Goalkeeper Hand Repair
 

       Dan Gaspar has provided a long article on dealing with goal keeper hand injuries.

There are three types of people who use their hands:

1. People who build and move things who use their hands.
    
2. People who use their hands and minds to create things.
    
3. People who use their hands, minds, and hearts.
    

      These people are called goalkeepers. They use their hands to control the ball and to communicate, their minds to make challenging decisions, and their hearts to express their passion for the art of goalkeeping. Goalkeepers are not better than anyone else, but they are very special and unique.

      I decided to write this article as a result of my experience with the rehabilitation of a professional goalkeeper after a hand injury. It will discuss some creative ways to physically and mentally rehabilitate a goalkeeper after they have suffered an injury to their hands. By the way, did you ever have an opportunity to look at a veteran goalkeeper's hands. Please take my advice, do no do it unless you feel like getting an upset stomach. It is awful! Goalkeepers' hands typically look like they have been caught in the door jam.

      Obviously, the requirements of a goalkeeper's job differs a great deal from the field players. The biggest difference is the use of the hands. A number of factors affect the goalkeeper's increased risk for injury. The keeper is always exposing themselves to high risk conditions. Therefore, their injury patterns are somewhat different from the rest of the team members. The keeper is often subjected to direct trauma. For example, these traumas include contact against opponents and teammates, landing on the ground, and stopping an object that is traveling with extreme velocity, the soccer ball.

     It is not uncommon for keepers to dislocate, fracture, or even experience joint and tendon damage in the fingers and the hands. These types of injuries generally occur when the ball makes contact with the hands and the keeper has not prepared the fingers technically to receive the ball properly. Another way that keepers often injure their fingers is when they use their hands for landing or have scraped them along the ground when attempting to make a save. Keepers may protect their head, knees, elbows, chest and shins with padding and shin guards. Unfortunately, the goalkeeper has little protection for the hands. Gloves are currently not well designed from an injury prevention perspective.

      Since the hands are crucial to the success of any goalkeeper, it is important that we are prepared to deal with this common goalkeeper injury. This article deals with my rehabilitation of the professional goalkeeper Mizuho who plays for Grampus Eight in Japan's "J" League. His injury was a small fracture to his second finger on his left hand.

     Here are some of the creative ways we worked with Mizuho:

      While his finger was in a splint, we focused on footwork, back passes, and abdominal and strength activities.

      Choreographed hand techniques: No gloves were worn. With goalkeeper gloves the keeper can hide catching deficiencies. While serving an imaginary ball, Mizuho had to read my body language to determine the type of shot I was delivering and his hands would form the shape of the ball and react accordingly. I refer to this method as "Technical Shaping." If this activity is done with intense concentration the goalkeeper can actually feel the ball in the hands. With this type of training there is no weight applied to the injured finger. We wanted to avoid any aggravation at this time.

      Hand and forearm flexor activities. Note: on all stretches hold for 10-12 seconds, exhale during the stretch and release slowly.
 

1. Sit or stand upright with your wrists flexed. Place the heel of one hand against the upper portion of the fingers of your other hand. Press the heel of your hand against your fingers.
    
2. Kneel on the ground with your arms extended and fingers pointed away from your body and lean backwards.
    
3. Same as #2 except fingers are pointed toward the body.
    
4. Same as #3 except the heel of each hand touching each other.
    
5. Hold arms chest high with the hands facing each other. Finger tips interlock and pull away. Reverse hand position.
    
6. Open and close your hands quickly for 20 seconds. Extend the fingers.
    

Introduction of Ball Activities:

       We introduce various size balls. This was important so Mizuho's finger would adapt to the different size balls to encourage his fingers to bend. We started with light objects and slowly progressed to heavier objects. The progression included objects such as balloons, tennis balls, sponge balls, golf balls, and beach balls. Gloves are not needed in this phase. We want to make sure that we can observe his finger movement and catching technique. Also, during this phase Mizuho was capable of doing many of these activities on his own time.

      The Fitness Ball was introduced. This is a size 5 ball that has an elastic cord attached to it. The ball is extremely light and was perfect for Mizuho at this phase of recovery. He would place the cord on his waist and was able to self serve for different types of saves.

      Next, we tossed a pendulum ball (a regular size 5 ball with a rope attached). As he caught the ball we gently pulled the ball away and he attempted to hold onto the ball. We pulled for five seconds and then released the tension.

      Finally, we introduce the regulation soccer ball. In this phase we allow gloves to be worn. This will protect the finger from the weight of the regular ball and it will reduce the "sting" of the shot. We begin with lob services from the hand. We then progress to soft shooting and conclude with hard shots. You will often notice that the keeper will have a tendency to withdraw their hands from the ball rather than attack it. This is normal. They are hesitant to project their hands to the ball for fear of reinjury. To help them, I would suggest you create activities that force them to step into the save. If their leg to the side of the ball is angled towards the ball, their hands will subsequently meet the ball earlier.

     Boxing is also introduced using a similar progression. Start with light balls and conclude with the regulation ball.

      When you sense the keeper is confident in shot handling, then you can reintegrate him or her with the team. This is the big test. With Mizuho, I plugged him into situations that required more communication than shot handling. I wanted the team to hear his voice again and at the same time I wanted him to get into a "comfort zone" before intense shooting activities. An injury is more than just physical, it is psychological as well. At times, it is the psychological side that takes the longest time to recover. When you are bouncing back from an injury that has kept you out for some time and now are injected back into the team, your first reaction is probably analogous to when you first got your driver's license. Remember that? It is your first time out on the street and the traffic is buzzing. The cars are passing you by, horns are blaring, and it looks like a mess at first. As a result of all the distractions, it seems like you have so many decisions to make at the same time. As time goes on and as you gain confidence, things balance out and it all looks normal. You focus on what is really important. It is the same for a keeper coming back for the first time. It is like a major traffic jam. The keeper will eventually make a save that gives him or her that secure feeling and he or she will say, "I am back.."
 

Hand Injury Prevention and Strengthening Ideas:

1. Finger tip push-ups.
    
2. Taping fingers. This will provide external support. Keepers should learn how to tape their own fingers and wrists. Taping should be done in the crisscross fashion with side support. Make sure your joints have mobility without any restrictions.
    
3. Hand grips with different tensions.
    
4. Hand and forearm stretches.
    
5. Weighted 3, 5, and 7kg ball. Otherwise known as medicine or keepers balls.
    
6. Hand resistance activities.
    
7. Have the goalkeeper hold a corner flag pole. Push and pull the pole as the keeper holds onto it with a firm grip.
    
8. Lots of special shot handling technical activities. Mastery in catching technique is your best prevention.
    
9. Gloves with hard wrist protectors. This helps to avoid hyperextension of the wrist.
    
10. It is advisable that a preseason examination is performed with inquiry about past injuries and an evaluation of any persistent symptoms. This will enable you to design a specific goalkeeper program that meets each individual goalkeeper's needs.
     

Mizuho's total recovery time was seven weeks.

Good luck and best wishes. Live Goalkeeping!!!

Yours in goal,

Dan Gaspar

Star Goalkeeper Academy Founder and Assistant
Goalkeeper Coach of Japanese "J" League Grampus Eight

Copyright 1996-2002 ©Les Sparks

Les Sparks had the Goalkeeper's Corner website for the Carolina United Soccer Club from 1996 - 2002. 

Created: 12/20/99
Last Updated: 03/26/07

Since February 24, 1999
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