With the results of so many matches, even World Cup Finals, being decided
on penalties, the technique of saving them has assumed greater significance
in the modern game
These notes are taken from: Welsh, A (1998) The Soccer Goalkeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide for Players and Coaches
As in one-against-one situations, the pressure during penalty kicks is on
the player and not the Keeper since,once the ball is placed on the spot a
goal is the expected outcome. Furthermore, during penalty shoot-outs the stress
on the penalty taker is even greater, especially when scores are close. This
is particularly true for those players who are not the regular penalty taker. For
this reason the Keeper might wish to adopt different strategies to suit the
situation.
There are two basic techniques:gambling by moving early, or standing up to
react to the shot.
Moving Early
The reason why the goalkeeper moves early is because a shot aimed into the
corner with pace will otherwise be impossible to save. There are a number
of ploys that the goalkeeper can use to assist this guess-work.
Assessing the player taking the kick
Generally speaking,defenders take fewer risks than midfield or forward
players and tend to play safe by pushing the ball to the same side as the
kicking foot. Tricky,skillful players may try to fool the goalkeeper by clipping
the ball to the opposite side of the kicking foot.
Trying to "dummy" the kicker
As the player runs up to take the kick,the keeper feints to move in one
direction. The object is to make the kicker think that the keeper is going
to dive that way. As a result he places the ball on the other side into the
arms of the keeper.
Moving backwards and forwards along the goal line.
By moving to and fro along the goal line the keeper may put the player off
and cause him to misdirect the shot. However, it must be remembered that it
is very difficult to dive in one direction while moving in the other.
Standing on one side of the goal
Standing slightly to one side of the centre of the goal may also disrupt
the concentration of the kicker who may be forced to change his original
intention. It is a brave player who will direct the shot towards the smaller
part of the goal. So the goalkeeper should gamble and move to cover the bigger
gap.
Observing the approach of the kicker
The run up of the kicker can give some idea of his body position as he strikes
the ball and therefore, an indication of its intended destination. If the player
addresses the ball from a head-on and a very straight approach (A), then it
is highly unlikely that he will be able to play the ball the same side as
the kicking foot. The shot will either be delivered straight or swung across
the body into the opposite corner. If the approach is curved (B), the kicker
is likely to shoot to the same side as the kicking foot. From an angle but
fairly straight run-up (C), the shot is likely to be placed back across the
keeper.
![[Image]](pict280.jpg)
Reacting to the shot
During normal play it is likely that the keeper will face the regular penalty
taker who will probably have a tried-and-tested approach and sufficient composure
to execute an accurate shot. However, in the shootout as the pressure mounts, the
taker may lose his nerve and aim. Indeed, personal research of many penalty
shoot out situations has indicated that the majority of shots are played
towards the centre of the goal. The keeper should play percentages and concentrate
on defending the middle 6 yards of the goal: the temptation to dive early
should be resisted in favour of reacting to the shot.
Whatever saving method is used,it would be unrealistic to expect success
every time. Experience will indicate which is the most effective strategy
and the keeper should persevere with it. The goalkeeper should of course, practise
the various saving methods, but it is difficult to recreate the tension of
real match situations during training sessions since the penalty takers will
be fairly relaxed in their approach and be therefore more prepared to take
risks.
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