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EDITION 11 Welcome to the 11th
edition of the Goalkeepers Newsletter. This issue will deal with the proper
footwork on crosses. Crosses are some of the hardest
things for keepers to deal with because there are so many variables to consider
such as the height of the serve, velocity, trajectory, spin of the ball, where
are the obstacles (otherwise known as teammates and opponents) wind, sun etc.
With proper footwork, crosses can be a nightmare, without proper footwork, the
handling of crosses is simply a myth. Today, I want to discuss two types
of crosses. The first cross will be the high floating ball served between the 6
and the 12. First a keeper must determine whether the cross is within her range.
Hopefully at the older age groups, anything floated into the 6 is definitely
within her range and the real decision is balls floated into the second 6 (the
area between the 6 yard box and the penalty spot). Once a keeper has made the
decision to take the cross, her first step on a floated ball (assuming her body
is opened up to the field like it should be) is to take a step away from the
server with her far leg. (To picture this imagine the ball is coming from the
keeper’s right side, with her body facing the center circle, she would step
with her left leg away from where the ball was served from). The reason for this
is that it’s much more difficult to go backwards then forwards so you want to
get behind the ball so you come forward to meet the ball. If it is needed to
take more then 1 step away to get behind the ball then your second step should
be a partial crossover (the reason it’s only a partial crossover is after the
first step, if another step is needed then the upper body would turn in that
direction thus it would essentially become a forward step away from the server).
Once the keeper is convinced she is far enough back she is going to do
everything possible to get her body turned so her body is now directly behind
the ball from where it is being served. Then and only then is she in position to
catch the ball by coming forward to meet the ball. To review: The first is away,
the second is a partial crossover if needed and then the body gets squared and
the next is forward. To receive a low ball driven to the
near post, take the first step with the near foot inside of the goal and toward
the front post. The reason for stepping into the goal is to ensure that when the
next step is hard at the near post, it will allow you to receive the ball while
going out of the goal helping to avoid running (or diving) into the near post.
To review, take the first step into the goal with the near foot and then the
next step hard at the near post. Once you understand the footwork,
the next step is to handle as many crosses. Start with uncontested balls then
add an attacker. Gradually build up to game situations. If possible, videotape
your training sessions as well as your matches to observe your footwork. It
takes time and effort to handle crosses effectively. If you have any suggestions for
future newsletters, please send them to me at comments@finesoccer.com Have a great day! Lawrence
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