Soccer Geek

Positioning is how a soccer goalie positions himself in the goal in relation to where the ball is.

If a keeper is in the right position in his goal for where the ball is at any given time, then he has a much better chance of saving the ball. Imagine you are standing on one post and someone shoots at the other- there is no way you could get across in time! So being in the right position is what gives the goalie a chance to save the ball in the first place.

In this page I’ll teach you two different tricks for working out your positioning and I’ll also tell you how to narrow the angle to minimise the opposition’s chance of scoring.

The Penalty Spot Method

The penalty spot falls 12 yards away from your goal and is exactly in line with the centre of it.

It is dangerous to turn round and look where you are in your goal because you won’t be watching what’s going on in the game. So the theory is that you can tell where you are just by looking at the penalty spot because that marks the centre of your goal. (I was taught this method by a soccer coach who has played for Fulham himself.)

If the ball is outside the area and in line with the centre of the goal, for example, the soccer goalie should be standing exactly in line with the penalty spot and a couple of yards off the line.

If the ball moves to one side of the penalty spot, then you need to move across your goal in line with the ball.

If the ball moves back over the other side of the pitch then you need to move back across your goal using the penalty spot as your marker.

You will see professional soccer goalies moving back and forth across their goals constantly to follow the play. Never should they leave a big gap in one side of the goal. If the ball moves one side, they move that side and so on…

In truth this technique is difficult to get the hang of and for some time you may find yourself leaving gaps in the goal where you haven’t found the right position. If that’s the case, why not try this next method?

The Imaginary Line

My father (who was also a soccer goalie) showed me this little trick many years ago when I first learnt to goalkeep. It lets you find the perfect position in you goal so that the opposition cannot find a gap- it has served me well and now I hope you can use it to your advantage.

Here’s a step by step guide on how to use an imaginary line to get yourself in the right position in the goal.

1) Quickly look back at the centre of your goal (looking for a long time will be dangerous but a quick glance shouldn’t hurt as long as the opposition are not immediately threatening your goal)

2) Look at where the ball is

3) Draw an imaginary line in your head between the centre of your goal and the ball. This is the line you need to stand on at all times.

4) Imagine that this fixed line is attached to the centre of your goal the whole time. When the ball moves this line simply shifts in angle so that it is always between the centre of the goal and the ball.

5) Move along this line so that you are always in line with the ball and the centre of your goal at once.

But only half the genius of this little trick can be seen from this explanation. The complete soccer goalie needs the whole package, so here’s the other half;

Narrowing the Angle

You still have your imaginary line. It moves according to wherever the ball is. Now you need to know how far you can move along that line and why you would want to.

Simply by being on the line you are limiting the gap the opposition have to shoot into. But if you move out along the line you will notice that that gap then becomes even smaller.

By moving out along the imaginary line away from your goal line you are narrowing the angle the striker has to aim at. If you move out far enough, soon there will be little gap at all. Wherever the striker shoots the ball, you will be able to reach it. Just go out onto a pitch and try it for yourself- you will be amazed at how much easier this makes saving the ball.

There is one thing to be careful of though. If you move out too far from your goal the striker will be able to lob you- kick the ball over your head and score that way. So the balance between narrowing the angle and not getting lobbed is a fine one.

Nevertheless the imaginary line remains an excellent way to get your positioning right and to narrow the angle. Just make sure you don’t come out too far and that you don’t look for where the centre of your goal is for too long as then you wouldn’t be able to see what’s going on in the game.

Good luck and I hope these very valuable pearls of wisdom help your game beyond your expectations.