Goalkeeping Edition 165

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s subject deals with goal kicks.

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One of the most often asked questions I receive is how to take a better goal kick.  Since this is an area I struggle with as a coach, I have asked a friend to write a guest article on the subject.  Chris Bahr has written the below article and there aren’t many people who know more about hitting a long ball accurately than Chris.  He has been an All American Soccer Player in college, has played professionally in the old North American Soccer League (NASL) and he also was a kicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 years having and has won two Super Bowls as a kicker.  Chris’s father Walter Bahr is one of the all time legends in soccer in the US and Chris has taken his fathers experience and knowledge and applied it to hitting a ball (soccer or football) long and accurately.  Below is Chris’s article.

As goalkeepers, in addition to keeping the ball out of the net and keeping the defense organized, you have become the eleventh field player.  To be a top keeper, not only are you expected to be able to handle the ball with the skill of a field player, you are also expected to be able to deliver the ball with accuracy at distances of up to 50 yards and more.  This is a skill that very few players, not just keepers, possess.

Whether striking a moving or still ball, the chances for success increase with proper technique.  I spent 22 years kicking a football but I have spent 40+ years kicking a soccer ball.  The technique used to strike a soccer ball accurately over long distances is no different than that used by top NFL place-kickers.

Almost all the balls that a keeper is asked to hit a long distance with accuracy are either goal kicks or slow rolling balls where you have time.  Both should be struck the same way.

Pick Your Target:

It may sound obvious but you should pick a specific target or spot that you are trying to hit not just a general area.  For practice you can place cones at various spots on the field and aim at them.

Focus on the Ball:

You need to focus on the specific point on the ball that you are trying to contact.  Solid contact on the proper part of the ball allows you to control trajectory and lets you hit a ball further with less effort.

Control Your Approach:

You don’t gain any power with your approach.  You need to be able to repeat the same leg swing over and over.  Controlling your approach gives you a better chance of doing this.  Power is generated by how fast your foot moves through the ball and how solid your contact is not how fast or how far your approach is.

Follow Through to Your Target:

When striking the ball your plant foot should be even with the ball and pointed towards your target.  At impact your body should be square to your intended target.  When you swing through the ball, allow your momentum to take you past the ball on your target line.  You should still find yourself square to your target after you have finished the kick.

Placement of your plant foot in relation to the ball and approach will vary from player to player.  However, successful kickers have two things in common.  Their plant foot will be pointed at their target and their follow through will take them to their target.  You should not find yourself falling left or right and you should not be stuck on your plant foot after impact.

If I were to pick the two most important keys to success it would be these.  You need to make solid contact on the ball and your follow through should be on your target line.

As with anything it takes a lot of practice to be successful.  However, if you can master this skill you will become a much more valuable asset to you team.

I would like to thank Chris for taking the time to write this for everyone.

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Have a great day!

Lawrence