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Tactical Training

by Chris Ducar, SoccerPlus Goalkeeper School,     www.goalkeeper.com  

This was a topic I covered at the PA West State Convention in February 1998.

Tactical Training for Goalkeepers

Presented by Chris Ducar

Technical training for goalkeepers here in the United States is excellent. We have camps and specialists who work daily with aspiring keepers to help them fulfill their dream of making the great save. However, as a player gets older and wants to tryout for or be noticed by a more competitive team, what will separate him or her from the rest of the pack?

What a young keeper and his or her coach must understand is that at a certain point, every keeper will have equal proficiency in catching, throwing, kicking, and diving. Where a keeper stands out in my eyes is in the areas of decision making. If I am at an ODP tryout, working with my college keepers or training the pros, I critically analyze the following areas:

Positioning

Distribution

Communication/Organization

Set Pieces

Coaching position: During a practice, I get the best perspective of the position by actually standing in goal.

For example, if I feel that the keeper needs to step out, I can move out and position myself in the area I think they should be occupying.

Or, if an attack is developing down one flank, I can glance to the far post to see whether or not the weak side defender is in the proper position or is tracking the weak side runner. Then, I can help the goalkeeper find ways to organize the defense as play develops.