Les Sparks Goalkeeping Drill Page

Getting Set: The First Step of the Recipe

by Scott Morenroth

One of the most important skills of goalkeeping is seldom reviewed or discussed. There are many articles and chapters of books devoted to making the actual save, yet the very first step of this process gets lost in the spectacle of the save itself. The art of getting set is often just mentioned and not given the credit it deserves.

Think of it as baking a cake. The first step is to properly measure and sift the correct amount of flour. If this is not done precisely, you may end up with a cake, but it will not be as good. The same is true with getting set. If this is not done properly, you may be able to make some saves, but you will not be able cover your potential area.

In order to understand this process we must first examine the set position. The goalkeeper’s feet should be at shoulder’s width apart. This is important because if they are too wide, the goalkeeper is not able to transfer weight enough in the power step allowing for an explosive dive. If the feet are too close together, the goalkeeper becomes less mobile. The goalkeeper needs to be on the balls of their feet with knees slightly bent. The arms are at chest level for a long-range shot or low at the goalkeeper’s side if the attacker is close to the keeper. The palms should always face the field in preparation for the shot. Most importantly, the goalkeeper must lean forward. As a reference, the chest should directly over the knees. Leaning forward is the most difficult aspect of getting set because of the “flinch-factor” (the body’s natural reflexes to tense up and move away from pressure).

Now that we know the basics we can get into some of the more advanced practices. Strikers give clues as too when they are going to shoot the ball. If we can read these clues correctly, we can stretch our saving range. These clues come in the rhythm of a shot. Every shot follows the same basic rhythm. The shooter’s head goes down to look at the ball, a longer last step is taken for the plant foot, and shooting leg comes through and strikes the ball.

The goalkeeper follows this rhythm with his own. When the striker’s head goes down, the goalkeeper can take a step or two forwards to gain some ground and cut off the angle. When the plant foot of the striker hits the ground, the goalkeeper should now take a small hop forward and land in the set position ready for the shot. If the hop is taken as the non-kicking foot plants, he will land as the ball is struck counter-acting the “flinch-factor.” When a ball is struck most keepers flinch before making their first movement towards the ball. This wastes time that could be spent moving to the save. It also breaks their proper set position by leaning backwards and away from the shot.

There are many easy ways to train these aspects of shot stopping and usually the simpler the better. For the first exercise, practice getting in the right set position, while following the rhythm of a shooter. Approach the ball as you were to strike it at goal and have the keepers follow that timing with out actually striking the ball yet. Make sure that the goalkeepers are in the right position with their feet shoulder-width apart and leaning forward with their chest over their knees.

After that has been mastered, move to the goal and have the goalkeepers roll a ball out to a shooter 16 yards from goal. As the ball travels to the shooter, the goalkeeper should steal ground and then follow the rhythm of the shooter as they get set and make the save. A good coaching position for this exercise is to the side of the goal, so you can watch the keeper and the shooter at the same time. Pay special attention to the “flinch-factor” and their timing.

The next exercise involves getting set while moving across the goal. Set the balls on one post with a server and the keeper on the other post. The shooter lines up across from the server. As the ball is rolled to the shooter, the goalkeeper comes across their line controlling their body as they get set for the save. Coach from behind the shooter, so you can see the balance and body control of the keeper. Remember, no matter where the goalkeeper is in the goal, the percentages of making the save are greater when he is set rather than still moving.

Sometimes the goalkeeper gets caught out of position and is forced to retreat back the goal. For this situation, it is important for the keeper to be able to shift weight from going backwards to forwards. Start the keeper on their 10 yard line and have them roll a ball slowly out to a striker, who is 20 yards from goal. As the ball is rolling, the goalkeeper must backpedal to goal until the striker is within distance to hit the ball. In this instance, the goalkeeper must act quicker to get themselves going forward. As the striker is one full step from planting their foot to strike, the goalkeeper must take a step forward to get their momentum changed. Now they can follow along with the same rhythm. Once again coach from the side to check for the correct stance and rhythm.

I am sure we have all seen the goalkeeper who gets beat by a shot and ends up falling on their backside because they were leaning backwards. And with today’s slow motion and great camera angles we can pick apart a keeper’s timing. It happens to the best of them at all levels from the youth to the professional internationals. Getting set can be a fraction of a second difference, but in this position, that time is an eternity. It can be the difference between the ball that just slips off the keeper’s fingers into the goal and the incredible diving save that is actually hung onto.