GOALKEEPING

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 106, 7 May 1938, Page 4 (Supplement)

GOALKEEPING

I'he iiioitinii hi "iialkeejH'r is not. : r.irilv a .iirticult (me fur a player t' l till v»ith -u.-.-.-s. hut also a .lifli'iili file for a team lo plmv. Too nfteii do «<• >i-e in llu- lower jjraile*. m-w----corner-* to the game ["-rMia.led to take ~!i (lie task of yalkeeper. aivl here it is that eluh ntVu-ial-' make a lii-! ntictakc iM.alkeeping is an art and rt-i|i: ■< - .iu-t us niuili. if m>t 111,.1 V. -iu.h :i» iili* iitluT position I'll il., ric-M. The i-uiiilidate lor llii- - -.;:,'ii must b<- p>-;ii-iii-ally f«*arlt-***' ■ i .! ..'.!.■ to keep :i cool hea.l under :,i| ,;-. .iiii-iaiici-. H>- n>'i-1 lie :tU\- -.. ;;.;: k .|iii. kly an.l clearly an! : ~\e ■ :..■ c.uiragi- !>> lac. and eii- ...... •!•..in ,;.-,- i.in-.-e. Tlii> will, at ' :i. -:. i.tk<- s,,!ii.- d.'lriL'. but with each ..,:,.,. i,,. will tii .1 his oiiiih'ilence in-.■r.i-iij and in no time will lie ;.,,i !: _ up 1,, "real stingers"' without , ~n thii.king ab.mt tii—i»i. In ijiiite a minilier of instances the '•goalie"' will find that by using his judgment and anticipation of the rui! of play lie can avoid being a tarnirt for fie opposing forwards. It is not necessary for him to stand iitriween the goi " posts at all times, but —and here i= sre his judgment

i Mines int.i pluv- lie shi'iil'l collie out j iniii tin- .inli' anil moot t.lie attack.! 1 l-.e 1..,,;, Ikie|.<-r must h I way s re- i im-mLer lluit !'•• is the last line of i -lef.-iii-e itinl as such, a yieat deal 1 of tin- confidence «'f ill.- whole toum , reposes in liim. His showing during ; ;>. game can cither inspire <ir die-i .i.iir;:ue his team inatt-s. therefore j ht- niu.-t always lie ready to give of liis best, that the "ear used is the \eiy best that the flub can afford ami make sure that you keep it in IT"*"! euiulititin always. Pads should not lie too big or too heavy. otherwise you will be hampered in vuiir movements. If possible use instep puds for kicking, and make sure that your boots have good,

strong toe caps, otherwise the kicking might damage your toes. Use as much protection as possible, providing you can still move with igility and use your stick and feet without hindrance. Angles. A close study of the diagram showing the narrowing of the anglesshould be made. It will be seen that when a forward shoots from the centre of the circle the goalie has to be prepared to cover the whole width of the goal mouth, as the ball may be directed to either corner of the net. An inside forward, shooting from his position narrows the angle and the goalie can cover up more easily, whilst for a wing forward having a shot from a more acute angle, nearer the goal line, the goalie has only to stand close up against the post to successfully cover his goal.

Saving and Clearing. Remember, a goalkeeper can only kick tlie ball inside his own circle. Hβ will find that he will have to rely on his feet to a far greater extent than on his stick, and he must always be on his toes ready to

THE LAST LINE OF DEFENCE

spring into a suitable position for I'Wriuj; with a well diverted kick. In kii-king. the ball should lie carefully WHtclicil l-i-11 1. on to the toe. otherwise the kick is likely to he misjudged and a poor clearance will result i" the opposing forward pouncing on the hall again and initiating a fresh attack. In clearing always endeavour to aim for the side lines, never, unless absolutely forced to, clear down the centre of the Held. Face the ball always. Should you come well out to meet the attack and in trying to clear you miskiek and are forced to retire to your goal, do not turn round and run back, but face the attack and move backwards as fast as you can,

keeping your eyes on the ball tlie whole time. Should the occasion arise, do not hesitate to clear over the back line, if necessary, but only do so as a last resort. Special care should be exercised in dealing with the slow trickling, and the spinning ball. The best plan is to stop it first on the pads, then clear by kicking or hitting to the side line. To attempt a "speculator" hit or even a kick will oft times prove disastrous. In takinsr all shots on the pads first before attempting to clear is a dangerous practice as it will usually be found that the forwards havu rushed in to await the rebound, especially if the ball ha 9 been hit hard from well out. Therefore practise running to meet the ball ami kicking as it is coming towards you. Should the ball be hit from well outside the circle and your side is on the defensive it is better to let tin: hall go over the goal linn for tin , resulting -•"> yards bully, but if a Io!-g bit conies to you and your side is in an attacking position, then you should stop it and clear, changing the line of attack, being careful nut to give ''sticks" when making your hit."

Always remember you cannot play tile tja.ll without your :stirk in your hand. Do not sit or stand on the ball. Should, you be pushed over La

a melee and the ball is underneath you. unless you inovo off it immediatelv a penalty lmlly will lie incurred. And this brings us to another point. The goalkeeper should practise "bullying" with the centre forward, for such practice will stand him in good stead ill these circumstances. Never stay glued to the one spot. Move from side to side with the run of play and if you think you are out of position fei'l for the goal post with your stick. Always insist ou your backs triving you as clear a Vision of the hall as possible, especially in tight circle play. (To be continued.)