Goalkeeper penalty tactics

[rsmith]

I’ve often wondered if a keeper standing in the middle of the goal for penalties is the best tactic. Bear with me…
Let’s take a keeper facing a Harry Kane penalty. Kane shoots both sides, so I don’t know which way he’ll go. But I do know the length of his run up and routine. I suspect Kane has decided in advance, which way he’ll go. In the moment before he starts his run, I take a big step to my left, and position myself to start running to my right. Now Kane has to make a recalculation during his run up. My theory is that it’s psychologically difficult to shoot to the side I’ve closed down, and much more attractive to shoot to the open side. Down the middle isn’t an option since by the time he strikes the ball, that’s where I’ll be, albeit running to my right. So, as keeper, I’m now fairly certain he’ll shoot to my right, even though the original intent might have been one of the other two options. Thus it’s now whether or not I’ve timed my run correctly to get there in time.

Any keepers or strikers here ever considered or faced this?

 

[Rob]

*ball trickles into lower-right corner at 2 mph*

 

[Nine while nine]

I’ve often wondered if a keeper standing in the middle of the goal for penalties is the best tactic. Bear with me…
Let’s take a keeper facing a Harry Kane penalty. Kane shoots both sides, so I don’t know which way he’ll go. But I do know the length of his run up and routine. I suspect Kane has decided in advance, which way he’ll go. In the moment before he starts his run, I take a big step to my left, and position myself to start running to my right. Now Kane has to make a recalculation during his run up. My theory is that it’s psychologically difficult to shoot to the side I’ve closed down, and much more attractive to shoot to the open side. Down the middle isn’t an option since by the time he strikes the ball, that’s where I’ll be, albeit running to my right. So, as keeper, I’m now fairly certain he’ll shoot to my right, even though the original intent might have been one of the other two options. Thus it’s now whether or not I’ve timed my run correctly to get there in time.

Any keepers or strikers here ever considered or faced this?

As an occasional keeper in my youth, by dint of not being great at the old 'running about a bit' rather than any particular manual dexterity, I too considered this. Surely, I thought, if I make a move to force the striker to shoot into the other side of the net, I'll know where the ball is going and I can leap into that corner as he strikes it, thereby saving the penalty and being hailed a legend by one and all. Sadly, I'd misjudged my ability to leap by a factor of about three. I ended up sprawling in the middle of the goal line like a particularly ungainly salmon and the ball rolled into the net unmolested.

I was not hailed a legend by one and all. I was, it turns out, a 'stupid ****'.

Now who's to say that an athlete of a different order couldn't make it work but, at the distinctly amateur level that I played at, it's a no.

 

[teok]

There was a keeper that stood to one side. Although my memory is terrible.

 

[UncleBuck]

Trouble is it’d take twice as long to get to the other side of the goal, you be lucky to get 3/4 across!
Like the thinking though as something has got to be done to give the keepers Union some sort of chance these days…

 

[Shanks]

Will post in this, just bumping it up

 

[Col_M]

There was a keeper that stood to one side. Although my memory is terrible.

it was you @teok you used to be a goalie.

 

[0v3rl0r9]

I used to pick a side, hop the other way and then back to the original side as the striker ran up and then dived. Can't say it worked particularly well but I certainly remember saving one like that.

Although my kit was basically a giant avocado for two seasons so maybe the intense green in the sunlight blinded them?

 

[Shanks]

We talk about penalties a lot in the house, as you get to the higher levels, you really have to start picking a side (of homework isn’t done for you), as those who play higher strike the ball differently and better.

you could chance it by standing or waiting to pick a side, but imagine the fans if a keeper didn’t attempt to save a shot.

there are some clues to how people run up too, if it’s tighter to the ball, usually going the way the foot they strike with, if wider, usually opposite side to the foot they kick woth.

mother thing to note, I think those silly little skip jumps that are around now are pretty easy to decide which side, it’s usually always going the same size as the foot take - right footer, going bottom right, it’s really difficult to get your foot to angle the other way….