Goalkeeping Training Tips by Fred Barber

Over the coming weeks and months Fred Barber will be offering an insight into some of the goalkeeping tips he gives his Premiership, Championship, League and International goalkeepers.

Goalkeeping Tip 1 - Never Give Up

Treat every shot as the first, a goalkeeper should always remember to never give up on a shot at goal, being focused and switched on will always lead to a result.

This is especially true where deflections or breakaways are concerned. The goalkeeper that is ready to spring to their feet and try again just might get a chance to make another save. Always remember that the outfield player taking the shot is just as likely to make a mistake as the goalkeeper, and the goalkeeper should always be ready to take advantage of the opponent's mistakes.

Goalkeeping Tip 2 - Dexterity & Ball Control

Basic handling is the foundation to being a good goalkeeper.

The ability to catch the ball whereever it is in relation to your body is imperative to a goalkeeper if you are to prevent goals going in, it's really as simple as this.

To offer greater insurance against conceding goals try and keep your body behind the ball as well as your hands, if you miss with your hands the frame of your body can also deflect the shot, without it there is a greater chance of conceeding a goal.

How many times have you seen shots go through goalkeepers legs and open arms, just think how many more clean sheets or wins these teams would have if the goalkeeper had the insurance of their frame behing their gloves?

Remember keep your body behind your hands as well when making saves, it will greatly improve your shot stopping!

It's something that all coaches should work on with young goalkeepers.

Goalkeeping Tip 3 - Do Your Job as a Shot Stopper

With the advent of fast moving lighter footballs, goalkeepers need to be able to deflect balls away from goal as well as being able to catch them.

Modern footballs move much quicker and in an unpredictable fashion than they ever have before, so all goalkeepers need to be able to judge when they should be punching or deflecting the ball away from the goal mouth and when to catch the ball.

The best place to push the ball is right or left wide of the goal, behind the six-yard line. Knowing when to catch the ball and when to deflect seperates the good goalkeepers from the best goalkeepers.

How many times have you seen a goalkeeper try and catch a ball only to fumble it and drop it at the feet of the opposition? Or how many times have you seen a goalkeeper punch a ball straight to the opposition when it would have been easier and safer to catch the ball?

Making the right decision tends to be the difference between stopping or setting up a goal scoring opportunity.

Goalkeeping Tip 4 - Dont forget to put in the leg work

Now more than ever, modern day goalkeepers need to be able to pass the football accurately and upto 70 yards. Goalkeepers need to be able to control the ball with their feet under pressure from a backpass. The best goalkeepers either do not panick in this situation and play the safe pass to a team mate, or they pass the ball 70 yards down the pitch accuretly to a team mate.

Developing ball control takes time and patience, but good ball control is key to developing a good all round goalkeeper. You could be the best shot stopper in the world but if you can't distribute the ball to your team mates accurately you are no longer an asset.

A modern day goalkeeper probably has the ball at his feet more than he does in his hands over the course of a 90 minute game.

So it's important, even at a young age, that goalkeepers work with the ball at their feet so they are comfortable controlling the ball or striking it.

That's whether they are kicking it 20 yards like youngsters or up to 70 yards at the highest level.

Goalkeeping Tip 5 - Communication is Key

Communication is a key for every player on the football field, and this is especially so for the goalkeeper. Once the keeper has made a decision, the defenders need to know what it is, hesitation or uncertaintly leads to mistakes and usually conceeded goals. The goalkeeper has the best view of the game and as such must organise the players in front him/her and make them aware of his/her actions.

The keeper should know at least these two basic calls:

• "Keeper!": this means the goalkeeper is about to take control of the ball, defenders should get out of the way.
• "Away!": this means the opposite - the goalkeeper is not going after the ball and the defense should pursue it. It is usually used for crosses or corners.

The keeper must yell these commands loudly and repeat them if necessary. There must be no doubt in anyone's mind who's ball it is! This even includes the opposing team - forwards will sometimes back off if they think the keeper is coming hard, especially if the keeper is much bigger!

The goalkeeper should also direct traffic and position defenders on the field. Don't expect a lot of this to occur with young keepers, especially those who don't play in goal full time, but with experience a 14 or 15 year old full-time goalkeeper should be able to scan the field and then set the defense as necessary. To do this, the keeper must be a student of the game - they must know:

• The defensive scheme used by the team and how the coach wants the defenders to play
• Tendencies and strengths of the opposing team and opposing players
• The role of central defenders, sweepers, wing backs to make adjustments on the fly
• The role of midfield, wingers and forwards to help anticipate how the attack may develop

In short, they must try and be a second coach out on the football field. This is a huge undertaking for a youth football player, but here are a few points that will help develop this.

• Be loud and repetitive. It can be hard to hear out on the field, especially for someone on the ball with their head down. Make sure the message gets through.
• Be specific with commands. Yelling "Mark up!" or "Who's on #10?" often isn't enough - tell specific players what to do ("Terry, mark #10" OR "Terry, mark Rooney!").
• Work from the ball outwards. The keeper should focus on the ball carrier first, and arrange defenders near the ball first. When danger is less imminent, set the defenders who are further away.
• Arrange to get feedback from defenders. It can be eye contact, a wave of the hand, a verbal okay, but have defenders let the goalkeeper know they were heard. The goalkeeper will be able to shift focus knowing the defender is set, and the defender won't have the keeper yelling at them for something they already heard.
• If they keeper does not call, the defenders must take responsibility.The defense should never assume the keeper has a ball unless the keeper calls for it; they should go for the ball unless they hear otherwise. A few collisions with their own defense in practice should quickly teach a quiet keeper the value of calling loudly for the ball!

Communication between the goalkeeper and defenders is the key to making the defense function as a unit.

Goalkeeping Tip 6 - Know when to move

Inexperienced goalkeepers struggle with trying to decide when to come off their line. This is certainly a difficult decision to make, since it depends on both the situation on the field - the attacker's speed and ability, the positions of other players on both attack and defense - and the goalkeeper's ability and confidence.

The decision will be made a little easier if the goalkeeper starts from a good position. Generally the position of the keeper in the penalty area should match the position of the ball on the football field. If the ball is in the attacking third, the keeper should be in the front third of the penalty area; ball at midfield, keeper about 6-12 yards out, ball in the defensive end, keeper close to their line. If the keeper is young and small, or the opposing team like to shoot long, high looping shots, adjust the position back towards the goal a few yards.

Position from the middle to the top of the penalty area helps the goalkeeper get to long through balls more quickly (even intercepting and clearing them outside the area if necessary), and also puts the goalkeeper in the play for use as an outlet for a defender under pressure. Even when they are back, the goalkeeper should stay a minimum of 1-2 yards off the goal line to maintain some angle. A common mistake is for the goalkeeper to stay rooted on the line, this not only concedes the best part of the penalty area to the attacking team, but also gives them the most net to shoot at when they decide to.

"When should I come out?" It's more of "how" rather than "when". Timing is key especially when closing down an attack but most importantly is how you come out, the goalkeeper should be forceful and decisive. This is not just for counterattacks, but applies to any attempt at the ball (handling crosses, long through balls, etc).

The goalkeeper should:

• Pick a moment when they have a clear shot at the ball
• Be forceful and decisive in attacking the ball without being hesitant or stopping
• Slow down just as they reach the attacker, leaving a couple of arms lengths of space as a cushion in which to block potential shots

The second item here is key. Many a goal has been scored because the goalkeeper was indecisive and got caught in "no-man's land", neither attacking the ball or being in good shot-stopping position. When the goalkeeper decides they're going for the ball, they must go through with it; they must at least make some contact with the ball. Once the goalkeeper gets near the ball, they must slow down and leave some space to prevent being rounded by the attacker.

Never start a run by backing up. Goalkeepers should check the posts, look around at the situation, wait for the right moment, but the goalkeeper should do all of this while on their toes and ready to move forward. (Any backpedalling should have been done previously, well before the goalkeeper's charge.

Young and inexperienced goalkeepers may lack the confidence to come hard on a breakaway or out for a high cross. Build confidence by first using proper techniques, and slowly build into game situations - no pressure, then light pressure, then heavy traffic. A goalkeeper who is confident in their footwork, catching ability, and other techniques will have less to worry about when the time comes to be aggressive.

Goalkeeping Tip 7 - Diving is for the desperate

Younger and inexperienced goalkeepers often wonder when they should dive. The answer is, "almost never". A good goalkeeper minimises the need to dive by being in a good position, aggressively sweeping up loose balls, and challenging attackers. A dive should only be used as a last resort, and always after the shot has been taken. The keeper should stay on their feet as long as possible - once they've dived, they're committed and can't change their mind if the attacker does something else. A dive is the ultimate and desperate reaction to a shot, it should only be used in ultimate and desperate situations.

An example of a goalkeeper that stayed on his feet and made himself big until really necessary was Peter Schmichael of Manchester United. The number of goals saved by not diving too early, minimising the shooting angle must have been in the hundreds, a shining example of how to do it.

A dive is the ultimate and desperate reaction to a shot, it should only be used in ultimate and desperate situations.

Finally and most importantly, there is no substitute for practice, get out there and practice, practice, practice!