How Far Should Goalkeeper Communication Travel?
Commanding your back line is a daunting task for any goalkeeper. Now, imagine commanding your whole team when your second language is not English? Huge difference isn't it? If all you hear on the field is the dull thud of the ball, and the chirping of crickets in the background, something just isn't right.
We see the thunderous mistakes of goalkeeping heroes, and we point the finger at technique or lack in some aspect of the goalkeepers ability. What we tend to forget is that many goals are at fault not because of poor ability, rather a lack of communication.
But, is proper goalkeeping communication limited to the 18 yard box, or should it stretch well past the confines of the goalkeepers own little world?
Communication (especially for goalkeepers) has several steps (we go over these in our free 10 Week Report). Many of these processes can, and are, significantly skewed during the course of the competitive match. Some of the things that hinder a goalkeepers efforts at communicating effectively include:
Noise: Imagine the difference in the delivery of your commands with 6 people watching...and 60,000 people watching? Filtering through the noise during a competitive match is vital to the success of the team unit as a whole. There are many ways to succeed in communicating effectively without blowing your lungs into oblivion, one of which entails non verbal signals (like hand signals for example).
Destination: If you have an eagle eye view of every action being fought out on the park, how effective do you think your team would be if every message you sent out to your back line could be read and understood by the guys/girls in the middle of the pitch and beyond? Very effective! Great goalkeeping communication should not just be aligned with how you talk it out with your back line, it should reach out to your midfield and attacking players as well.
Great communication breaks down barriers, and it does not matter if you can't speak a word of English. The human body has many ways of communicating other than your vocal chords, so using the hands and eyes are also great subtle cues to help maximize and relay your thoughts to your team mates.
Now, when we talk about the mistakes that high profile goalkeepers make, we sometimes miss the boat and forget to look at the fact that many goals are brought about by a lack of communication by the goalkeeper to their outfield player.
Effective communication really has no barriers, and great goalkeepers know that their communicative efforts travel far beyond their 18 yard box, and act as an aid for not only defensive play, but attacking play as well. So when you are communicating with your team-mates, be sure it reaches far and wide, no one can hear a pin drop in a field of bustling players.
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John Stevanja
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Reader Comments (4)
Allan, it really depends on the level of the goalkeeper, if either or both matches are hard or easy, what time of the season it is, and how the goalkeeper feels.
This is why each and every player needs their own individual training program that is tailored specifically to their own personal goals and one which helps iron out weaknesses throughout the training year.