By Wayne Henderson -
The last contact you have with your ‘keeper before kick-off will be the pre match warm-up, which is the final, but vital part of the coaches’ working week. It is not a coaching session, but it is a chance to give the goalkeeper confidence to deliver a performance in the upcoming game.
For experienced goalkeepers their pre-match warm up should be a very personal aspect of their game, everyone’s warm-up has the opportunity to be different and unique, but whilst still incorporating many of the same aspects as other Goalkeeper’s warm-up’s.
The more experienced keepers will be settled and happy with most of the content, order and timings of their pre-match routine, although they may adapt it slightly depending on conditions, opposition or varying confidence levels regarding certain aspects of their game. I.e. if your goalkeeper has been struggling with cross balls, he/she may like to do a couple extra in the warm-up in order to give them a little more confidence going into the game.
Younger Goalkeepers, on the other hand may need a bit of help constructing their pre-match routine.
Things to take into account when doing this are
- You are trying to replicate the challenges that lie ahead in the next 90 minutes or more.
- It should involve technical, tactical, physical and mental aspects of the game
- The warm-up gives you a chance to emphasise the points you have worked on all week.
Most Pre match routines I have seen follow some variations of the same components.
Most Warm-ups contain some of, if not all the following:
6-10 volleys (from area 1 on figure1). Good for hand – eye co-ordination and building confidence.
½ volleys (normally from area 1 or area 2),
Strikes from hand or ground (between both number 3 markers, to bring in a positional aspect to the warm-up.
Shots from a wider angled position can be taken, with varying distance and pace on the ball. You can also add different types of strikes i.e. dipping shots, shots that bounce just before reaching the keeper etc.
Normally later on in the warm-up, dealing with cross balls is brought in. Delivering crosses from different positions is helpful in giving the goalkeeper a greater variation of cross balls.
I like to finish off with distribution.
Starting with short passes, progressing on to longer passes, (starting in area 1, and increasing the distance of pass to areas 2 and 3) Incorporating, if possible the use of both feet to distribute, and using both kicks from hand and striking balls from the floor. It’s also beneficial to take into account where the goalkeeper will be looking to pass to in the game. If the keeper is likely to play a greater percentage of passes to one area of the pitch i.e. a preferred full back, or a tall striker, this would definitely be something I would add to the warm-up; this may be one aspect of the warm-up that may vary, depending on the opposition or your team’s tactics.
Quite a few Goalkeepers I know like to start with passing and distribution – It is important to add, there is no right or wrong way to structure your pre-game warm-up, as stated earlier, a warm-up is a very personal thing, especially when it comes to which order things are carried out in.
After all the on-pitch work has been carried out the last pieces of information can be given in the changing room to the goalkeeper verbally and visually i.e. by ipad, computer or printed sheets, this will normally consist of refreshing the information given during the training week, i.e. the oppositions attacking patterns of play, corner kicks, free kicks and which foot strikers prefer to finish with.
By Wayne Henderson
