SOCCERPLUS
GOALKEEPER SCHOOL - ARTICLES
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Current Articles Include:
Communication,
Defensive Tactics,
Positioning, Defending
Free Kicks Inside Shooting Range,
Mini Ball and
Medicine Ball Training,
Point Blank,
Evaluating
Goalkeepers,
Four
Ways to Catch A Ball, Stance
and
College Recruiting.
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Check out clips from SoccerPlus Goalkeeper
School DVDs: Goalkeeping: The
DiCicco Method and Tony
DiCicco's other video projects.
READ THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE
KEEPER'S LINE
COMMUNICATION (Added
27 February 2007):
One of the goalkeeper’s
responsibilities is to organize the team defensively during
the course of the game. If this is done effectively the
opposing offense can be stopped from penetrating the defense
and getting any scoring opportunities. Here are some things
to know in order to find success communicating.
DOWNLOAD -
COMMUNICATION
DEFENSIVE TACTICS / TEAM SHAPE / SYSTEMS OF PLAY (Added
27 February 2007):
Preventative goalkeeping skills
deprive the opposition of quality scoring opportunities. The
most effective way to do this is to prevent the opposition
from possessing the ball in your final third. Obviously as a
goalkeeper you are physically limited by the confines of the
goal so you must verbally direct your teammates to perform
the tasks at hand. There are five steps to improve your
preventative goalkeeping skills.
DOWNLOAD -
TACTICS
POSITIONING (Added
9 February 2007):
I coach a girls
high school team and our best keeper is relatively
short (about 4'10"- 5'0"). When the opposing team
is in shooting range (35 yards and in), I teach her
to be on her line or even slightly behind it
(especially when facing a headwind), unless the
attacker has come into the '18' and it is time to
begin cutting the angle without getting chipped. Is
there a better way to teach her positioning relative
to the goal line/shooter's distance?
Thanks,
Patrick Birk
Girls Soccer
Burkburnett HS, TX
Patrick:
Your logic is
good. It’s always going to be more difficult for her being a
short goalkeeper. I would have her sit in more, probably
not all the way back to her goal line, because good players
are going to be able to put shots on frame that are going to
be hard for her to get to laterally. For her to be
successful her footwork is going to have to be fantastic and
she’s going to have to develop excellent jumping ability. At
her age, if she’s not currently doing plyos, I would
certainly consider it. I’m also attaching an article related
to positioning. If her positioning is good, and she has good
mobility, she can still be difficult to beat, but even for
the best goalkeepers in the women’s game, one of the biggest
collective weaknesses is balls played over the top. I hope
this helps. Let me know if you have further questions.
DOWNLOAD -
POSITIONING |
Up Close with Tony DiCicco
Taken from
ussoccerfoundation.org - IN TOUCH - 2006
(Shawn Kelly/ SoccerPlus Camps)
The mission of the U.S.
Soccer Foundation is to “enhance, assist and grow the
sport of soccer in the United States” with a major focus on
developing players, referees and coaches. This month's In
Touch Spotlight subject - Tony DiCicco - certainly knows a
lot about developing players and coaches, and holds both a
U.S. Soccer “A” license and the National
Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Advanced
National Diploma.
Perhaps DiCicco's most
high-profile role is that of head coach for the U.S. Women's
National Team, from 1994 through 1999. Prior to assuming
that role, DiCicco had been one of the team's assistant
coaches, working specifically with the goalkeepers when he
began in 1991. Only the third coach in team history, DiCicco
lost just eight times as head coach of the USWNT, amassing
an incredible 103-8-8 record and establishing the best
winning percentage in U.S. Soccer history, .899!
When asked what has been the
most rewarding moment of his life in soccer he replied,
“That is tough, because there have been so many, on
different levels. Obviously, winning an Olympic Gold Medal
and a World Cup, especially with that particular group of
athletes, was phenomenal. But I coach a lot of kids, U12
girls, U16 boys, and these kids teach you so much. Coaching
is pretty special at the international level, but the heart
of the champion isn't always reserved for the top
international players, and I really see that heart in some
of these kids.”
(Shawn Kelly/ SoccerPlus Camps)
That said, DiCicco did add
that his most memorable moment, not surprisingly, “is
shared, with the Olympic Gold Medal game, and the 1999 World
Cup, the greatest women's sporting event ever, winning in
front of 90,000 at the Rose Bowl.” He is pleased with the
HBO Documentary “Dare to Dream” which encapsulates 17 years
of the women's national team program into 77 minutes and, as
DiCicco said, “memorialized those players and what they
accomplished.”
But, as DiCicco had pointed
out, he doesn't just coach at the international level. He
founded Soccer Plus Goalkeeper
Schools in 1981, which has expanded to include Soccer Plus
Field Player Academies and operates camps nationwide. He
regularly conducts camps and seminars for the NSCAA, for
whom he has served as goalkeeper specialist.
(Shawn Kelly/ SoccerPlus Camps)
In fact, when In Touch
first tried to reach Tony DiCicco for an interview, he was
in one of his soccer camps - and when we did catch up with
him, he was at the airport, en route from one of his camps
in Vermont to a tournament at the University of Akron, where
he would be speaking to high school players and coaches. He
conducts camps all summer long, runs workshops for coaches,
and does work through NSCAA, as one of the national academy
staff coaches.
What advice does he offer
young players? “Well, number one is, enjoy the game, love
the game and have fun. And sometimes, the parents push a
little too hard, which isn't good. If the kids love the
game, they're going to play, so we should not push too hard.
This game is easy to fall in love with, but people do it at
their own pace and in their own time.”
Lastly, DiCicco discussed
the National
Training Center at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA,
saying, “It's a fantastic facility…now we need one on the
east coast! It is one of the great steps that U.S. Soccer
has made in the last decade.”
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SETTING A WALL FOR A
DIRECT KICK INSIDE SHOOTING RANGE (Added
16 November 2006):
How would you
position a wall for a direct kick that is about 20 yards
out: dead center to the goal? Is it best to have a split
wall with the goalie protecting the middle or an offset wall
leaving the goalie to protect one side?
This is a great question. You
are always going to position your wall to the near post
(if the kick is dead center you can pick either post).
Generally, you’re going to want 4-6 players in the wall
for a free kick from that range, depending on the level
that you’re at and where along the 18 the free kick is.
Obviously you need fewer players as you get closer to
the touch line and more as the kick is more central. You
want to set the wall so the post, the second player’s
head and the ball are all in a line. You also want the
tallest player on the outside of the wall and then
funnel down to the shortest player being on the
Goalkeeper’s side. Then I also like to have a blocker
lined up with the back post, at ten yards from the ball.
The Goalkeeper’s position is slightly off his/her ball
line (the line between the ball and the center of the
goal) to the side the wall is not protecting; he/she is
also about 1-2 yards off their line. The logic being
that if they play the ball over the wall it’s not likely
to be driven because they need to get it over the wall
and then to drop underneath the bar, so the goalkeeper
should have more time to get to any ball played to that
side of the goal.
This is something that needs
to be taught and then imprinted in your team; so while
the Goalkeeper is responsible for setting the wall, the
team should be able to do much of the work on their own,
having the Goalkeeper just checking the wall and making
a minor adjustments. Another way to help the Goalkeeper
is to designate one of the forwards to help set the
wall.
POINT
BLANK (Added 10 October 2006):
SoccerPlus,
Do you have some ideas for how I can work with a male keeper who
makes great saves technically on shots but anything in close or
point blank he goes feet first and falls back towards the goal.
A lot of times he is not even getting a hand on the ball. He had
this habit last year on some shots further out where he would
kick his feet out to save rather than going down with his hands
first. I do not know if it is a fear issue of facing something
point blank where the player may be just trying to blast it past
him or what.
This year it is limited to close
up or rebound shots where it is coming at him hard from 2-6
yards away. I am at a loss as to why he is doing this. He has no
problem laying out full extension for stuff. This is a weak area
for him and I want to see if I can correct this before we get
back into playoffs and the tough schedule again.
Kendal Bauman
EMHS Varsity Soccer Coach
Harrisonbury, Virginia
Kendal:
When dealing with point blank
shots, what we are stressing is not making saves, but having
a good shape. You are going to get scored on by shots from
2-6 yards away, but the goal is to give yourself the best
possible chance to make saves. The first problem may be his
set position. If he’s setting backwards, it’s likely that
he’s going to be falling backwards and resort to kicking his
feet out. So what he needs to remember is keep his nose
above his toes. Shoulders should be rolled forward not
backwards
and he should be balanced.
Once his set position is solid,
the goal is to get him to recognize the situation and get an
appropriate response to the shot. Depending on the
situation, there are two thoughts that we utilize, first,
“Make Yourself Big.” Here you’re simply looking to get hit
with the ball. The other option is, when you can reach the
ball at the same time as the striker you can try to smother
the ball. When you’re smothering you can commit
your hands to the ball and take the impact of the shot
through your forearms. You are not trying to catch.
Regardless of which method you
are trying to utilize, this is a mentality save. There’s no
question about it. You need to be brave. Start by putting
him in situations where he may need to make point blank
saves that aren’t being blasted at him. This will give him
confidence and allow him to develop his shape. Then
hopefully, when it happens in a game, he’s prepared to make
this save regardless of how hard it’s struck.
The last thing I’d say is that it doesn’t particularly
matter if he’s making saves with his feet, if he’s keeping
his shape and making saves. But my suspicion is that he’s
turning his head (which turns his entire torso) and makes
him small, very unlikely that he’s going to get hit with the
ball. DOWNLOAD-POINT
BLANK
EVALUATING GOALKEEPERS (Added 10 July 2006): Tryout time is
upon us once again. So the SPGS Staff offer you a breakdown of how
coaches evaluate goalkeepers in the four different dimensions:
technical, tactical, physical and psychological.
DOWNLOAD-EVALUATING
GOALKEEPERS
FOUR WAYS TO CATCH A BALL
(Added 10 July 2006): At SoccerPlus Goalkeeper School we teach four
ways to catch a ball: basket catch, contour catch, side contour
and high contour. This article is a look at each of those
four catching positions.
DOWNLOAD-FOUR WAYS TO CATCH A BALL
GOALKEEPER'S STANCE (Added 10
July 2006): The Goalkeeper's stance is among the most important
things to learn. Learning the proper stance will immediately improve
the Goalkeeper's ability to make saves by making them more mobile
and preparing them for other Goalkeeper specific movements.
DOWNLOAD-STANCE
COLLEGE - VISITING AND QUESTIONS (Added 14
August 2006): We know the college process can be daunting. One of
the best things you can do to help you through the process is to
visit several colleges and universities. This article will help you
as you take college visits and try to figure out what questions to
ask coaches.
DOWNLOAD-COLLEGE
VISITING AND QUESTIONS
COLLEGE - VIDEOS (Added 14
August 2006): Many college coaches will ask you to send a video.
This article by Tracy Ducar, former National Team Goalkeeper and
SoccerPlus Goalkeeper School Director, addresses some things to
consider when putting together and sending a video to college
coaches.
DOWNLOAD-COLLEGE
VIDEOS |
