Properly Catching the Ball (NEWSLETTER #6) 

A friend of mine told me about his daughter’s team losing a big game this weekend, and apparently their ‘coach’ had made a remark after the game that they ‘could have tied the game if the goalkeepers knew how to properly catch a ball’. Even if this were true, which I am sure it isn’t, the coach should never have made these comments in front of other players. Also, being the coach,  isn’t he the one responsible of teaching his goalies how to catch a ball? I’m sorry, it just always aggravates me when people attack the goalkeepers, especially if they don’t know what they are talking about.....

Now this particular game was an U13 game, which makes it extra interesting. Most people (including many coaches) don’t even realize why it’s harder for a 13 year old to catch a ball than most any other age. Think about it. Most 12/13 year olds have small hands that are still growing, but at the same time they are expected to catch the same size ball that grown men catch! Remember that this is the first year that they play with a size 5 ball. Of course they are going to struggle, and of course they are going to drop some balls! Since we cannot speed up nature and make their hands grow we will have to stick to at least teach them how to properly catch a ball, and keep on repeating this in every single goalkeeper training session until it becomes automatic.

How do we teach them to properly catch and hang on to a ball? Many might argue that first they need to be taught proper footwork, because the feet need to get the hands in the right position to catch the ball. Although I fully agree with that statement, I am going to assume that the goalie’s footwork is good and that we can move on to catching the ball, even if it were just for the sake of the topic of this newsletter. A simple goalkeeper training exercise to improve catching that I use a lot (as a warm-up) with my younger keepers (U9-U16) goes as follows:

1) If needed, show the proper hand positioning for catching a ball. Personal preference dictates whether they want to use the Diamond (pic1) or the 'W' (pic2) positioning. As long as the hands are nicely rounded (pic3) and behind the ball, and not flat (pic4) or on the side of the ball (pic5).

                               pic 1                                                   pic 2

2) Next show the proper arm and wrist positioning. Make sure the arms are bent at the elbows (pic6), and the wrists are an extension of the arms (in a straight line) and never bent backwards (pic4).

3) Now have your goalkeeper sit down in athletic position with her hands out front, palms facing the field (pic8). Make sure their back is straight and now serve the ball to her with your hands, and aim for the face (man I love my job!). Now watch for the goalkeeper to keep her eye on the ball the whole time, before, during and after the catch. For optimal catching practice use the SuperGoalie training ball (pic9) which will significantly improve their focus on the ball. Also watch for their backs being straight (pic10). The whole reason we have them sit down is to watch their hands, arms and their back. Make sure they do not lean back when they catch the ball (pic11). We want our keepers to create good habits, one of them being not leaning back when catching a ball.

4) Now stand a few yards away from the keeper and volley the ball to her, gently, don’t try to kill her. As her catches continue to be good then slightly increase the pace on the ball. Again, watch the hands, arms and back.

5) Next have the goalkeeper sit on her knees, back straight, and face you/the server (pic12). Repeat the above (first throw, then volley) with the same coaching points.

6) Now have the keeper stand up (pic13) and repeat the above. So start with throwing the ball towards her face, and progress to volleying the ball. From there move onto whatever catching activity you had planned. 

The above fundamental catching progression is perfect to work on proper hand and arm positioning, as well as the goalkeeper’s posture. It works well in all youth age groups, and I recommend a lot of repetition of this particular goalkeeper training activity.

A special thanks to Meghan, for being my model for this newsletter, and helping me illustrate my points to our members. As always, God bless you and please feel free to email me ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) should you have any questions or comments, or if you would like your question published in a future newsletter.

Erik.