Soccer Goalie: Teaching the Goal Keeping Skills

A skillful soccer goalie in your team can make a huge difference in winning or losing games. The position of the goalie is the dichotomy of the team. It can be both fun and exciting. Unlike the rest of the players, the ultimate goal of the goalie is to stop scores.

Therefore, an expert coach knows that it becomes sometime necessary to offer some consolation and praise to the goalie to retain his self-esteem. Here go some valuable tips.

Pulling The Ball Tightly Into The Body

Train the goalie in a way that he should pull the ball tightly into the body when catching the ball. If you are coaching the team of younger players, it is always a great idea to teach them to cuddle the ball on the ground and keep their body in front of the ball.

This way, the shins, knees and feet will also help stop the ball. This method carries bucketful of advantages. For example, the number of injured hands and fingers by over ambitious opponents will be significantly reduced.

Handling The Ball Effectively

When it comes to handling the ball effectively, you should teach the young goalie to use two hand positions, the W and the Heart. Keep your watchful eyes open and observe the activities the goalie. If they are trying to trap the ball between their hands like catching a fly, rather than having the ball meet their hands, stop them from doing so and tell them the right way.

W Is Best Used For The Youngest Goalies

If the goalie is very young, the W is the best for him. This does not allow their hands to become as big as possible but at the same time, it also keeps them from doing the flytrap. Teach them to form the W by placing the tip of their thumbs together, with their palms toward the ball and fingers pointing upwards.

What is more, one of the required skills for each and every soccer goalie is their ability to move quickly side-to-side and general quickness.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of soccer goalie. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.