ESTABLISHING RANGE

Goalkeepers who intend to catch crosses must know their range. Keepers and their teammates must have a good sense of how far off the goal line the keeper can catch crosses. This enables the keeper and the defenders to coordinate their play. The greater the keeper’s range, the higher up the defenders can play away from the goal. When the defenders play higher up, this allows the team to apply more pressure to the ball and makes the defense more difficult to play against.

Range will be established through trial and error. Young keepers should be encouraged to come out for any ball that they think they can reach. Even at the younger levels, keepers should rule the goal area. They will soon realize what balls they are capable of getting to and what balls should be left for defenders.

Keepers should push their limits in practice from time to time as they progress in order to see how far they are capable of coming out to successfully intercept crosses.

Physical and psychological factors will help determine the range of the keeper.

Height, strength, athleticism, and speed are advantageous. A tall, strong, athletic keeper with a good vertical jump and quick footwork should have the ability to catch crosses 6 to 12 yards off the line and in traffic.

The mind-set of the keeper is also very important in establishing range. To achieve their full range, keepers must be aggressive and must not worry about failure. Keepers who are worried about making mistakes coming off the line will play too cautiously and will force their team to defend deep into its penalty box.

The keeper must also be mentally prepared for contact and physical confrontations when coming out for crosses. Determination, bravery, and confidence will help keepers win these duels. Each win will strengthen the keeper’s mindset and intimidate the opponent into serving balls farther away from the goal, reducing or eliminating direct scoring chances off crosses.

Coaches should remind their keepers that, because they can use their hands, they have an advantage over the attackers when fighting for the ball. Keepers should develop a territorial mind-set: This is my area!