Five keys to goalkeeping success

Phil Brance, coach and head administrator at the Southern California Keeper Academy in Mission Viejo, recently gave an interview with the Orange County Registrar, a newspaper in Southern California. His Keeper Academy provides private coaching for players of all ages and specializes in goalkeeping. In the interview, Brance outlined the five keys that every goalkeeper should follow for success at practice and during games.

·  Preparation

"Goalkeeping can become boring, if you let it," explains Brance. To combat the boredom that can begin while the ball is in play on the opposite side of the field, goalkeepers should be constantly preparing for the ball to come back to their side. "Instead of standing," explains Brance, "the goalkeeper can use that time to analyze the opposing team, their characteristics, what foot a particular player prefers, and how the marking assignments are working out. The mental preparation
makes the job a lot easier when the ball returns to his or her end of the field."

·  Attitude

Brance lists a confident attitude as one of the most important qualities a goalkeeper can exhibit. Many keepers will give up after letting a goal in the net. Strong keepers are separated from weaker keepers when they pick themselves up and stay confident after the opposing team scores a goal on them. "It is important to acknowledge a mistake, learn from it, and move on," says Brance.

·  Communication

Goalkeepers must understand that each of their teammates and coaches will communicate in a different way. Some players may prefer orders, others may prefer suggestions. Using the wrong form of communication can result in a "communication breakdown." Brance advises that the goalkeeper meet with his or her defenders and talk about how they should communicate during games. The goalkeeper, because of their position looking out over the field of play, is in a unique position to run the defense and should feel comfortable doing so. Using correct communication methods can help the goalkeeper communicate well with the defenders.

Communication is also key when it comes to a coach communicating with his or her players. A coach must remember to adjust his speech to account for age, gender, and lifestyle differences among the players.

·  Anticipation

"As a goalkeeper, you prepare, anticipate, and react," says Brance. Anticipation follows the Preparation technique outlined above. After the goalkeeper has observed the opposing team, he or she must come up with different scenarios of what the team may or may not do when they come down the field.

·  Positioning

The goalkeeper must envision a triangle shape as the ball is heading towards the direction of the goal. The ball is always the apex of a triangle with the goal line; the angles of the triangle will vary as the ball moves to different spots around the goal. The goalkeeper must position himself or herself to cover both "angles" of the triangle as the ball moves and time their jumps for air balls in this fashion.

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