Additional Post 4: Getting Past a Slow Learning Curve

During training your only goal is to improve yourselves and the others around you.  For a goalkeeper, that usually means getting extra training because team training isn't enough.  That is the case with my Under 14 AYSO keeper.  She started training with my team's goalkeepers to help her improve faster.

Now.  For a goalkeeper there are a lot of things to focus on and work towards.  For example.  When you're diving you have to:

• Be aware of all non-moving surroundings (especially the goalposts)
• Know where both the defense and the offense are
• Keep your eye on the ball
• Protect yourself
• Land properly to prevent injury
• Catch the ball properly to prevent a loose ball
• And in game scenarios, dive forward so when you catch the ball you don't bring it into the net with you.

You can't master a dive until all of the components are understood and working.  This means working towards each one individually if you are having a problem.  During MY training the other day I was working on tipping the ball over the net from a ball that is directly overhead.  This is more difficult than it sounds for someone that is 5'0'' and still can't reach the crossbar. 

Picture this.  A keeper is in the net about 6 yards off of their line in the center of the goal.  A ball is chipped directly over the head of the keeper, but if she get back quickly enough she can do a backwards dive and tip it out.

I started out doing a drill doing exactly what I mentioned.  I missed every single one and wasn't getting the dives down properly.  Kim, my goalie coach told be to go on my knees and do it that way.  By starting from my knees she isolated the diving component of this drill.  All I had to do was follow the ball, tip it, then fall backwards.  I now have aced that, and the next practice I will be working from my feet again.