Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s topic deals with concentrating on the “easy” saves.
Normally when we speak about making the goal smaller we are referring to cutting off the angle.
In this case, it’s not about cutting off the angle but rather concentrating on a smaller area.
The point here is to have the keeper concentrate on not letting the easy ball in. To start, have a keeper in goal, a shooter on the 18 (different angles would work) and two cones each 2 yards in from the goal posts.
The shooter tries to score but must score inside the two cones. This means the keeper only has 4 yards to worry about. The logic here is that a shot into an upper corner is something the keeper might not be able to save but something within the middle 4 yards MUST be saved.
After doing this for awhile, move each cone one yard closer to the posts. Now, the keeper must protect 6 yards instead of the original 4 (or the real 8).
Slowly slide the cones closer and closer to the posts but emphasize the importance of saving the balls that should be saved. The shot to the upper corner would be looked upon as a bonus to save.
As a coach, I don’t like any goals being scored against us but I can handle the great shot that beat the keeper. It’s the shot that should have been saved that isn’t which I find intolerable.
Start with the smaller goal, slowly make the goal bigger and see how the keepers handle this
Have a great day!
Lawrence
