got regularly shelled with shots, I often wondered whether being able to save the vast majority of them meant I was a better goalkeeper than those opposing ’keepers who had less work to do. However, as I moved up the leagues and changed teams, my opinion changed as I realised the importance of being able to make key saves at important times. Making that all important save can be a game changer, influencing the outcome of the game if the current score is close or the game is tied. By being able to make crucial saves when it counts, you are going to give your team a better chance of winning the game.

 

Quantity of shots

The strength of your defence and the way you organise it (as I wrote about recently) will have a big influence over the number of shots and scoring chances you will face in a game. Whilst you don’t always want to be facing a lot of shots, it can actually have a positive knock-on effect depending on how you play the ‘mental game’. I personally found myself to be a ‘rhythm’ goalkeeper (a term used for ice hockey goalies which refers to playing in a rhythm) as I would find it easier to concentrate better and play better when facing a lot of shots. If you consistently face a lot of shots, don’t take it personally and think of it more as a training session so you don’t get disheartened. I found it a quick way to learn the position being thrown in the deep end!

 

Quality matters

If you have strong technique and are a good shot stopper, then you are obviously going to be able to stop shots that are otherwise going to beat you. Whilst having more shots to stop looks better on paper, since your shots saved versus shots will obviously be a good representation of your ability, it is important to remember that the quality of shots is a better way of seeing how good you are. If the shots are easy (i.e. ‘soft’ goals if you fail to make the save), then a lot of easy saves aren’t going to test your core foot work and save technique, for example.

 

Quality over quantity

When playing competitively at good levels of hockey, you will notice that when playing behind a strong defence you will obviously face less scoring opportunities, which in essence makes your life harder! Any scoring chance therefore becomes more important because when the opposition does break through they are more likely to produce a shot that really tests you because they cannot waste opportunities. This in turn means that you are going to have to be prepared to stop it! With less shots coming your way, you also have to be much more alert because losing your attention and ‘dropping off’ will mean you make yourself beatable.

 

The following clip demonstrates this, with a close game and few shots:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcjj4WnyXYU&feature=relmfu

 

Strong mindset

In contrast, facing few but hard to save shots is going to test your ability. Every shot is essentially an opportunity to prove yourself and focusing on a closed mindset of ‘one save at a time’ will help you direct your efforts and continue playing to a high level. Playing like it’s ‘0-0’ will also direct your attention away from worrying about the score line and help you focus on stopping those shots.

 

Quality not quantity

Ultimately, however many shots you face, you need to be able to stop shots no matter the quality. It could be argued that no matter the number of shots you face, when it comes down to the crunch, you need to save them! I think it’s harder to be a goalkeeper on a strong defensive team because if you only face one goal and you fail to stop it, you are going to under more scrutiny. Whilst it’s not really that fun to face a ridiculous amount of shots (as it can be disheartening over a long period of time), as you improve and get the chance to play on better teams, you’ll recognise the need to perform at key times in the match when it matters the most.

Setting up deep at penalty corners

At top level hockey you can often see goalkeepers setting up deeper in the D against corners, giving them more time to react to the flick.

Watching top level domestic and international hockey, you will notice goalkeepers setting up deep within their D against penalty corners. Most of the Hoofdklasse goalkeepers do this, as do the goalkeepers in the English national premier league, for example, as can be evidenced from footage on YouTube! As the drag flick has become more prevalent, so have goalkeepers (as amazing as they are!) adapted to the shooter’s tendencies by changing the way they face penalty corners.

 

Phil Carr of Oxted sets up deep within the D against this short corner.

 

The following clip is an example of this (around 2:38 playing time and later), with Beeston’s George Pinner, who stays deep in his D against corners, demonstrating the technique and also the dangers of setting up versus deflections and well rehearsed routines:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHfa5dfuZVg

 

Why?

The reason goalkeepers play deeper against a shooter during penalty corners comes down to reaction speeds. With the speed of a fast drag flick coming at the goalkeeper, by staying deep, the goalkeeper has more time to react. The faster the flick, the quicker the goalkeeper needs to be. If they were further out, they would arguably have less time to react and so would be beaten more easily (theoretically!). Instead, by standing as close to the goal line as possible they increase the reaction time i.e. they give themselves longer to react and make their selection of technique (diving, doing the splits to stop the ball with the kicker etc.) to stop the ball.

 

How?

This is fairly obvious and is almost self explanatory! As you step out from behind the goal line as the injector pushes the ball out, you take a small step forward. Rather than taking two or three larger steps as you would normally do for challenging the shooter more, simply take a small step out so you are close to the goal line. Some goalkeepers stand so they are almost literally on the goal line, but it depends on how you want to play the situation. As you move up levels of play or are starting to face drag flicks for the first time, you can adjust to your normal positioning by taking a step or two back from your normal set-up. Practise will help you work things out, but personal preference will probably define how you set up.

 

Watch how Whitchurch’s goalkeeper (the one in orange!) sets up on penalty corners, demonstrate how this technique works:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkEFknB9xf0

 

Reacting quickly

Watching the flight of the ball as it comes in, the goalkeeper has to react athletically to reach and extend to the top or bottom corners of the goal which are more visible for the flick taker due to the goalkeeper’s deep positioning. Due to the goalkeeper’s deep positioning in the D, there is more shooting space visible to the shooter as a result of not challenging the angles. Whilst the deep positioning is helpful for reaction times, the goalkeeper consequently has to react more athletically, exploding into the save and stretching out to reach the space that has been left exposed. When watching goalkeepers stop shots like this when facing penalty corners, you will notice how they will often dive into the save in order to reach the ball.

 

The following clip at around 1:52 shows the goalkeeper react well athletically to stop the ball deep in the D:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz2-2JPdphI

 

A goalkeeper positioned more deeply has more time to react but shows more shooting space.

 

Using the technique

Goalkeeping can often come down to knowing what to do when. In the case of the technique, if you’re going to be facing a lot of drag flicks, then you are likely to be setting up close to the line as standard if you prefer to react rather than challenge. However, if you do not trust your ability to athletically stop a flick, and prefer to aggressively challenge with your positioning, then this might not be for you. Trying things out and keeping your options open however will give you more ways to keep the ball out of your goal at the end of the day!

What makes a great goalkeeper?

With the Olympics upon us, now is a good time to reflect on what it takes to be a goalkeeper at the elite level.

It is good to pinpoint the qualities of a top class goalkeeper, so that you know what you’ve got to work towards if you want to be the best. Aside from hard work and perseverance, it takes a special athlete to make it at the top. There are number of skills, some of which are natural and gifts we are born with (like amazing reaction speeds/reflexes), but it is possible to work hard to improve them, if you want to reach the top. Coaches look for these abilities, and this is important to remember if you want to be scouted to play at the best levels.

 

The following is a list of qualities that all the elite crop of goalkeepers have:

 

Athletic

To be able to make those highlight reel saves, you need to be athletic. Although field hockey goalkeepers have all that extra padding, they need to be quick on their feet and acrobatic in save making. Just like soccer goalkeepers who leave their feet a lot, field hockey goalies need to be prepared to jump, leap and dive around to make the save, especially against tricky shooters with hard, well placed shots or quick drag flicks.

 

Abile to read the play

Elite goalkeepers are aware of what players are going to do, which helps them make up their mind on when and how to make the save. Athleticism helps them to get into place to stop the ball, but it is their ability to read the game that makes the save. By being able to work out what will happen, they are also able to make better decisions as a result; one step ahead in the battle against the opposition.

 

Agility

At the top level, goalkeepers often have to make consecutive saves if the shot is uncontrollable (unable to direct the rebound given the power of the shot). To be able to do so, the goalkeeper needs to be agile; getting up immediately and recovering to stop the shot. With immediate changes in play, goalkeepers will also have to change direction. If you have to move from post to post to be attempt a save on a passed shot, then you need to be lightning fast to get there in time to block. This is what agility is all about.

 

Strong mental attitude

A strong mentality is so important to being an elite athlete; dealing with the pressures that come with the position. Goalkeepers are competitors and don’t ever like being beaten. If a goal is scored against them, it is immediately forgotten about and ignored, rather than being worried about and causing more goals. The goalkeeper needs to carry their team and help them win. Especially at the international stage, goalkeepers would underperform if they were nervous and showed it.

 

Not a quitter

A goalkeeper has to be a fighter. If the chips are down and they are up against it, the goalkeeper shows no sign of giving up. If the game is already lost and there is no chance of evening the score, the goalkeeper will still pull off the saves to keep the game alive. This is so important in close games when the score is tied, or down a single goal, because it shows the team that the goalkeeper doesn’t give up and will help the team to make a comeback.

 

Good decision maker

Goalkeepers have to be elite decision makers: they need to know when to do the right thing and do it properly at the right time. Things such as whether to come out and block slide on a 1-on-1, aggressively, or play the shot and make the save. The goalkeeper has to be able to read the play and make the correct decision. Working with the defence is crucial; if they have their support then it makes it easier to play passively, but if the defence cannot get back in time, then the goalkeeper needs to take charge. It is also about making the right save selection; prioritising the rebound placement so there are no second chances.

 

Good reflexes

Reflexes are another obvious part of elite goalkeeping. Good reflexes are an essential part of goalkeeping and are even more important at the top level of the game. It is not a skill, which you can learn (although you can improve it), so elite goalkeepers are normally naturally gifted with good reactions. To be able to stop a shot from a guy with a stinging shot like Jamie Dwyer, you need to have lightning fast reactions.

 

Technically good

Obviously goalkeepers need to have good technique and a good skill set, otherwise they will give away easy goals through bad posture, save choice, or simply not being on angle. A technical game is important: without it, can you cannot succeed at the highest level because the opposition will easily pick apart your game. The ability to control rebounds, make difficult saves look easy etc. is all part of this. Coaching helps this; knowing what to do in a certain situation, and putting it into practise makes your job easier. Some goalkeepers get a head start in their careers because of having coaching from a young age, but it is still possible to progress with out it and then get coaching after being recognised.

 

Experienced

Game experience is vital. The more game experience the better; the best goalkeepers are those that are experienced, so elite goalkeepers should have bags of it (i.e. they will obviously have been playing since childhood, but will also have experience playing at high levels or junior international games!). A goalkeeper who has played lots of games can call upon these experiences when faced with an all-important, difficult matches; helping them make the right choices or stay calm when it gets tough. Experience helps the goalkeeper with the ability to read the play and know what is going to happen. Game experience is invaluable and it is better to be experienced than rely on skill.

 

Aggressive

Great goalkeepers are often aggressive; taking charge of situations and dominating their area. Goalkeepers need to be aggressive; they need to dominate their D and shut down plays if needs be. You cannot always be passive or too reliant on your defence, such as needing to intercept passes that will prevent scoring chances. Obviously being too aggressive is a danger, but the ability to challenge the attacker and make their life difficult is essential if you want to go far.

 

Vocal

A great goalkeeper is like a choir master, in charge of the orchestra; they are the one who instructs their team on what to do. The goalkeeper has the best view on the pitch and they should use that to their team’s advantage. Providing constant communication to their defenders will help the team make the right decision in how to deal with a player. Defenders want to know what to do and elite goalkeepers will be able to tell them.

 

Brave

Goalkeepers have to be brave and confident. If you are to reach the best level of the game, then you need to be unafraid of the ball. When you train and play with top level shooters, shots come at you hard and fast, and there is no time to get scared or flinch. An elite goalie is not afraid of the ball; they are better than it and control it, hard shots don’t bother them. A goalkeeper shouldn’t be afraid of hard shots, instead they should believe they are like tennis balls – easy to stop!

 

Attentive

Great goalkeepers also have strong concentration levels, able to quick ‘switch on’ when it is important to do so. Not content to ‘nod off’, they are aware of what is going on in front of them, taking part in the game and organising their defence vocally. Without this ability, they could be caught off guard and easily concede a goal.

Foot-eye co-ordination

Just like hand-eye co-ordination, having good co-ordination with your feet will make you feel more comfortable reacting for kicker saves.

Co-ordination with your feet is just as important as having good hand-eye co-ordination. To be able to make quick saves with your feet and when on the move, you need to have good reactions from your feet; able to track the ball into your feet. Like hand-eye co-ordination, you need to work hard on co-ordinating your feet for those reflex saves.  In field hockey, where our feet play an important part in distributing the ball, and making the actual saves, you should be aware of the need to have sufficient skills in this area. Other than saves, our feet are also essential for kicking the ball in clearances; seeing the ball into your feet and legs is a key to goalkeeping, since that is where the majority of low shots are saved, and this seems to somewhat overlooked in our sport. It should therefore be your mission to have just as sufficient co-ordination with our feet as we do with our hands.

 

For making saves with the feet, like this split save stretching out, you need to be able to track the ball into your foot to stop the shot successfully.

 

Soccer tricks

Soccer (football) is very good for practising your foot skills. The ball skills they do are great for hockey goalkeepers; getting the feet active and moving around to connect with the ball. As your eye has to be on the ball to track the ball into your feet and make connection for the save or kick, then you will be working on your foot-eye co-ordination. Although it takes a bit of skill and practise, getting used to having the ball at your feet should be useful in feeling comfortable kicking the ball, as well as improving your reactions when saving with your kickers.

 

Here’s a video clip to give you an idea:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3S-mOvN2Xs

 

‘Keepy uppies’

The soccer trick that everyone knows: kicking the ball up into the air, and then keeping it up there, by continuously knocking it back up, is a great way of establishing eye connection with your feet. All you need to do is basically kick a soccer ball into the air and see how many times you can kick it up without it ending up dropping to the floor. This can easily be done at home, in your back garden, or down a park. Bending at the hip to lean forward will help with your technique.

 

This clip is a good example:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YfUrqqxZbo&feature=related

 

It is also possible to do this in your pads; kicking a hockey ball up in the air with your kickers. You can do this before a match or have a go doing it at training. The principle is the same: you need to keep the ball up in the air by continuously kicking it up. As well as working your eye contact, it also gets your feet moving.

 

 

‘Wall ball’

Kicking a soccer ball against a brick wall is a great way to practise your lower body reflexes. Kick the ball against the wall and then try to control the rebound back off the wall. The speed of the redirected ball will be harder to control, making it a good drill for practising foot reflexes.

 

Volleying

Volleying a soccer ball is another great way of practising ball skills, and working on your foot-eye co-ordination. Volleying is when you kick the ball up in the air and then shoot as it comes back down. When you volley the ball you will have to follow through with your vision, focusing on the ball as you connect with foot. Doing this against a wall is the best idea; the rebound sent out you can volley back again.

 

Passing

Knocking a soccer ball around amongst friends is a simple way of practising your kicking skills; passing the ball between you and another (or multiple) players at varying speeds and distances. This will help you practise your ball skills; working on your ability to kick the ball and watch to see when a pass is coming to you.

 

Tennis balls

To make things harder and get more practise, you can change the type of ball you use. Soccer balls come in different sizes, so you can get a smaller sized ball to make it harder for yourself. Tennis balls are also a good idea; as they are much smaller, they are more difficult to kick.

Marshal your defence!

Whilst shot stopping is an important part of the game, being a vocal presence helps organise your defence, whilst helping you maintain concentration.

Whilst shot stopping is an essential part of the goalkeeping role, there is more to it than just that! Goalkeepers can often be quiet personalities (that’s not to say there aren’t eccentric or outward going members of the goalies’ union i.e. Bryzgalov of the Philadelphia Flyers; wrong sport but a good example!) and as such, can often be content with simply reacting to the game as it develops rather than orchestrating their defence. However, by organising the defence, the goalkeeper can quickly identify areas of attack, helping their team to play to a higher level. By taking command of their team and relaying instructions or pointing out unseen attackers who have managed to get in front of them (for example!), they show they are confident in their ability to read the game and take charge of the situation.

 

Whilst it’s difficult to show being vocal through pictures, here is James Fair watching the game and instructing his team.

 

Best view on the pitch

The goalkeeper arguably has the best view on the pitch. They can observe the game as it unfolds, reading the play to work out potential dangers and points of attack that could lead to scoring opportunities. With this significant advantage, the goalkeeper can use it to help their team out, identifying these dangers and telling them of them. If you were playing in defence, wouldn’t you want someone helping you out with advice on where the dangers are?! The more you help your team out, the more confident they will be with you in goal, knowing they can trust you to provide them with the support they need. Engaging in dialogue with their defence lets them know they are being helped.

 

Reading the play

Reading the play is an elite skill that helps you respond to changes in the game but needs analysing in more detail (so hopefully I’ll get round to writing an article on that at some point!). It is more obvious for a field player when making interceptions during a break in play, but for a goalkeeper, they need to be aware of all that’s going on in front of them. Watching games in person or video footage of games will help you learn to read the game as it happens in front of your eyes. Reading the play and being constantly aware of goal scoring opportunities will help you in being vocal; knowing what to say and when.

 

The silent goalie

The case of the silent goalkeeper is one that goalkeepers shouldn’t aspire to, but is a fairly common occurrence! For all their technical ability at stopping shots, their inability to be a commanding presence for their team hampers their chances of greater success. Whilst trying to tally up your success rate against a lot of shots, a better goalkeeper is one who looks to limit scoring opportunities by constantly feeding their team information. A silent goalie is more likely to face more shots and scoring opportunities because they are not commanding the game in front of them. A game involves team effort and by barking out orders, you are showing that you want to be part of the team and want to help them out.

 

Being involved in the game also helps with concentration. With this maintenance of your concentration levels, you stand a better chance of making the save when it matters. By being in tune with the game and not dropping off to sleep (which is an extreme but makes the point!) will also help you stay sharp and be able to make the save when an opportunity on goal occurs.

 

A vocal presence

The best weapon (if that’s a suitable phrase!) against the attacks of the opponents, is actually your voice. Aside from pointing by gesticulation (i.e. waving your stick in the direction of free attackers), the best chance you have of communicating with your team is obviously to talk to them. Watching international goalkeepers in action will show you the use and importance of the skill of being in dialogue with your team. James Fair (GB and England international) is a good example of a goalkeeper who creates a dominant presence with his voice, constantly barking out instructions to his team as he identifies goal scoring opportunities early on and tells his defence about them.

 

In the heat of playing a game and being on edge and nervous, it can be easy to forget the need to be vocal. When I was being coached as a deputy to an elite level goalkeeper, I was told that your defence often want to simply hear the sound of your voice so they know you are still there! Whilst you don’t want to slip into the trap of providing useless information, you still need to be constantly barking out orders as and when you see a breakdown in defence. The more involved you are, the more your defence and team can structure themselves towards each occurring threat.

 

When you notice an urgent need for your defence to react, you need to vocalise it. Here are some potential areas where you can be vocal:

 

  • Pointing out unmarked defenders who are in the D
  • Instructions for defenders (e.g. which side the attacker is trying to move them to)
  • Identifying attackers running in
  • Marking up against a team
  • Getting back quickly after a short corner in the opposing end

 

Be heard!

It’s difficult to be heard during a game, but you need to work on it and stick it out to help you develop your goalkeeping skills. The phrase “be heard by the other goalkeeper” is often used in coaching terms when describing the need to be loud. Essentially you need to be as loud as you can, potentially being heard from the other side of the pitch! Practise helps and learning to shout and raise your voice will obviously help (but be careful where you do it!). When I was learning the importance of shouting, I had to be heard over aeroplanes (with the pitch near an airport obviously!)!

 

Be in charge!

Ultimately, whilst it’s not always easy, the goalkeeper has to take it upon themselves to command their team. Shot stopping abilities only get you so far. The more you engage with the game, the more you show your team you are able to read the game and provide them with useful pointers to threats they need to deal with. By being a vocal presence, you will see an improvement in your concentration and the way you can reduce scoring opportunities.