Welcome to the
Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's issue will deal with the subject of being
safe at all times with the ball.
Sometimes, keepers get a bit too
confident with the ball (actually I think it is the result of getting bored as
well), and they tend to do stupid things such as receive a pass back with their feet and when they feel
pressure coming at them, they cut the ball away from the opponent and then clear
the ball. The reality is that if this works 99 times out of 100, it's not
worth it to take that chance. Anytime you are under the slightest degree
of pressure, be safe, be simple and get rid of the ball. It always goes
back to risk vs reward. Is the risk of the keeper getting the ball
stripped from them worth the reward if it isn't stripped? I think the
answer is fairly obvious in that since the keeper primary responsible is to keep
the ball out of the back of the net, they should never take a chance that might
result in a goal scoring opportunity for the opponent.
I saw a keeper this weekend sprint
into the corner for a long ball and since she got to the ball before the
opponent did, she then dribbled the ball (under pressure) into the box and
picked it up (it was not a passback so she could pick it up like that). In her
mind, this was a very smart thing to do (I spoke with her after the game) since
it resulted in a punt instead of her knocking the ball long first time out of
play. However, the first time she tries this and it fails, she will
realize just how dangerous a play this really is to attempt. Be safe and
simple and when in doubt, knock it out. Not only is this the safer thing
to do, but it also will help to gain confidence from teammates who will
appreciate the keeper making the correct decision
Safety in distribution is also an
important subject. I am a big proponent of maintaining possession whenever
possible, but there are times when it is appropriate to realize that the long
ball is the correct decision. It's great to throw to a near person, but
not if she will be under pressure immediately. Playing safe will result in
you making so many fewer saves long term that it is definitely worth it.
Always, consider the consequences of any short distribution and then and only
then should you actually use that option.
