KEEPERS RESOURCES

Pages

Useful Web Links

BLOG

COMPETITIONS

RANGES

SETTING UP DEEP AT PENALTY CORNERS

Setting up deep at penalty corners

BY Dan Pilgrim August 6, 2012

Watching top level domestic and international hockey, you will notice goalkeepers setting up deep within their D against penalty corners. Most of the Hoofdklasse goalkeepers do this, as do the goalkeepers in the English national premier league, for example, as can be evidenced from footage on YouTube! As the drag flick has become more prevalent, so have goalkeepers (as amazing as they are!) adapted to the shooter’s tendencies by changing the way they face penalty corners.

goal_line_corner_example1 — Phil Carr of Oxted sets up deep within the D against this short corner.

The following clip is an example of this (around 2:38 playing time and later), with Beeston’s George Pinner, who stays deep in his D against corners, demonstrating the technique and also the dangers of setting up versus deflections and well rehearsed routines:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHfa5dfuZVg

Why?

The reason goalkeepers play deeper against a shooter during penalty corners comes down to reaction speeds. With the speed of a fast drag flick coming at the goalkeeper, by staying deep, the goalkeeper has more time to react. The faster the flick, the quicker the goalkeeper needs to be. If they were further out, they would arguably have less time to react and so would be beaten more easily (theoretically!). Instead, by standing as close to the goal line as possible they increase the reaction time i.e. they give themselves longer to react and make their selection of technique (diving, doing the splits to stop the ball with the kicker etc.) to stop the ball.

How?

This is fairly obvious and is almost self explanatory! As you step out from behind the goal line as the injector pushes the ball out, you take a small step forward. Rather than taking two or three larger steps as you would normally do for challenging the shooter more, simply take a small step out so you are close to the goal line. Some goalkeepers stand so they are almost literally on the goal line, but it depends on how you want to play the situation. As you move up levels of play or are starting to face drag flicks for the first time, you can adjust to your normal positioning by taking a step or two back from your normal set-up. Practise will help you work things out, but personal preference will probably define how you set up.

Watch how Whitchurch’s goalkeeper (the one in orange!) sets up on penalty corners, demonstrate how this technique works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkEFknB9xf0

Reacting quickly

Watching the flight of the ball as it comes in, the goalkeeper has to react athletically to reach and extend to the top or bottom corners of the goal which are more visible for the flick taker due to the goalkeeper’s deep positioning. Due to the goalkeeper’s deep positioning in the D, there is more shooting space visible to the shooter as a result of not challenging the angles. Whilst the deep positioning is helpful for reaction times, the goalkeeper consequently has to react more athletically, exploding into the save and stretching out to reach the space that has been left exposed. When watching goalkeepers stop shots like this when facing penalty corners, you will notice how they will often dive into the save in order to reach the ball.

The following clip at around 1:52 shows the goalkeeper react well athletically to stop the ball deep in the D:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz2-2JPdphI

goal_line_corner_positioning_deep — A goalkeeper positioned more deeply has more time to react but shows more shooting space.

Using the technique

Goalkeeping can often come down to knowing what to do when. In the case of the technique, if you’re going to be facing a lot of drag flicks, then you are likely to be setting up close to the line as standard if you prefer to react rather than challenge. However, if you do not trust your ability to athletically stop a flick, and prefer to aggressively challenge with your positioning, then this might not be for you. Trying things out and keeping your options open however will give you more ways to keep the ball out of your goal at the end of the day!

Comments

peterkeeper.No4

2012-08-06 21:09:15

Im a keeper from Melbourne, Australia and 16 years of age i use this technique constantly and is very very effective. I grew up playing with a drag flicker so over time this has helped me. i take 2 steps of my line due to my height, but when you are in this position, make sure you are stationary and do not react until you can see the ball coming, otherwise you will predict and being in this position its not a good thing to do. Being a keeper who likes to dive i tend to dive for these flicks, how ever if you are taller it is a good idea to practice lunges into the corners, as if one is executed correctly, it results in an efficient save.

Gerald22

2012-08-07 10:29:52

I see the point of this technique, but To me it has a few yet important drawbacks. First of all: you don't really have a chance of saving balls aimed at the top corners of your goal. A good example is the third goal for Akademischer in the second video. The goalie tries his best, but the goal is just to "big" for him to make that save. If he'd been a few steps closer to the flicker, his chances might have been better. Next: if you produce a rebound, the ball tends to be closer to your goal, leaving you and your team with a very dangerous situation and very limited time and space to clear it. And last but not least: you are far more likely to catch a goal with a deflected shot. The closer you stand to the deflecting player, the better your chances are of getting hit by that ball. With a deflected ball you simply have no time to react, so you have to save that ball with your positioning. Anyway, if your the kind of goalie who makes saves by having awesome reflexes, this technique might be right for you. I prefer averting situations before they even get dangerous, e.g. intercepting a pass before the attacker gets it, rather than responding to his shot, because my reflexes never were that kind of lightning-like. So my way of playing is quite aggressive, which doesn't suit every goalie, too. So, as usual: it depends.