Goal Keeper Assistance Needed

slingerz

Alright lad our keeper is out injured (long term) and as we've no other keeper i've gotten the nod to go between the sticks.

now i'm fine at the catching, shot stopping piece but my kick outs are only being fielded around the 45 metre line.

I'd like to improve the distance of my kick outs. Anyone have any suggestions on where I can find training materials other than just endless practice at the kickouts??

Any other keepers with advice on here would be much apprecriated!!

yerayeah

Maybe try go to the gym and do some squats and leg extensions and curls, or even if you just started doing 100 airsquats or whatever you'd call them every morning, aside from days coming up to games obviously, should give you a bit of extra strength in the legs. You could also try copying some intercounty keepers technique and just practice lots!!

I'm not a keeper though, just my 2 cents!

Mental_Legend

Try increasing the strength in your legs in the gym, but if that's too expensive and/or time-consuming then you could always work out a tactic with your midfielders to accomodate your shorter kick-outs. Also, ask the injured keeper how he was able to get his kick-outs as far as he does.

rebel girl 15

Some great training drills for goalkeepers on the Armagh GAA website here. They are also on youtube

What sort of tee are you using?? I'm no expert on kicking from the ground cos we can kick out from the hand, but when I was working with a younger keeper, I found that he had a habit of getting over the ball when kicking. He was only getting it out around 20/30 yards (under 14 keeper). Anyway, we worked on it and he got better, kept onto him to lean back when kicking the ball

Make a kicking routine, step back a certain number of steps and make sure that you are leaning back to get height on the kick. Kick through the ball - some of those puntees are too high and can hurt your foot. Some guys prefer using a couple of space markers as their tee. Examine your run up - the fella I worked with used do a few dance step during his run up, which is okay for guys that are used to being in goals and have worked on strengthening their legs, but for someone coming into goals, I'd advise to have a straight run up to kick the ball. It is a lot about practise - I know from kicking the ball out myself that it does involve practise and getting a good routine going.

If you go over to the fitness forum, they might be able to give you some advice about doing leg strengthening exercises. At the moment, with your kickouts only going that far, you need to work on a tactic with your midfielders, such as the two of the them starting in the middle and running out to the wing to collect the ball, while keping your half backs quite near the goal, so as not to crowd the space

slingerz

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

Some great training drills for goalkeepers on the Armagh GAA website here. They are also on youtube

What sort of tee are you using?? I'm no expert on kicking from the ground cos we can kick out from the hand, but when I was working with a younger keeper, I found that he had a habit of getting over the ball when kicking. He was only getting it out around 20/30 yards (under 14 keeper). Anyway, we worked on it and he got better, kept onto him to lean back when kicking the ball

Make a kicking routine, step back a certain number of steps and make sure that you are leaning back to get height on the kick. Kick through the ball - some of those puntees are too high and can hurt your foot. Some guys prefer using a couple of space markers as their tee. Examine your run up - the fella I worked with used do a few dance step during his run up, which is okay for guys that are used to being in goals and have worked on strengthening their legs, but for someone coming into goals, I'd advise to have a straight run up to kick the ball. It is a lot about practise - I know from kicking the ball out myself that it does involve practise and getting a good routine going.

If you go over to the fitness forum, they might be able to give you some advice about doing leg strengthening exercises. At the moment, with your kickouts only going that far, you need to work on a tactic with your midfielders, such as the two of the them starting in the middle and running out to the wing to collect the ball, while keping your half backs quite near the goal, so as not to crowd the space

Thanks for that link there are some really good training drills and tips on there.

I dont think having leg power is the problem as i'd usually squat over 100kg so i do think its more about the technique involved.

More practice on the technique side of things should see me get the distance i need. Only problem is championship is coming up in 2 weeks!!

Magi11

My goalkeeping days finished before tees but I always put the ball with valve facing up and slightly away from me. This also meant that you were trying to kick just under the O'Neills logo. In my practice drills I'd always kick over frees from about 25 yards out until I was happy with my technique and then go to goals to start kicking out. I think another aspect is where you place your kicks. Far too much emphasis on distance and not enough on placement. I used to have a deal with my 2 midfielders and wing halves that when I was walking out with the ball, I would casually look at the crowd on one side; that meant the ball was going that side. The deal also was that even if I messed it up no one was to blame me in case the other crowd cottoned on that there was something to blame! It lasted for 3 years until one of our team transferred and word got around!!

rebel girl 15

slingerz wrote: »

Thanks for that link there are some really good training drills and tips on there.

I dont think having leg power is the problem as i'd usually squat over 100kg so i do think its more about the technique involved.

More practice on the technique side of things should see me get the distance i need. Only problem is championship is coming up in 2 weeks!!

Maybe see if you can get the injured keeper down to watch your kick outs to see - sometimes only a small change can end up with a big difference. A straight run up to the ball, stay tall through the kick and follow through. Make sure your non kicking foot is well planted. Make the kick very simple - don't stop during the run up. He might see something that you are doing and can say it to you. With that keeper I mentioned before, a small change ended up with about a 10/15 yard difference.

You do need someone to look at the technique as it can be very hard to self analyse, especially if you are not used to doing it. Then when you get it right, you need to keep practising it, so that it becomes second nature. 2 weeks is plenty of time to get it sorted. Make sure you are comfortable with the tee you are using as well.

So when you get your technique sorted, the next thing I would do when practising is actually go out the field, put down the tee and try put the ball over the bar. I do it quite a lot because I practise on my own, then in training, I find my accuracy is better when in a game situation. It also gives you a slightly different challenge from just thumping the ball out the field and also I find you can measure the distance of your kick better as well.

DH2K9

My main tip is when you watch inter-county keepers they follow through a mile. Get good speed to the ball and completely follow through.

rebel girl 15

Magi11 wrote: »

My goalkeeping days finished before tees but I always put the ball with valve facing up and slightly away from me. This also meant that you were trying to kick just under the O'Neills logo. In my practice drills I'd always kick over frees from about 25 yards out until I was happy with my technique and then go to goals to start kicking out. I think another aspect is where you place your kicks. Far too much emphasis on distance and not enough on placement. I used to have a deal with my 2 midfielders and wing halves that when I was walking out with the ball, I would casually look at the crowd on one side; that meant the ball was going that side. The deal also was that even if I messed it up no one was to blame me in case the other crowd cottoned on that there was something to blame! It lasted for 3 years until one of our team transferred and word got around!!

I forgot that part! By kicking that part of the ball, you are kicking the roundest part of the ball! My deal at the moment with my midfielders and wing backs is that I dribble the ball out soccer style, when I pick it up, then they make their runs and 95% of the time I hit them perfectly

Another thing is not to kick it at 100 per cent force - most of the time the ball won't go where you want it to go!! If you keep working on it, kicking it at 90% accurately at the start, then working up!

slingerz

i like the bit about the valve and the logo. also think the following through would be beneficial as well. is the speed that you approach the ball important too?

we've a lot of players that win the ball so distance is more of an issue than accuracy, if i could get it to be fielded around the 65 i'd be happy enough with it

Magi11

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

I forgot that part! By kicking that part of the ball, you are kicking the roundest part of the ball! My deal at the moment with my midfielders and wing backs is that I dribble the ball out soccer style, when I pick it up, then they make their runs and 95% of the time I hit them perfectly

Another thing is not to kick it at 100 per cent force - most of the time the ball won't go where you want it to go!! If you keep working on it, kicking it at 90% accurately at the start, then working up!

Thats a great idea about the soccer dribble, wouldn't work in mens football because you have to kick off the ground but shows that you can always have something to give you the edge.
The bottom line about all restarts in any sport is that you have the ball and they can't take it off you so you should be trying to make sure your team retains possession. If that means sacrificing 10 yards from a kickout so be it.
Maybe have a deal with your best midfielder that he will get every kick out after a score.

Another good point about not kicking 100%, guaranteed failure if you do this. Relax, and trust your technique.

thebuilderbob

I would disagree about the straight run up.. Most top keepers angle slightly from the side opposite their kicking foot.. But you should experiment yourself (tho i wouldn't advise any more than 25-30 kicks in any session cause you'll only do damage)

The 2 most important parts are concentration and the follow through..

When kicking you should follow right through (with out kicking at 100%, as said above 90% is alright, try to stroke it out) and at the end of your kicking motion your kicking leg should be past a 90 degree angle to your placed leg (which should be firmly set. Get your whole body behind the kick.

The second concentration: have a good look where you're gonna kick it but ensure you are firmly focused on the ball when kicking. Most fluffed kick out are because of losing concentration on the ball..

hope some of this helps ya

take your inspiration form darren hughes!!:)

rebel girl 15

thebuilderbob wrote: »

I would disagree about the straight run up.. Most top keepers angle slightly from the side opposite their kicking foot.. But you should experiment yourself (tho i wouldn't advise any more than 25-30 kicks in any session cause you'll only do damage)

The 2 most important parts are concentration and the follow through..

When kicking you should follow right through (with out kicking at 100%, as said above 90% is alright, try to stroke it out) and at the end of your kicking motion your kicking leg should be past a 90 degree angle to your placed leg (which should be firmly set. Get your whole body behind the kick.

The second concentration: have a good look where you're gonna kick it but ensure you are firmly focused on the ball when kicking. Most fluffed kick out are because of losing concentration on the ball..

I don't mean a straight run up as in a straight line to the ball, I mean a run up without any of the small steps during the run up, sorry if people misunderstood what I meant! Relax when kicking the ball out as well, I found that it helps

homerjay2005

ive done a bit of goal keeping in the past and also take kick outs for any soccer team i play for, as im always able to hit it a huge distance.

my tips -

always have the ball well placed, valve up.
give yourself plenty of elevation underneath to get your boot fully under it.
dont force the kick out, the more i force, the less distance i get.
dont take a huge run up, bout 5 or 6 steps back is enough, if you have a huge run up to the ball, your concentration is gone as soon as you start to run and your energy is diverted into the run up.
always hit with the laces and follow through, the laces part of your boot is where you get most power and follow from.


thats just my 2 cents.

Magi11

slingerz wrote: »

i like the bit about the valve and the logo. also think the following through would be beneficial as well. is the speed that you approach the ball important too?

we've a lot of players that win the ball so distance is more of an issue than accuracy, if i could get it to be fielded around the 65 i'd be happy enough with it

Maybe I'm missing something but isn't fielding the ball on the 65 from a kickout on the 13 asking an awful lot? Is that not much short of county goalie standard?

mrgaa1

From the 13 metre to 65 is just 52 metres of a kick - a goalkeeper needs to be able to kick 60metres plus with some sort of accuracy.

I used to be a free-taker in the past for club so here are my tips:

• First of all kick the ball out of your hands for distance - this will give you a rough guide to your range - I usually found I could kick a ball from my hands 55 metres before it bounced so I took that to my range for frees (was told this years and years ago when I was a youth - thought he was full of sh*t - true enough as it turned out)
• when kicking from the ground its important that technique, technique, technique and routine, routine, routine are ALWAYS followed
• Technique: as other posters have said set the ball up the same way every time - always trying to kick the "i" of the O'Neills or the second "e" of McKeever balls. Never force it - ever. This is how injuries occur.
• Routine: whether its 5 steps back and one to the left, 7 steps back, 50 steps back - always the same. Makes it easy in the mind when the pressure is on.
• Finally PRACTICE: the only way. And if you are taking on the No.1 role remember that you will be tired after kicking out 25-35 balls, all kicks are from the 13 metre line and when you see that your midfielders are stuggling because one of theirs is doing better kick the ball away from the dominant midfielder. If your midfield is POOR vary the kickouts - short etc.. but this is where the practice comes in.

finally - good luck - its not easy being No.1 - communicate with your backs - if they are not marking your on your own.

slingerz

mrgaa1 wrote: »

From the 13 metre to 65 is just 52 metres of a kick - a goalkeeper needs to be able to kick 60metres plus with some sort of accuracy.

I used to be a free-taker in the past for club so here are my tips:

• First of all kick the ball out of your hands for distance - this will give you a rough guide to your range - I usually found I could kick a ball from my hands 55 metres before it bounced so I took that to my range for frees (was told this years and years ago when I was a youth - thought he was full of sh*t - true enough as it turned out)
• when kicking from the ground its important that technique, technique, technique and routine, routine, routine are ALWAYS followed
• Technique: as other posters have said set the ball up the same way every time - always trying to kick the "i" of the O'Neills or the second "e" of McKeever balls. Never force it - ever. This is how injuries occur.
• Routine: whether its 5 steps back and one to the left, 7 steps back, 50 steps back - always the same. Makes it easy in the mind when the pressure is on.
• Finally PRACTICE: the only way. And if you are taking on the No.1 role remember that you will be tired after kicking out 25-35 balls, all kicks are from the 13 metre line and when you see that your midfielders are stuggling because one of theirs is doing better kick the ball away from the dominant midfielder. If your midfield is POOR vary the kickouts - short etc.. but this is where the practice comes in.

finally - good luck - its not easy being No.1 - communicate with your backs - if they are not marking your on your own.

sound for this i was centre forward till i got badly injured and the fitness aint great so hence why i'm in goals. i'd kick it 60-65 metres from my hands but i dont seem to get the same carry from the ground. i'll be practising tomorrow as i have a game sunday!

Magi11

Stay out from your goal so you don't get drawn in conversation with the umpire as this will affect your concentration. Your starting position as play develops should be the edge of the square so you can sweep if you have to. Tell your backs not to be afraid to pass the ball back. Lastly remember that if you get the ball in play some idiot corner forward will always charge towards you so just pop the ball off to his man and if you get the ball and are surrounded just run into contact and fall to the ground. Gets a free every time!!!!!

Keep us posted and good luck

Magi11

Come on man, make with the news!

slingerz

had a game today and did alright, nearly got caught with a short kickout but got away with it!!

kickouts have gotten beffore used a lower tee and got a lot better purchase on it so they were getting fielded on or around the 65 when with the wind. left in 3 goals but had no chance with any of them!!! honest!!

johnmcdnl

Pick a spot on the ball you want to kick.. the oneills logo is a good spot..

put it 45 degrees down so it's on the bottom hemisphere... look at the spot constantly..

you want a straight run up - none of the fancy curly runs... straight run and put your big toe through it and keep going right through..

nothing better than getting a bag of footballs from the coach and go down and practice about 50 maybe in an evening... just get the technique right and you'll get the distance


just focus on a straight run up and straight kick through the ball...

also your probable better off not using a tee to kick off if your not used to them.. get one of the little training cones...


that's what i was though anyways so...

DonkeyPokerTour

Magi11 wrote: »

Maybe I'm missing something but isn't fielding the ball on the 65 from a kickout on the 13 asking an awful lot? Is that not much short of county goalie standard?

Intercounty Standard before the rule change to the 13 for all kickouts was on the 65 or past your own 65 from the small square and Midfield or Beyond from the 21. Now from the 13 its Somewhere between your own 65 and midfiled.

jaycarlow

I have been recently put back in the goal for my club myself due to injuries,I've played there before so know what its all about i hit over half way wit most of my kick but i think(well in my club anyways) the midfielders are more concerned about the height of the ball than distance,They feel if its up there they'll win it.

Also i'd say keep the amount practiced to as few as possible cause u will only do damage...I've a hernia myself on my kicking side and the groin hasnt been right since i went back in the goal painfully everyday....but its Championship time so the only person who knows i'm injured is myself :cool:

rebel girl 15

jaycarlow wrote: »

I have been recently put back in the goal for my club myself due to injuries,I've played there before so know what its all about i hit over half way wit most of my kick but i think(well in my club anyways) the midfielders are more concerned about the height of the ball than distance,They feel if its up there they'll win it.

Also i'd say keep the amount practiced to as few as possible cause u will only do damage...I've a hernia myself on my kicking side and the groin hasnt been right since i went back in the goal painfully everyday....but its Championship time so the only person who knows i'm injured is myself :cool:

Know the feeling - pulled my groin muscle ten days ago (Friday), played with the injury in the first round of the championship on the Monday night, agony everytime I kicked out the ball, couldn't say it to anyone. Best cure was to ice it and rest it - I didn't train at all last week, haven't kicked a ball yet, but feels okay - I'll see how it goes tonight at training

You'd want to be careful playing with a hernia!

slingerz

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

Know the feeling - pulled my groin muscle ten days ago (Friday), played with the injury in the first round of the championship on the Monday night, agony everytime I kicked out the ball, couldn't say it to anyone. Best cure was to ice it and rest it - I didn't train at all last week, haven't kicked a ball yet, but feels okay - I'll see how it goes tonight at training

You'd want to be careful playing with a hernia!

you guys must be all oldies cos the kicking doesnt bother me in the slightest!! its just getting the lenght and height that does.

They went well on sunday and with more practice I reckon i could get better at it. the lower tee was a big help!

cant do much when the forward is about 3 feet out from the goal though!

rebel girl 15

slingerz wrote: »

you guys must be all oldies cos the kicking doesnt bother me in the slightest!! its just getting the lenght and height that does.

They went well on sunday and with more practice I reckon i could get better at it. the lower tee was a big help!

cant do much when the forward is about 3 feet out from the goal though!

Not old at all - didn't stretch properly and slipped while doing a drill and pulled it!

3 feet out from goal, you should be getting down on top of the forwards foot blocking the ball! Its one of the hardest things to do, especially if they are coming at pace as they can just sidestep you in some cases

Magi11

Don't want to sound like a know it all but never say there was nothing you can do. I had a horrible attitude to goalkeeping. If it wasn't my fault then I generally put a token dive. I was about 28 before I copped myself on. Really applied myself and ended up playing for Monaghan twice. The two main regrets in my life are not asking Olivia Kiernan out (but that's another story) and not having the right attitude for my entire career not just the end. In those lady 4 years I took any goal as a personal affront. It's an unbelievable feeling to make a save that no one was expecting. Better than sex! Whether it would have been better than sex with Olivia Kiernan is another story!!!!

slingerz

well i dont intend on making a career out of being in goal just until our regular keeper is back from injury!

wouldnt say making a save is better than sex, the girlfriend would get offended!!

rebel girl 15

Magi11 wrote: »

Don't want to sound like a know it all but never say there was nothing you can do. I had a horrible attitude to goalkeeping. If it wasn't my fault then I generally put a token dive. I was about 28 before I copped myself on. Really applied myself and ended up playing for Monaghan twice. The two main regrets in my life are not asking Olivia Kiernan out (but that's another story) and not having the right attitude for my entire career not just the end. In those last 4 years I took any goal as a personal affront. It's an unbelievable feeling to make a save that no one was expecting. Better than sex! Whether it would have been better than sex with Olivia Kiernan is another story!!!!

I'm in the same boat as regarding the pieces in bold. The best goalkeepers hate conceding any goal, no matter what. I get cranky about every goal that goes past me, whether I should have saved it or not. If I don't get cranky, I know I am not fully tuned in (in training). In a match, I'll concentrate on the next ball and wipe it out of my head till the end of the game, then I'll be going over it in my head over and over to see whether I should have stopped it and I'll be cranky after. I was very cranky after training last night because there were shots going past me, couldn't get across fast enough

Case in point - we played the first round of the championship a few weeks ago on a Monday evening, we were three points up with two minutes to go and they come down the pitch and score. I couldn't talk to anyone after the game, I was so angry with myself for not stopping it, it was one of those ones that skid off the turf, away from you - I went down to stop it and it didn't hit me. Following night, I went over to the pitch and did a hard session on my own, did a few drills on my own, then 45 minutes of someone kicking balls at me. Felt better after that but still annoyed about the goal - our trainer took me aside on the Wed training, and said to me that the mistake was someone not tracking back and leaving the extra player free, which she was right about. Anyway, we played them in the replay and beat them by three points - they got a 20m free at the end of the game, I lined the goal perfectly, not sure if it hit the defender or the crossbar tbh, but it ended up in my hands and ref blew the whistle. I made one good save at a players feet during that game, but had we lost that replay, I would still be looking back at that goal. But I learned from it and moved on - did a number of drills to deal with those skidding balls. More than any other position, in goals requires a huge amount of mental toughness and concentration, you might go out do the warm up, but not get any ball till 15 minutes later

Making a save no one is expecting is a fantastic feeling - like you are invincible. Getting to a ball that you had no right to get to is not only great for you, but gives huge confidence to your defenders as well, knowing that you are there behind them. I was supposed to go for Cork trials about three years ago, but being from a small club, I didn't find out till after it happened. Struggled with a back injury last year while playing outfield, but in goals this year, missed three months of training at the start of the year, so not as fit as I should be, but getting there, so hopefully I'll be able to make trials next year and get somewhere, thats the aim anyway! I started in gal when I was about 14, 6 years later back in and happy to be there.

I'm always on the look out for new drills if anyone has any btw.

slingerz

well folks today is the big day championship in a few hours making my debut in goal!!

kickouts have improved getting to the 65 regularly now and the odd one out over the half way line.

technique is what its all about. just need to get over today without any clangers and i'll be fine!!

Naomh

Best of luck with it slingerz

slingerz

sound.

lost by a point but i kept a clean sheet, had good kickouts and was very comfortable under the high ball fielding 3 or 4 of them. counts for nothing now though

LeoB

I ended up playing in goals for a season and after a shaky start found it great. Despie being a free taker when I was a forward I found kicking the ball out a diferent challenge altogether. The problem was I was not following the same routine and was concentrating to much on distance which lost the accuracy I had. Our club coach took me through a few drills at the time and got me working aand thinking. We found the best solution for me was to take frees as a forward would, I never changed my routine as a forward so, I started to slow down a little and done all the things mentioned here like placing the valve away fro me and taking the same amount of steps It took a month or two but my kickouts usually hit the half way from a score and maintained a fair bit of accuracy.

At training I would take frees as a forward would using my routine to score points and then tried to use the same on match days.. Routine, Routine, Routine, Routine
As for the kicking tee's I dont like them and I always kicked from the ground.

Can you get someone to analise what you are doing? Best of luck with it.

Louthdrog

LeoB wrote: »

As for the kicking tee's I dont like them and I always kicked from the ground.

What? Those things are a god send. Always had problems with my kicking. Was pretty good with the rest of my game but the kickouts were just not working. Had a big championship game for my college this year so the week before i literally got a bag of balls and a midfielder. Spent a good few hours trying different techniques and different tees.
In the space of a few weeks, my kickouts went from the weakpoint of my game to possibly its strongest. Its all about practice and perfecting your technique.

LeoB

Louthdrog wrote: »

What? Those things are a god send. Always had problems with my kicking. Was pretty good with the rest of my game but the kickouts were just not working. Had a big championship game for my college this year so the week before i literally got a bag of balls and a midfielder. Spent a good few hours trying different techniques and different tees.
In the space of a few weeks, my kickouts went from the weakpoint of my game to possibly its strongest. Its all about practice and perfecting your technique.

You got it in the last bit...... Practice and Technique. I just dont like them. It can give an advantage instead of working on the basic skill of kicking from the ground