✅ Create / Find / Take space
✅ Compose yourself by decelerating with side on approach = better angle to play
✅ Release ball slightly further in front
✅ Keep it flat = space to hit into
✅ Higher = playing over top
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You see a lot of people hitting great side volleys when they’re relaxed from a standing start in training but may struggle to find consistency / quality in games
You’ll most likely use side volley to counter
Catch cross, sprint out & try to play nice accurate / pacy ball
⚠️ But may end up hitting too high, slicing, topping it, no accuracy
A reason for that can be that you’re rushing. Not slowing down / composing yourself before playing
❗️If you’re hitting them well in training from a standing start:
✅ Start moving slowly / shorter distance before then play it
✅ Gradually increase distance / pace
More in depth from tweet 1
✅ Create / Find / Take space up towards edge of the box to decrease the distance you have to play and room to strike
✅ Compose yourself by decelerating with a side on approach to also get into position
✅ Release: make sure you release the ball further forward than normal as you’re stepping into it with more pace
✅ Keep it flat as you can if there’s space to hit into or go higher if playing over the top
🧤
It has been shown that on average elite level GKs typically perform 4-10 ‘defensive actions’ per game, all at high intensity.
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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
🍌🍓🥔🍗🥩
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.