By : Alan H Robinson
The theory behind being a great soccer goalie is very simple. All you have to do is put some part of your body between the ball and the goal as quickly as possible. To that end there are two time related elements involved in saving a penalty shot or any shot for that matter. The first is the time it takes to visually find the ball in the air. The second involves the time it takes for the mind to compute the direction of the shot and for the body to react in whatever manner it has been trained. Shortening either of these response times will raise your chances of making the save. Below are two tips and a drill that, if practiced, will raise your chances of saving more penalty shots.
Crouch lower. If you are a goalie that stands upright before a penalty shot, you are using up valuable time bending your knees before you can dive for the ball. When defending a penalty shot, bend your knees as low as comfortable before the shot is taken. You will be in better position to handle a low ball and you will already be in position to dive if required.
Concentrate only on the ball. Trying to "guess" where the penalty shot is going by watching the shooter's eyes, hips, plant foot etc. will work sometimes. However, even if you guess the correct side, you still have to wait and see if the shot is going low or high. A better technique is to start focusing completely on the ball and shutting out everything else. Baseball players are taught to find the ball just as it leaves the pitcher's hand and football receivers are taught to follow the flight of the ball all the way into their hands. The good soccer goalie should learn to do the same thing. Practice concentrating completely on the ball and follow it's path from the shooter's foot into your hands. Over time, your mind will start to calculate the direction of the shot almost instantly and you will begin to react to the shot much faster. Incorporating this technique into your arsenal will improve your chances of moving to the exact place where the shot is going instead of just diving in one direction or another and trusting to luck.
Tennis ball drill. I was introduced to this drill by one of my first coaches who had been a soccer goalie his entire career. Do this drill once every practice and you will improve your ability to pick up the ball in flight and react accordingly. The drill is incredibly simple. Just get a bucket of tennis balls and have someone stand about 2 to 3 yards farther out than the penalty spot. Have them throw the balls close in to begin with then progressively further out to the side. The balls should be thrown fast - not just lobbed. Alternate sides. Throw a ball to one side and when you are back on your feet immediately have the ball thrown to the other side. Try to make the save the same as you would with a soccer ball. When you can visually find the ball as soon as it leaves the thrower's hand and follow it all the way into your hands then a size 6 soccer ball will start to look huge.
You can start being a better soccer goalie now. Good soccer goalie coaches are hard to find and goalkeepers usually have to just figure out the position on their own. However, there are great goalkeeper training DVDs and equipment available. Review this article then go to http://www.soccergoalkeeper.info to find a great selection of equipment and videos that will help you be a much better soccer goalie.