Taking a penalty shot is a demanding task. It takes courage, skill and practice. Most importantly, a good penalty shooter requires the ability to control their nerves.
Iker Casillas is one of the best goalies in the game today. Not only is…
Goalie’s not only have to guard their net, but the penalty area as well. The penalty area is the one area on the filed where one player has an advantage over all other players — that being that the goalie can use his/her hands. With this advantage come responsibility. Goalie’s must develop the role of an army general and control the area.
There are two main reasons why a wall is created in soccer:
- Create an obstacle for your opponent who is trying to shoot/cross
- Aid your goalie who has a large net to cover
One of my biggest frustrations is when players pass the ball in the air when they could have given it to my feet. The point of a pass isn’t to just get me the ball, the point of the pass is to get me the ball to my feet so that I can make a quick decision without having to worry about bringing the ball under control first.
About 8 years ago, my soccer team traveled to Europe for a soccer tournament. We had an abundance of players that were aspiring to make an impression on the local European scouts.
Part of our experience, while in Amsterdam, Holland, included a 3 hour training session with one of the most respected Dutch coaches in the area. As we approached the training facility, we were blown away.
Different goalies look for different tells when trying to stop a penalty shot. Some watch the ball, some watch the player and others just guess. Although, in the end, every time you try to stop a penalty shot you are guessing which way to dive (or not dive), there are certain things to look for that can help you make an educated guess.
Mistakes happen, they’re inevitable. The important thing is to learn from them. You want to make sure that they never happen again…or at least decrease the likelihood that they re-surface. For this blog I would like to demonstrate how a lapse in concentration can lead to a big mistake – a game changing mistake.
I once read an article in a local newspaper about a talented young soccer player who was only fourteen years old. He was asked where he’d like to play in Europe and the boy said either Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon. The truth is that this boy was serious.
In a previous blog I talked about natural goal scorers and some of the characteristics they have on the soccer field. I made a point to distinguish the difference between a natural goal scorer and a clinical goal scorer. In this blog I would like to talk about the characteristics of clinical goal scorer and how you – with practice – can become a clinical goal scorer yourself.
“What kind of a goalkeeper is the one who is not tormented by the goal he has allowed? He must be tormented! And if he is calm, that means the end. No matter what he had in the past, he has no future.” – Lev Yashin
So often while watching a game you take for granted the goalie’s importance on the field. He is usually overshadowed by flashier players running up and down the field. The only time he is recognized is when he makes a great save, or alternatively, when he lets one in. A goalie isn’t recognized for everything else he does while everyone else’s focus is on the ball. A great goalie is a general, a chess master, and an acrobatic all wrapped into one. Lev Yashin is arguably the greatest goalkeeper in soccer history. In his entire twenty-two years with Dynamo Moscow, The Black Spider (as he was known as) saved more than 150 penalties. That’s more than any other professional player. It is also the reason the award for best goalkeeper in a World Cup bears his name.
On-field communication is one of the most important parts aspects of the game of soccer yet it isn’t always stressed within teams. When the topic of communication is mentioned, hardly ever does the team go into specificity. Below are some tips that can help with on-field communication in the game of soccer.