Being a goalie may be one of the most challenging positions on a soccer team.  You are responsible for ensuring that the other team does not score.  The hardest time to do this is often for penalty kicks – you do not have the advantage of being able to see the ball coming from downfield, and your opponent is much closer and has an unhindered view of the goal.  Here are some tips to help you keep the other team from scoring by predicting where the ball will be kicked.

When facing a player making a penalty shot, sometimes it helps to fake them out.  Move slightly to one side or the other when the opposing player runs up, and then dive the other way.  The running up will sometimes cause them to shoot for the opposite side, which will be directly into your dive.  However, this will only work if they take the bait.  If they call your bluff, then they will have an open zone to make a shot into.

Once you have gotten a little better, keep a close eye on the opposing player as they come up to kick the ball.  Watch their hips and the foot that the stand on, not the one that they kick with.  Most penalty shot makers will use the inside of their foot to kick, making it a little easier to predict where the shot is going.  For right footed players the following will most likely hold true:  If the foot they stand on is pointing straight or to the left, they will shoot left; if the foot is pointing to the right but their hips are straight, they will shoot left; and if the foot is pointing to the right and the hips are to the right, they will shoot right.  If you are dealing with a player who left footed, just use the opposite.

Another thing that goalies must rely on is their instinct as well as their training.  As you play the sport longer, you will get a “feel” of where the ball is going by reading other players’ body movements, eye and facial expressions, and looking for patterns in their kicking style.  Once you have that “feel”, go with your gut.  If you try to think too much about the situation, you will have your timing off and will miss the incoming shot.

Always keep your cool when goal tending, particularly for penalty shots.  Remember, it is not the end of the world if a ball gets past you.  No one can block every single ball from every single shot.  Most penalty shots are goals because the goalie was able to be tricked by the other player, or the goalie just plain guessed where the ball was going.  Always keep you eye on the ball.  Watch it for as long as possible so that you know exactly where it is going.  Keep your mind clear and focus only on the ball.  For example, if it is low and to the right dive as hard and as fast as you can to the right side, keeping your arm and fingers extended just a couple of inches above the ground.  Once you have committed to a move, stick with it – change your mind at the last moment and the ball may sneak underneath you.

Another thing that you can do is watch the eyes of the opposing player.  While their body maybe going in one direction, chances are their eyes are roaming around looking for a place to get that shot in.  Watching the movement of their eyes may give you some insight onto what they are thinking.  However, always keep one eye on the ball so that they do not fake you out and go the opposite direction.

As with any other part of soccer, you must practice, practice, practice.  Have teammates practice penalty shots against you.  During practice games, have them come at you from all angles so that you can start to anticipate the ball coming.  Watch players to look for signs as to where they are headed.  Get a close to a real game situation as possible.

Take advantage of these tips, and you should soon start to see your soccer goalie skills improve!

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