Playing as a goalkeeper for any stretch of time could mean that at one point or another you’ll have to deal with an injury. It’s a strange concept because we don’t see some of the top pro keepers get hurt all that much, and these days goalkeepers are playing to very ripe old ages. When you look at it that way it may be hard to grasp your head around the fact that goalkeepers take much more of a beating in training than field players. That’s why there are common goalkeeper injuries, that essentially we are all dealing with, and many times still out there.
That may be the first thing that’s important to point out, there are common goalkeeper injuries, like bumps and bruises that you’re going to have to learn to play through. Particularly if you are serious about making a career out of this or even just keeping your starting spot in your Sunday league team. Part of the article is meant to provide a bit of a guide to know when the issue is serious enough that you should stop and see a doctor. Compared to something that you can realistically play through. Tolerance to pain, really how bad you want it to come into play, but it’s a hard line to tread.
As is the case with many of these health articles, I have to say ultimately I’m not a doctor, but I’m speaking from goalkeeping experience. From goalkeeping experience I could actually say there’s no way that you’ll be able to see a doctor after every single session. Yet, you may have some pain after every session. That’s exactly the paradox that I want to help solve through this article.
Broken Fingers & Wrists
I wanted to start here, because I’m dealing with a broken finger issue at the moment. Definitely, this is a topic that’s naturally fresh for me. For starters, these issues are more common if one or both of these situations is present. Number one if you don’t have proper technique you’ll have a better chance of getting hurt. This is something that can be said in just about every single injury scenario. For the most part, you want to attack the ball even if you’re trying to make a clean catch. Waiting back for the ball with soft hands is never what you want to do. Give my catching technique article a read. I explain this in greater detail there. Making sure your hands are in the right possession and essentially tense, and not just dangling out there is key to avoiding injuries.
What you also don’t want to do, particularly for smaller children is put them into play with older kids. You’re going to want to walk that line very graciously because there’s always some value in upping the level of competition. With the smaller age groups though ball speed can change a ton from one age group to the next. You may be putting your kid in too much of a risk playing him against older people. Taping the wrists, and the hands are ways to avoid these issues. Also getting the right size gloves is key!
Also, sometimes you’re just unlucky, I’ve replayed the play where I broke my finger in my head, and there’s really not much I could’ve done. These may be common issues, you can do your best to avoid them, and generally you can avoid them. I have two broken fingers in 20 years of this so it’s not overly common. Good training, and proper equipment can help mitigate most of these issues.
Bumps & Bruises What’s Ok & What’s Not
Bumps and bruises are a law of the land in goalkeeping. Most people are not even going to call them common goalkeeper injuries just because it comes with the territory. Where you’re bruising from though can really help you find out what you’re doing wrong. For example, if you continuously have issues on the side of your knee from diving to a particular side you may be diving wrong. Scrapes in the front of the knee may be more common, and ok for plays when you’re trying to block a shot in a 1v1 situation. When you’re diving to one side though the knee should not hit the ground first, so that’s something to watch out for.
Having issues with your shoulder can also denote that you’re diving wrong. You have to see that the back of the shoulder area in your jersey is covered in grass stains, not the shoulder area directly. From there, scraped elbows and knees are going to be a common occurrence, but again there’s not much that can be done there. What’s unfortunate is when you hit your funny bone or something like that. Those things hurt, and you may be dealing with the bruise for a while, but there’s really not much that can be done to eliminate these issues. Most of the bumps and bruises are going to come with the territory, except many of these that we’ve already described.
Common Goalkeeper Injuries Shoulder Injuries
It’s the back of the shoulder that you want hitting the ground, not your shoulder directly where your whole weight is going to fall on that area. Most shoulder injuries that I see in the game, and that I’ve had are unfortunate falls. What I mean by that is that I came out to collect a ball, got knocked around in the air, and landed awkwardly. We see those with field players as well, most of the issues happen exactly when you land directly on your side, so the whole weight of your body is landing on the shoulder. In those situations, broken collarbones, a shoulder separation or dislocation, and ligament damage in the area can be common injuries.
Are there ways to avoid these issues? Well, these things should never actually happen at all with the proper technique. Shoulder issues from diving, particularly outside of a game should not happen. Most of the problems are really accidents, or plays where you’re in the area and someone contacts you and you fall awkwardly. Proper goalkeeper diving technique should totally eliminate shoulder issues in training. Now, to fulfill this, coaches should also limit high risk exercises where an injury can happen with kids who are not at that level. You have to go to aviation school to earn your wings before your coach has you jump over a bar or cones to reach a high ball. It’s a process you can’t have kids without the right training doing dangerous drills.
Dealing With An Elbow Issue
I talked about the funny bone impacts that feel weird. I’ve always thought that these were in essence bad luck. The bumps and bruises on the elbow usually come from hitting rocks when you dive low. Also, in turf fields those rug burns if you will are going to be super common in the elbow area. Ultimately what you’re doing if you’re diving to a low correctly is that you’re dragging your arm through the turf. Of course you’re going to get scrapped along the way. That’s why I mentioned in the beginning there are bumps and bruises that come with the territory. It’s not necessarily feasible to see a doctor after every session unless you’re lucky enough to have one at home who can tend to your numerous goalkeeping injuries.
Most of the more serious elbow issues come from diving to high balls, or training exercises gone wrong. As I’ve just described, when you’re diving to a low ball there’s a good chance to scrape your elbow, but doing more damage than that is less likely just because of how close you are to the point of impact. When you jump up though, and you land directly on the elbow region that can be a problem. Again, proper diving technique is going to be key to avoiding these issues. As is, making sure that you’re not doing training exercises that are above your level of expertise as a goalkeeper. I encourage parents to not necessarily nag on their kids goalkeeping coaching, but really monitor injuries, and how they can relate to what they’re being taught.
Common Goalkeeper Injuries Calf Strains, & Leg Issues
When you’re doing high intensity goalkeeper training these issues could come about rather frequently. There are a couple of things that you need to watch out for. Number one, if you’re going to go from an amateur level of goalkeeping to a more professional or college level play where you’ll be training everyday, do yourself a favor and prepare for it physically as much as you can beforehand. Gradually increase your training intensity before you go to the new team, and do some more cardio, and stretching exercises to try and get your muscles ready. For me it was a big shock going from the amateur ranks to the pro level physically. You’ll get used to it, and with proper diets, and the right training routine you’ll be fine eventually.
The problem is you may not get the chance to stabilize yourself, and get used to a more rigorous training program. You may be on trial, and an injury can literally derrail you. Other than the recommendations that I’ve already made it may also be wise to speak with coaches and really have them bring you along at the right peace. Not everyone is going to be able to jump up and down and dive from side to side 200 times every day. That can take a toll on your body that you never imagined. Work up to it, do personal training to match the intensity levels that you’re going to be thrust into and stretch! I did swimming after sessions to help the body recover while also putting in some work, and that helped me even out with the rest of my teammates.
Take Every Precaution Necessary With Head Injuries
There are two types of head injuries: the avoidable ones, and the unavoidable ones. When they happen the best thing that you can do is take every precaution necessary. If you have a very competitive kid as a parent you may need to step in and say that’s enough when you see something happening. Let’s get to the avoidable ones, and these occur usually when diving, or diving wrong as is the case with many of the other injuries. Hitting the post with your head is usually a sign that you’re diving wrong. You shouldn’t be standing right on the line for the most part, and you should dive forward, not backward. Doing this the right way is going to allow you to keep your head out of trouble for the most part.
When you know you’re beat, diving backward may be the only way to get to the ball. In that case you hope for the best, that falls under the unavoidable type of injury list. Also falling on your head when diving is a common mistake. I had an issue like this when you tend to want to look back when the ball is past you to see where it ended up. Don’t look forward once you fall then find the ball. Most of the unavoidable common goalkeeper injuries that are head injuries happen when you collide with a teammate or a rival. These tend to happen in crosses, and in 1v1 situations. That’s why speaking is important if you’re going out for a ball. Ultimately most of these are not avoidable at all.
Common Goalkeeper Injuries Conclusion
Getting nicked up as a goalkeeper is virtually unavoidable. Particularly when it comes to action in games because you won’t be able to control the dive angles, and what happens on the pitch as much as you should be able to control in training. Other than a freak accident, no one should get hurt in training, that should be the responsibility of the coaches that are on hand to know their players, and their limitations. Trying to do too much, or playing above your age level can lead to unnecessary injuries. As I’ve mentioned freak injuries do occur, but for the most part with the right technique, and appropriate intensity in training you should be ok. Bumps and bruises are going to be hard to shake off. I may do a recovery article to give tips on how to deal with those!
