Goalkeeper training

General ideas and thoughts about the development from talent

to national team goalkeeper.

”The goalkeeper is half the team” – “the performance of the goalkeeper is

essential for the result of the match” – “A goalkeeper is never stronger than his
defence” – All these statements describes the role of the goalkeeper..

A role that requires a good deal of personal strength, especially on the mental
level – since no other player can read directly on the scoreboard, if their
performance has been good or not. A goalkeeper has to be able not to let a goal
affect him. Not that he should be equally happy if he saves a shot or not, most
certainly not - but he needs to ignore the fact that the ball went in and move on to
the next situation without getting stuck in the past situation. This ability can be
acquired and must continuously be processed, because it is also necessary to
have the attitude and charisma saying that “no one can score against me”.

In this material, we focus on the development from youth goalkeeper to top level
senior goalkeeper and we will describe what it takes to become one of the world's
best goalkeepers.

Here are some of the qualities that characterize a goalkeeper:

 Size - height
 A good physique
 Adroitness / mobility
 Mental strength
 Courage
 Good throwing / catching technique
 A good understanding of tactics and of the game

Speaking of height, it is obviously does not mean that everyone cannot be a

goalkeeper or learn to be a goalkeeper. But if you want to have an international
career as a professional goalkeeper and take full advantage of playing at the
highest level, it is imperative that your height is around 1.90 to 2.00 meters. The
explanation is that the shooters will be able to shoot over the not so tall
goalkeepers in the man to man duels - otherwise the keeper needs to jump quite
early in order to close the gap above his head. And once he is no longer touching
the floor, he cannot adjust his direction.

A good physique or the potential to get a good physique is also an important

condition. When we look at the absolute elite of European goalkeepers, such as
Sterbik, Alilovics, Landin, etc., they all have a good build and are in good shape,
but they do not necessarily have the same goalkeeper style.

As a young goalkeeper, it is essential that you have the desire to practice, in the
training hall with and without the ball, as well as in the fitness room. In addition to
this, a goalkeeper must be able to run - physical fitness and concentration are
closely related. If you are really ambitious, it would be good to choose a good
training environment, with good traditions for developing goalkeepers. But it is also
important to play matches, and therefore you will sometimes have to compromise -
and it is therefore recommended that playing time at second highest / highest level
is prioritized instead of sitting on the bench.

It takes hard work to become a really good goalkeeper at senior level. This means
that you have to be ambitious and want to become very specialized. It requires
that you want to be one of the best on your position and that you want to continue
to learn and be influenced in the little details, so that you can ultimately perfect
your craft.

The goalkeeper is half the team – but is he in fact a handball player??

In the light of the skills a goalkeeper needs as opposed to his teammates , could it
be stated that the goalkeeper is perhaps more of a gymnast, an acrobat, a chess
player, or ...

When defining the difference between a field player and a goalkeeper, the
goalkeeper certainly needs to have other things in his "experience backpack" than
a field player.

There are many likenesses, but also differences:

Of course, a goalkeeper must be able to throw and catch as well as a field player.
He must be able to work in space / direction, has to The fielders needs to be able
to do this too, , but the difference is that the goalkeeper has to work in a space, he
can only sense, as he constantly his back to the space that must be covered. The
goalkeeper has to be mobile, adroit and especially be able to predict - e.g. where
can next shot be directed and if it is a high, a low or a trick shot. The fielders need
to be able to do this too, but they usually have back-up from their co-defenders if
they fail. The goalkeeper always works alone, and it is very different than having
someone standing next to you who can help with your mistakes.

So what are the preconditions for becoming a good goalkeeper?

Basic position:
The goalkeeper's basic position is always a stance with parallel feet. The
inclination of the torso is neutral or slightly leaning forward. The knees are slightly
bent, and the weight on the foot is marked by the fact that the heel is lifted a little
bit - you do not stand on tiptoe. The arms are placed at the side of the head in a
"fork shape". You find the right position of the arms by grasping your earlobes with
your thumb and index fingers, and then relax in the shoulders, while moving your
hands to the side and opening them, so they look like frying pans. When you
become more experienced, you learn that you can wait a little before assuming the
basic position. The goalkeeper always faces the shooter and needs to be
positioned so that he can see the shooting arm of the player. He should position
himself about half a meter from the goal line.

Blocks:
A goalkeeper must be able to make two-hand blocks, one-hand blocks as well as
blocks where his arms and legs supplement each other.

Placement:
The goalkeeper must know which angles he covers when he is standing in his
basic position and what will happen when he takes a step forward - alternatively a
small step to the side, etc. All this must be visualized for the youngest
goalkeepers, but it should be basic knowledge for the older goalkeepers. In
modern handball, it is important to have as much contact with the floor as possible.
You work to the side and forward in small steps, where you previously used
sliding, but it appeared that sliding made you very vulnerable to quick shots from
the reverse of the playing direction

Lunges:
The goalkeeper needs to learn and master all kinds of lunges – experience also
provides the basis for knowing which lunges are best suited to the different types
of shooting - but as a goalkeeper you need to be able to make the standing lunge
with balance on both legs, the one leg lunge, where a small kick can be practiced,
the one leg lunge where you pull your knee up, and also the sitting lunge.

Balance:
The goalkeeper must constantly move to get in the right position, so that his
placement in the goal is optimal for his lunge and this block, but it requires training
to maintain balance while doing this. Therefore it is necessary to practice the small
movements and rehearse shifts with the standing leg completely under the torso,
so that the balance is maintained and the goalkeeper does not fall backwards and
into the goal. In the beginning of their development, and for some goalkeepers this
goes on for quite some time, goalkeepers usually have a favourite side. The
goalkeeper is better at moving to this side than the other and finds it much easier.
This must be practiced and the goalkeepers need to learn body consciousness, so
that they can be equally good at both sides. Therefore, there is focus on exercises
that strengthen the body consciousness in the practice.

Starting the attack:

In modern handball it is extremely important that the goalkeeper is aware of
placing his blocks so that the ball does not jump away from him, and of grabbing
the ball quickly, if the opponents score, and throwing it forwards quite hard and
accurately, either directly to the centre or to a team mate running forwards, so that
his team can start the attack quickly.
The mental aspect:

After every attack, the goalkeeper can read directly on the scoreboard, if his
performance has been good or not. If he saves, it does not figure on the
scoreboard, but if he does not, it immediately shows. To some extent, this
pressure is also on the field players, but it is overall accepted that a number of
attempts are needed in order to score a goal - it is accepted that the players
sometimes miss or their shots are saved. Perhaps this should also be a part of the
common understanding on a team and be spoken out loud. A handball match
rarely ends 0-0.
The goalkeeper must so ambitious that he wants to win every ball. For him, every
single situation decides, if he can be happy with his own performance. This should
also apply during practice. It is important for goalkeepers always to set high
demands for themselves regarding doing their utmost in every single detail. In
many of the phases of the game, the goalkeeper will be alone face to face with the
shooting player anyway (such as counterattacks, penalty shots and
breakthroughs); therefore the goalkeeper needs to be able to a do the job without
the interference of others.

The more experienced the goalkeeper becomes, the more he can use the mental
aspect to his advantage. The goalkeeper can use his strong psyche to make the
shooter choose his habitual shots, and thereby perhaps gain an advantage in the
duel. However, this sort of “luring”, requires optimal placement, optimal balance
and a sharp mind in the situation, and it is difficult to practice, but as a goalkeeper
coach, you should introduce this aspect at some point in the player’s development
anyway.

Analysis of the opponents:

When the goalkeeper becomes more experienced, he will know which shots are
most typical, depending on the shooter's position, run, jump etc. This applies to all
ages, but there is obviously a development on both sides, meaning that the
goalkeeper as well as the shooter becomes more skilled. Yet there is something to
learn in the next step, which is the cooperation with the defenders and video
analysis of the opposing team.
It is also clear that the most difficult step to take is the one from youth team player
to senior player. Suddenly, you are faced with other shooters and types of shots
and need to learn to react accordingly. But the shooters experience the same
challenge when facing a new goalkeeper.
It is important to take this work seriously. You only become absolute top-
goalkeeper if you know your craft. If you work very hard in every training session,
in every situation and at the same time keep up mentally: watch a lot of matches,
spend time preparing for the opponents, you are facing in the next match, study
their shots and determine how to act in each situation (visualization).
From M8 to senior goalkeeper

M8 to M10
We begin with the youngest players – you take turns being a goalkeeper
You should not already be appointed goalkeeper, when you are an M8 to M10
player in this age group, it is important to work on general ball skills - or to learn to
play handball, so to speak. We are not talking about a specific role.

M12 to M14
Development with focus on the specific positions can be started when the players
are in the M12 to M14 age group, but it is still important to not to specialize them
too much. The goalkeeper can still be a part of the practicing of passes and shots,
as it helps his understanding of the game. The focus is on the player's physical
development and potential, and the player's desire to be a goalkeeper - if the
keeper is calm and brave and if he can be make good (fast and appropriate)
movements in the goal. If your club has experienced goalkeepers or goalkeeper
coaches, it is important that they get to watch, when the goalkeepers are selected.
Choosing goalkeeper is an additional choice, meaning that you choose the best for
the job, even if he is a very good field player.

In the practice, concepts like the goalkeeper's side, angles and placement in
relation to the shooter are gradually introduced. The goalkeeper should still be
practicing their throwing technique so that he can be a part of the game - meaning
that he is a natural participant in different kinds of passing exercises. Those who
know how to play and who understand the tactics of shooting and defending in the
future will benefit from this knowledge as a goalkeeper later on. Goalkeeper
basics, such as blocking/securing the ball and leg/arm position are practiced.
Appropriate positioning to shots from the backs, from the pivot, and from the wings
is also practiced.

M14 to M16
In this age group, we slowly start working with the understanding of space and
direction, besides working on the basics. The practicing of lunges is introduced,
and beware that the goalkeepers do not hold their legs too far apart. Training of
adroitness becomes more important, as it makes it possible to perform the low
lunges with good stability while sitting. The demands on remembering the things
that are being worked on are slowly increasing. A kind of automation, that ensures
that you do not need to start over all the time. In this case, it would be could to
have a goalkeeper coach look at the young goalkeeper once in a while, and
together with this coach determine the next stages of development and focus on
them. (A process that never stops, by the way)

M16 to M18

Besides the basic elements, the focus is now also on balance on one leg, on
”luring” techniques and the techniques of closing gaps, as well as on quick and
precise throws to the centre of the court and to t1st phase counterattacks. In this
age group the analysis of specific players is also introduced, and the goalkeeper
practices remembering habitual shots and to understand the mental game against
the shooters.
In this age group the best goalkeepers find them self at a crossroad, because if
they want to see how far their potential can take them, they will need to practice a
lot on their own – both on and off the court. They will have to make handball their
priority.

That does not mean that you necessarily have to rush to sign a contract with a big
club - neither in Denmark nor abroad. Development takes time and usually
goalkeepers mature later than field players. However, they often stay active
longer, so the delay is certainly not something that has to be overcome by force.
Remember that as a youth goalkeeper, you have been used to playing with the
same players in two age groups, but when you become a senior player you need
to get accustomed to new players who are much older than yourself. Things take
time.

Senior goalkeepers
Here, all the basics must be learned and perfected - although you are of course
never fully developed, if you are ambitious There are always little things that can
be corrected, practiced and perfected, and this requires good and competent
coaching and the ability to keep learning. The practice is expanded with more and
more knowledge about the opponents and their habits and at the same time
specialized goalkeeper training is added.