Tip #22
"READY POSITION"
As a goalkeeper, I am sure that you have heard about the "Ready Position" or "Getting Set" over and over and over again.
I ask you: "Have you perfected your Ready Position?"
A quick review:
- feet about shoulder width apart
- you are on the balls of your feet, not flat-footed, or on your heels
- body is balanced with your core weight located over the center of your feet
- knees slightly bent and your butt down
- shoulders slightly forward of your knees
- hips and shoulders square to your target
- hands in a neutral position in the center of your body
- upper body relaxed, your core and lower body poised
- head up and eyes to the ball
Simple enough one would think. Then why are so many keepers not ready when a shot is taken?
A keeper cannot be moving when the ball is struck; if he/she is doing so, then their chances of getting their bodies to the ball will be lowered. The biggest problem that I see with keepers, at all levels, is adjusting the timing of their ready position so that they are steady when the ball is being struck.
A mantra from Rob Nydick, the goalkeeper coach at Rutgers University is: "Feet set at foot strike", meaning that the time to settle into one’s ready position is when the attacker’s non-kicking foot is planted and their kicking foot is pulled back and ready to strike the ball. This takes concentration on the part of the keeper.
If you find that you think you are doing so but happen to still be moving when the ball is struck, then get set even earlier.
A simple exercise for working on your set position is as follows (thanks again to Rob):
- place two cones 1 yard apart
- stand to the side of one cone facing forward and get into a good ready position
- take a small step forward and pop into your ready position next to the other cone.
- HOLD YOUR SET POSITION FOR A SECOND
- then take a step backwards and pop into your ready position
- HOLD YOUR SET POSITION FOR A SECOND
- do this continuously for 20 - 30 seconds, concentrating on holding your set position on each rep
- This is not a exercise to see how many sets you can do in 30 seconds, it is an exercise that is meticulously carried out for perfection.
- after completing this particular movement, then repeat the same exercise except moving laterally (step left and pop into your set position; then step right and pop into your set position, etc.).
- focus on all of the above segments of your set position after each and every movement.
If you do this a couple of minutes everyday (it is a good little warm-up, as well), then you will be able to step into your Ready Position naturally.
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