The Kidzworld Coach has all your sports and fitness advice. This week, we teach you how to be a better soccer goalie.
So ya dig sports but need some help with your game? Don't understand some of the rules of football, basketball or hockey? Got a gripe about P.E. class, skateboarders, cheerleading, coaches, or anything? Why not ?
Hey Coach,
Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a soccer goalie. The problem is I'm not that good. My team has been losing and I have been scored at a lot. I want to get better. What should I do?
sWEEtAnN46
sWEEtAnN46,
The first thing I want to tell you is not to give up! If being a goalie is what you want to do, then by all means stick with it. You are still young and have plenty of time to improve so there is no need to sweat it. Practice and experience are the keys of learning.
The first thing you have to work on is the mental aspect of goal keeping. I once heard a hockey goalie say that 90 percent of being a good goalie is mental strength. Same thing goes for soccer goalies. You must be confident that you can do a good job. You also must be courageous. You have to go all out when you are a goalie - even if this means diving. If an opponent sees that you are timid, they will take advantage. And the last aspect of mental toughness is focus. Don't worry about who is in the crowd, or what homework you have to do - keep your mind on the game and be ready for anything that comes your way. If you get scored on, you should not let it bother you so much. Try to stay focused no matter what happened before.
As for on the field goes, make sure to play your angles. Understanding angles and positioning will give your opponents the least amount of net to kick to. That is why you have to move up sometimes, so that they can take away those shooting angles. It is also important to read the opposing players. Watch their non-kicking foot and hips because it will give you an idea what direction they are going to kick the ball. The majority of the time, the direction of where the opposite foot is pointing is where the ball is going to be shot to.
Last but not least, you must be in good shape. A goalie's conditioning is different from other soccer players because it is more anaerobic than aerobic. This means you must have explosive power for short stints, since being a goalie is a lot of stop-and-go type of movements like diving. Do things like running hills, as well as lunges and sit ups.
If you practice these tips and continue to work hard and play regularly, you will see the number of goals scored on you decrease!
Do you need tips or advice on sports, fitness or health? to the Kidzworld Coach. Keep in mind peeps, the Kidzworld Coach isn't a doctor or a professional athlete or anything like that. He's just a dude who digs sports, plays 'em and knows a lot about 'em. You should always talk to your 'rents, a doctor or your school gym teacher before starting a new sport or a new exercise.
Related Stories:
