Goalie @ Corners
Now when defending a corner, the soccer goalie has a couple of things he needs to do. And once he’s done those, he has a couple more things to do. Carry on reading below and you’ll find out exactly what he has to do and how he can do it.
Place Your Players
Making sure your players (not just defenders) are all doing their jobs is important at corners. Here’s how you know what jobs need to be done and how to get people to do them;
1) Tell your left full back to stand by the left hand post. Tell your right full back to go and stand on the right hand post. (This could be near or far post depending on the side the corner is being taken from). They need to be inside the post and on the line. This makes sure you can see past them to the ball and that they are covering the maximum amount of the goal line.
2) If there is an opposition player crowding you, tell any one of your players to come and deal with him. Your player should get in the way of you and the opposition player so he can’t hassle you or stop you getting the ball when it arrives.
3) Get your biggest players (perhaps centre backs) to mark their biggest players. This minimises the chance of them scoring from the corner.
4) Tell all the other players to make sure they are each marking one opposition player. If any one memeber of your team is not doing anything and there are unmarked players, tell them to mark someone.
5) If the opposition look like they are going to take a short corner, tell one of your players to rush over to close them down.
Wow! There’s quite a lot for a soccer goalie to take in. But don’t worry, if you’re defenders know what they’re doing then they might do all this by themselves. But if they don’t, IT IS YOUR JOB to tell them what to do.
Stay or Go?
As the corner is kicked, judge whether or not it is in your reach. If you don’t know, a good indication is that if the ball is entering your six yard box it is probably the soccer goalie’s job to collect it.
If you decide the ball is too far away (e.g. penalty spot) then tell your defenders to get a head on the ball or clear it away so they know you are not coming to get it.
If you decide that the ball should be your’s and you decide to come for it, you need to get it. You can’t come half way and then go back, if you come you need to get it.
Let’s say you decide to come for the ball. Shout “KEEPERS!!!” whole heartedly. Move towards where you think the ball is going to go and don’t let anyone get in your way- be determined and strong. Your defenders SHOULD get out your way.
Get under the ball and jump with your arms up above your head. Catch the ball in a W when the ball is at its highest point possible for catching it. This ensures you will get to the ball before the strikers. Clutch the ball into your chest.
Sometimes you may have to punch the ball if you can’t catch, but this is not the preferred option.
Don’t worry if this is all a bit overwhelming- it is one of the hardest things about goalkeeping, particularly if you are not a very confident person. But persevere and be determined. If you make a mistake forget about it. Make sure that every time you go for the ball you YOU BELIEVE it is going to be your’s. Then you will be a much improved soccer goalie before you know it.
So What’s Next?
From the corner, either the opposition have scored or missed, your defence have cleared it for you or you have come for the ball.
If the opposition miss, you will need to take your goalkick. If they score then keep your head up.
If your defence clear it for you out of the penalty box then you need to shout at them to get out of the area and push up the pitch.
But if you have collected the ball from the corner yourself and you have it in your hands, rush forwards to the edge of your penalty area with the ball. If you have an unmarked striker try and get the ball to him with a drop kick. Then once the ball is in or near their half you can shout at your players to get out the area and push up the pitch.
But what if there’s no one to get the ball to? Then there’s no harm in hanging onto it. You’re the soccer goalie and the ball is safe in your hands. Wait until there is someone to distribute the ball to: with a roll, throw or kick.
So that’s corners. They are a very hard task for any soccer goalie so just keep revisiting this page until you can remember it all and feel more comfortable with it.
If you can, get someone to kick the ball to you so you can practice jumping up and catching the ball. The trouble is, it’s very hard to practice all the other bits like telling people where to go and what to do: the only places for this are training and matches.
That’s why reading all about what you have to do for corners is so crucial: because they are so hard to practice. Just get comfortable with what you have to do and this will improve the chances of doing it correctly in a match. Good luck!