⚠️ This might be an unpopular opinion... but during GK training, why is there so much emphasis on:
1. VOLLEYS / DEADBALL STRIKES 2. Into the hands (head height)
At all levels of goalkeeping
✅ Sounds class
✅ Looks lovely and tidy
❌ Never happens in a game
‼️ Lee, had this type of training through his whole career. He felt he was never really being prepared for “match handling”
He relied on his natural technique and experience
Maybe it’s good for kids to teach them to catch a ball and offers some consistency of service for the reps it’s take them to learn.
A time we’d use them for is several reps at the start of a session to literally warm hands / hand eye coordination
Longer distances volleys, fine as the ball has time to move / dip makes it more difficult
🎥 From the video you’ll see a typical handling set from training + handling clips from shots in one game
You’ll see that the majority of a goalkeepers handling definitely doesn’t happen from flat deadballs / volleys directly towards their face
✅ That is why we place a huge amount of focus on moving balls / match like strikes
✅ You’ll get a totally different trajectory when hitting a moving ball
✅ You’ll learn to read body shapes
We’re not saying you need to be diving all over every session, but if you’re doing handling work, make it “match like”
If you only have limited time with your GK, don’t waste valuable time working on things that most won’t happen in a game
There should be a focus on your weakness within every session if you want to improve. Yes still maintain / improve areas you’re good at, but focus on the stuff you NEED to work on
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It has been shown that on average elite level GKs typically perform 4-10 ‘defensive actions’ per game, all at high intensity.
1/11
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These actions are very short in duration, often with long intervals in between them. Therefore, whist physical fatigue may not be the issue for GKs during match-play, the ability to concentrate and focus for those prolonged periods, may be the deciding factor.
2/11
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In my previous post I highlighted that research indicates that GKs energy expenditure was approximately 600 kcal.d-1 less than that observed in outfield players, for example, approximately 2900 kcal vs 3500 kcal per day.
GKs don’t hop to set. They hop to self organise their body to dive.
You see a “mistake” and look at twitter you’ll find countless theories regarding why that GK conceded which always leads to a technical / physical error.
But your body will only produce an action as a reaction to what it perceives.
Is the chosen action wrong because of what the brain is telling them to do as opposed to their body “unable to do something” due to set up?
Set up changes according to situation / what you perceive.
So how do people differentiate between anatomical and mental “issues”?
Remember this is just thoughts! But hopefully this thread can give others something else to think about before jumping to a physical fix.