Getting Feedback

Provided their egos can handle peer criticism, goalkeepers can get valuable input from their teammates, as well as their

• What do you notice about my goalkeeping, positive or negative?
• What am I giving up?
• What am I not giving up?
• How difficult am I to beat?
• Where do you aim to give yourself the best chance of scoring on me?

Keepers should also talk with their coaches about the sport and players as much as possible. Watching game footage together and analyzing play are an excellent way to develop a feel for the game and to comprehend the various ways that attackers try to beat goalkeepers.

Writing It Down

Goalkeepers should have a notebook in which they log information about their play in games and their practice routines. A good old-fashioned paper notebook works just fine, but this can be done on the computer as well.

VIDEO TESTING

Show your goalkeepers some video of the buildup to an attack during a game they haven’t seen yet. Pause the action right before the attacker is faced with a critical decision. For example, a player dribbles past a wide midfielder, has one defender to beat, and has the option to shoot, cross, or take on another defender.

With the action paused, ask the keepers to identify three choices the attacker has and to list these choices as (1) most logical, (2) somewhat likely, and (3) least likely.

This exercise helps keepers recognize how plays can unfold. Of course, soccer is an unpredictable game, and the most brilliant players are capable of pulling off surprise moves with success. But by watching the game like this, keepers exercise their minds to prepare for all the options. Doing so in off-field exercises helps them bring confidence to the field