by Craig Buck

Created on: May 05, 2010

People say that soccer goalkeepers only play there because they are not good enough to be outfield players, however,  nothing could be further from the truth.  The goalkeeper is a very specialist position and having the luxury of a high quality keeper could prove the difference between winning and losing.  It is a simple fact that if you don't concede a goal, you don't lose the match, making the goalkeeper's role vitally important.  The majority of top goalkeepers tend to be tall people which obviously helps them get to high crosses and shots that are placed right in the corners of the goal.  Although height is a distinct advantage, it doesn't mean that shorter players do not make good goalkeepers.

Regardless of height, in order to be a high quality goalkeeper, anyone wishing to play the position must excel in the following areas :-

Footwork

Getting your feet moving as a goalkeeper is the very first skill you need to learn.  Most people assume that handling comes first but if you are not in the right position to claim the ball then you are not going to be very successful.  A goalkeeper should always be on their toes and should follow the ball irregardless of when it is on the pitch.  This may seem like a strange comment but a goalkeeper should always be on the move and even when the ball is at the other end of the pitch, the goalkeeper should be moving out towards his own penalty spot so that, should the opposition break, he has the perfect starting position to gather any ball which breaches the defence.

Good goalkeepers will take up excellent positions through their footwork.  What this means is that it is not necessarily the top keepers who you constantly see throwing themselves as far as they can in order to make a save.  As the top keepers already have their feet in the correct position, they are able to make saves much easier as they do not have as far to travel.  Good footwork also allows goalkeepers to maintain the correct angle.  Being at the correct angle makes it harder to get beaten as you are covering as much of the goal as you possibly can, thus maximising your chances of being able to reach the ball.

Handling

A good goalkeeper will typically be a very good catcher of a ball.  A keeper with good handling takes the pressure off his defenders because, as soon as the ball is safely in the goalkeeper's hands, the attack is stopped.  Safe handling does not only apply to stopping shots,

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