So I got lured into being a goalkeeper in a Sunday men's league. Though I'm new to soccer, I've been a roller hockey goalie (A and B league level) for nearly 10 years; I know the two are way different, and I could use a few tips on tactics, positioning, equipment and anything else you guys can think of. Thanks!
IMHO the most important part of goal keeping is cutting off the angles. So my advice is to take a few steps forward off the line( perhaps 5 yards). For a reference the top of the goal area is 6 yards away from the goal line, so position yourself about a yard from that line. This will help cut off the angles and make you appear "bigger".
hit the strikers, don't let them hit you. make yourself big in the goal and pray that your defence keeps the ball away from you!
equipment: they may be required in your league anyway, but you should definitely get and wear some shinguards. i've seen some nasty collisions, and it would be foolish not to wear them. if you go to a sporting goods or a soccer store, you can pick up an inexpensive pair of goalie gloves. these will help to take a little "sting" out of the ball on strong shots, and generally make it easier to catch the ball. if you go to a soccer store, you'll see that the prices on these things can be astronomical. since you're just getting started, don't spend a lot (maybe $20). they'll deteriorate faster, but this is the way to go. if you have knee pads or elbow pads, it doesn't hurt to wear them, but i wouldn't be spending a lot on that kind of stuff until you make a bigger commitment (i.e., there are jerseys with pads in the elbows, but a long sleeve shirt works just fine in most cases). skills and tactics: review above post about coming off line and cutting off angle. imagine their is a rope between you and the center of the goal and then try to keep yourself between the shooter and that center point. your non-soccer goaltraining should assist you some in dealing with the situation of having a possible shooter/passer on the right side and having to cut off his angle, but also being aware of the other forward waiting in front of the goal. maybe shade on your line toward the center a little, but one of the golden rules is never to give up the goal on the near post so make sure you take care of the player with the ball first. be very loud. this may seem odd since you are the one new to the game, but since you are the one in the back, the entire field is in front of you. if you see a player open (especially in front of the goal), you have to be screaming for someone to come mark him. when catching the ball at your chest or higher, we generally say to put your hands in the form of a W. the two thumbs are touching or almost touching, and then the rest of the fingers are spread out. if you look at it, it looks like a W. done correctly, it gives support behind and on the side of the ball to make the ball more catchable. once you catch it, you have 6 second to get rid of it. you'll probably want to use those 6 seconds to move to the top of the penalty area (the larger box)and then to punt the ball. but, if you have a player open, don't be afraid to roll or throw the ball out to him. (rolling is better in the sense of avoiding bad bounces and making it easier to control the ball). lastly, keep in mind you don't have to catch everything to be effective. sometimes punching, or even deflecting, a ball is better than trying to catch it and then dropping it at the feet of a waiting opponent. use your judgment, but if you have any concern about whether you will be able to catch it, it's probably best to punch it. there's a world to learn about diving, but that's for another day. good luck.
come out, cut down the angle, dont be scared of the ball. and try to stop everything on goal, even if you dont think you can get it. you'd be suprised how much you can.
And remember that your the most pretected player on the field. Once you have the ball no one can touch you, so use that when someone is sprinting down the field. I always liked that Goalie shirt that says, Last line of Defence, First line of Offense. "Soccer is not about life or death, but something more"
When is comes to cutting angles, there is no definite number of yards you should come out. Just keep this in consideration, you want to cut the angle down on the shot, but at the same time you want to have the time to react to the shot.
very true. i just got a red for that reason. sprinted my butt of down the field, goalie only gets there a bit before i do, i leveled the goalie in the course of the play, and the man in charge showed me a red. had it been a field player - maybe a yellow. use your protection, but heres a tip for a bit more. if a player is sprinting down and is going to hit you, put your elbow up and out. you wont get called for it and it'll deck the opponent, and keep you safe. btw, i hate the protection goalies get. i think its a load of BS that one player can use their hands but be protected more than one who cant.
I've got no objection to teaching a goalie how to protect himself, but this is nonsense. It's correct that the goalie probably won't get called for a play like this (although the consequence is a penalty kick so it's somewhat risky). But why on earth would you suggest to someone new to the game that they learn sneaky ways to take cheapshots? In my experience, the players resorting to these kinds of tactics are the ones who can't cut it otherwise.
you dont use it as a cheapshot, you use it as protective defense. lets say you pick up the ball, and your just standing there looking for someone, and you see a forward whose aimed to kill you. you put your elbow in front of you, in time for the forward to see it. much of the time the forward will turn away, and it they still come for you, instead of you getting a concussion youre fine. not like you sneak it up right when theyre about to hit you.
...chances are if I see him coming for me I could just move out of the way. If it's really close, then I just collect the ball, and tuck myself and fall on the ball. Whenever a keeper collects the ball, he shouldn't just stand there picking his arse
This is just general knowledge...but watching newbies makes me go crazy. In order to be a successfull keeper remember the following 1) Never ever EVER go on the ground unless you are more than 100% positive you are going to get the ball. If you go down like most goalies do whilest getting the ball, and you give up a rebound (which it will happen sometime), you will be screwed. Stay on your feet the majority of the game. 2) watch the ball into your hands. People say it over and over and nobody ever does it, but its amazingly simple. Its easier to watch it into your hands and know you have it rather than assuming you do and making a dumb mistake. 3) This is kind of like 1 but position yourself well so you are behind the ball when catching it. Often people will make unnecessary dives to get the ball because they were too lazy to position themselves behind the ball. So remember these rules...and you shall survive!
also remember never to hesitate. once you hesitate to charge someone you let your gaurd down and the guy with the ball has a much better chance of scoring, so never hesitate.
The Golden Rule of Goalkeeping: Cover the near post first. Thou shalt NOT allow a ball to pass between thyself and thy near post. This strongly realtes to the other stuff on this thread, cutting down the angle, etc. Good Luck!!!!!