Q: Should my goalkeepers practice with the other players on the team or off by themselves?
A: Goalkeepers are soccer players first, and keepers second.
- Have them practice their foot skills with the team. This will also help them continue to be accepted by their teammates, and not viewed as "special."
- Use goalkeepers in the goal for game-like situations and scrimmages.
- Don't have your goalkeepers stand still in the goal while you practice skills like crossing, etc.
- Goalkeepers need a separate practice devoted strictly to goalkeeping in addition to their team practice! (And 1 hour each week is not enough!!)
Q: What are a few ways to increase hand grip for keepers?
A: There are many ways for your keeper to increase hand grip. Regardless of which you select, consistency is critical. An exercise program that lasts only a week or two will only provide minimal results that rarely last. Your keeper will likely require ongoing encouragement.
- Tennis balls and palm-sized squeeze balls are great and can go anywhere.
- Medicine balls are good for strength and catching grip, and have many applications. A brick wall allows your keeper to bounce the medicine ball at fast repetitions at eye level, above the head, waist high, low with legs shoulder width, and from each side of torso.
- Push-ups on a soccer ball are good too. Place hands in catching position on ball. Begin on bent knees until your back can tolerate the strain of using your feet with straight legs. Try with feet spread to stabilize too.
Q: Why should my keeper wear keeper gloves?
A: Keeper gloves serve several vital purposes.
- The most important of which is to improve catching ability by using sticky/tacky surfaces like latex & rubber. Recent advances in latex technology provide different glove surfaces for specific surfaces (e.g. hard ground, artificial turf, natural grass, wet ground, asphalt, etc.) & weather conditions (e.g. sunny, rain, indoor, etc.). Keeper gloves also increase the catching surface due to their size compared to the hands wearing them.
- Some keeper gloves offer protection to fingers from being bent back by hard shots or crushed from being stepped upon.
- Some keeper gloves offer punching surfaces that remain soft and flexible until a fist is made. These punching surfaces are larger than those of fists, and reduce the impact on the hands.
Q: How do I clean and care for my keeper gloves?
A: Your keeper gloves are one of the most important and expensive tools you have, and how long they last & how well they continue to perform is directly impacted by how you care for them.
- Always wash your gloves after EVERY practice and EVERY game. A good idea is to take them in the shower with you and give them a thorough cleaning.
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Wash your gloves (before you wash your body) using a mild, non-abrasive soap that doesn't have conditioners. The same water temperature you like is perfect for your gloves.
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Suds them up, gently rub the foam surfaces to loosen dirt & grime, and rinse thoroughly.
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Try to fill them with water from the wrist opening to force the water out of the foam from the inside of the glove out.
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Gently squeeze the gloves, holding them under the water to continue rinsing until the water draining from them is clear and free of soap bubbles.
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Hang your gloves by their wrist straps in front of an air vent to dry. Be sure to place a towel beneath them to catch excess water that will drip.
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Do not set your gloves in direct sunlight or in the dryer or use a heat source to dry!
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Keep your gloves in a glove bag like the one they came in or purchase a special glove bag if needed. This will help keep them clean and protect them from sharp or rough surfaces in your gear bag.
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Avoid landing on your palms or fingers. Use your closed fists to get up off the ground after diving.
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Most gloves perform better if slightly dampened prior to use. Keep a squirt water bottle with you in the goal to lightly re-apply as needed. You may decide you prefer them completely dry. Adidas, Reusch, Uhlsport and other glove makers offer keeper gloves designed for wet, sloppy days, and the gloves are made to be soaked and stay wet all game. I suggest you squeeze out excess water to prevent them from feeling real heavy.
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Your gloves are like the tires on your car. They are made to wear out! How fast they wear out is dependent upon how you treat them, the quality of their construction, the frequency of their use, and the special application foams used for differing conditions...e.g. hard ground, indoor, wet, snow, sunny, beach, street, etc.
Q: What types of padding should my Goalkeeper wear during practices & games?
A: Great question!
- Shin guards are always required for ALL soccer players at practices & games.
- Knee pads have no place in soccer. Hold your emails until I finish...If your keeper is landing on their knees frequently enough to warrant padding, please check their technique. While there are certainly situations where a keeper ends up on their knees, they don't happen frequently enough to require knee pads. Having said that, frequent landing on or scuffing knees indicates improper technique or poor execution. Now for the "exception"...if you're playing indoor soccer where you're making repetitive saves and technique often suffers, knee pads might be a good idea.
- Wearing a pair of warm-up pants or keeper pants/skids in practice is highly recommended if you're keeper will be practicing diving, sliding, or tackling.
- Keeper pants & "Skids" are great in cold weather, on poor fields, indoor, and some practices. They often include padding on the hips and outer thighs, and some include knee padding and tail bone protection. Some keepers like them on rainy days, while others will tell you they weigh them down once soggy and muddy.
- Chest, Ribs, & Shoulder padding is becoming popular and is available sewn into a few brands of keeper jerseys, or are sold separately by companies such as McDavid's HexPad which provides great protection without the restrictions of typical padding.
- Elbow pads are not required either. Proper technique and execution will prevent most injuries to elbows. The scrapes & "berries" that happen to elbows can be reduced by a long-sleeve jersey. What little padding that is found on most keeper jerseys provides nothing more than the illusion of protection. Many keepers are opting for the freedom and cooler feel of short-sleeved jerseys. Now for the "exception"...if you're playing indoor soccer where you're making repetitive saves and technique often suffers, elbow pads might be a good idea.
- Head-gear is becoming more widely used as our awareness as a sport to brain injuries increases. I'm not suggesting a Steeler's football helmet! But I you have concerns about injuries or have prior head traumas, I would certainly explore a padded head wrap or similar gear. Please consult a physician after a period of unconsciousness, headaches, or confusion suffered after an impact to the head!!
Q: How should my keeper decide which way to dive on a Penalty Kick?
A: "Guessing" which direction the shot is going leaves saving the Penalty Kick purely to chance. If you consider the possible shot targets the shooter has, it makes no sense to guess. Consider that the shot might go at the keeper, lower left "90" (corner), upper left 90, lower right 90, upper right 90, or anywhere in between.
- The most telling part of a shooter's approach and shot is the direction his planting foot points. If the shooter tries to go away from the direction of his planting foot, his hips will "open up" to face the opposite corner.
- The shooter's shoulders are often used to confuse the keeper by faking one way or the other.
- Rarely can a keeper trust where he notices the shooter looking.
- Some shooters change their approach speed or stutter step, while others will change the direction of their approach by starting as though shooting with their left foot, and swerving to adjust for a right-footed shot.
Q: What is the best way for a keeper to distribute the ball?
A: Keepers are the only players who can use both their hands & feet to play the ball while on the field. This only applies to while the keeper & ball are within the Penalty Area. There are several ways for the keeper to distribute the ball to his team mates depending upon the situation and distance the ball must travel.
- "Bowling" or rolling the ball to a nearby player can be the safest way to distribute the ball. It is usually used to maintain possession while bowling the ball when there is no risk of the opposing team intercepting. This is a keeper's first option unless a fast break opportunity exists downfield.
- A foot pass is the second option for the keeper. It involves the keeper quickly placing the ball on the turf and kicking to a team mate. The greater the distance of the pass, the greater the risk. This is typically used for short passes to a defender, and allows them to work the ball forward out of the back.
- A "Javelin" throw is the third option for the keeper. The target range of this throw is from 5-35 yards. It is similar to the way a Quarterback throws a football. The ball is thrown with force, and aimed at a player's feet, chest, or head so as to prevent it from being intercepted. It can also be thrown "leading" the player, as in throwing into a space for the player to run onto.
- An "Over-arm" throw is the fourth option for the keeper. The target range for this throw is 30-50+ yards. It is similar to throwing a grenade where the ball begins behind the keeper and is brought forward with an arching overhead delivery.
- "Punting" is the fifth option for the keeper, and takes a "possession" ball and turns it into a "50-50" ball in which both teams generally have an even chance at receiving it. On occasion, punting is used to start a fast break downfield.
- "Drop-kicks" are not commonly used unless for starting fast breaks. The ball is dropped like a punt, but is allowed to bounce off the ground. As the ball begins to rebound from the ground, the foot strikes the ball. Drop-kicks tend to be the longest distribution option, but also the least favorable in terms of maintaining possession.
Q: My daughter is 13 and in her 3rd year as a keeper. She had 2 fingers fractured last year, and almost had her nose broke this year. She is starting to get a little gun-shy, which is hurting her game. How can she protect herself a little more?
A: At your daughter's age the league, coaches, and referees should be doing everything possible to protect the Keepers including teaching all players what constitutes "possession" and what doesn't. I highly recommend you and all parents explore what their club/league/team are doing to address this topic.
I recently purchased protective headgear from Full 90 for my 13yr. old son after watching him get kicked in the head 4 times during our last indoor season...
without a single foul called by the referees. Don't take that as an attack on referees...they do their best to see everything they can in a very fast-paced game.
I always recommend gloves with "finger-save" protective technology to help prevent fractures.
None of these measures guarantee total safety. In addition to being taught proper goalkeeping technique to help prevent exposure and injury, incorporating the safest technologies of the sport is certainly worth the extra investment.
Email me your questions and I'll post them here if they might help others!