The first thing that I need to get out here real fast is that you can hurt yourself when playing goalkeeper. Even the best of them have had injuries. Of course, with proper technique you’re going to be able to lower your risk of getting hurt. That’s mainly what I’m going to be talking about here. Another thing that I feel obligated to clear up is that goalkeeper training takes quite a physical toll on the body. Even if you’re not “hurt” after training there’s a chance that something is going to hurt. Again I have to state the obvious, if you do things right you’ll be at lower risk of getting hurt. Also, you kind of become accustomed to some of the aches, and pains of the trade.
The true answer to “How do goalkeepers not hurt themselves when playing” is through technique as I’ve established. The way that you go about doing this is key. There’s essentially technique involved in every aspect of goalkeeping. You can get hurt for example making a catch or a save, but if you’re using proper technique you’re lowering the risks. Obviously, diving is the big one that people are concerned about. Again if you’re playing on a rough field even if you have perfect technique you can still hurt yourself. One of the solutions is to make sure that you’re wearing the right type of gear! I’ve given out a couple of nuggets already, so let’s get going to find out how you can avoid hurting yourself as a goalkeeper.
How Do Goalkeepers Not Hurt Themselves When Playing? – Dressing The Right Way
I know that up to this point I’ve made it clear that technique is the most important thing to ensure that you can play without hurting yourself. I believe that to be true, but the first thing that you’re going to be able to do even before you have the right technique is dress accordingly to minimize your chances of getting hurt. Does this mean that you have to fill yourself with elbow and knee pads, a helmet and virtually anything that you can find for protection? Maybe not, particularly for younger kids. You want to protect them, but not put too much weight on them to where it’s going to limit their movements. There’s a fine line between the two. How would I recommend dressing up?
For starters, it’s going to be a long sleeve shirt and pants. If you can go out and get an actual goalkeeper jersey with padding on the sides, and then goalkeeper pants with padding as well that’s ideal. Make sure that the clothes fit right, because this is what’s going to allow the pads to essentially naturally sit where they need to be. If you buy and outfit for example that you want your kid to be able to grow into this won’t happen. Start there, and if you notice pain or issues with injuries to other parts of the body you can look into using knee pads, elbow pads, helmets and all of the extra stuff.
Diving Technique Is Key
There’s a full article on this already on the site, so I’m going to gloss over this topic. It’s certainly a complex topic, because it is the basic motion of goalkeeping if you will. A lot of times we spend years and years trying to shift and perfect what we’re doing. Some of the common issues with technique that lead to injuries include things like landing on your knees. When you’re diving to the side that’s not something that should be happening. If the first thing that’s hitting the ground is your knees, something is up. In general terms when you’re diving you’re pushing off on the leg that’s on the side that you want to dive to. Pushing off correctly should allow you to stretch your leg out enough to where you’re landing on the side of your thigh which is what you want to do.
Being able to perfect that specific motion and replicate it regardless of whether you’re diving low or high is key to avoiding injuries. Your arms are also a part of your body that you want to stretch out when you dive. If you tuck your elbow in when you dive, and you hit the ground hard that can cause all sorts of injuries from the elbow all the way up to the shoulder area. As I mentioned though, the only way to perfect your diving motion is to practice literally for years. What I do want to recommend is that you try and replicate the diving motions of top goalkeepers the best you can. I cringe when I see the videos of young kids training, and their diving technique is all messed up, and the coach is trying to showcase that as talent.
Catching In Goalkeeping Can Be A Bit Different
The way that you try to catch or save a ball can determine whether or not you’re at risk of getting hurt. At the same time there are freak plays in which there’s not going to be much that you can do. For the most part though you’re going to want to make sure that when the ball hits your fingers are as stretched out as they can be. If you’re trying to make a clean catch the tendency is going to be to bend your fingers a bit inward. You can afford to do that though when you’re certain that the ball is going towards your index finger and your thumb on both hands. If you bend your fingers inward beforehand you not only risk injury you risk giving up a bad rebound.
There are also some business decisions that you’re going to have to make. What I mean by that is that you have to know when you’re dealing with a ball that you’re not going to be able to catch cleanly. In those situations you’re usually going to want to stretch your fingers out as much as you can to try and make the save. If the ball is coming in too hard, and you know you’ll be able to get there, punching it out can be an option or hitting the ball with the hard part of your palm. What you’re trying to do in those cases is make sure that the hard shot doesn’t bend your fingers and find the back of the net!
Should You Avoid Playing In Rough Fields?
A lot of times you just don’t have the option. What’s worse is that when it’s your first season with a club it can be hard to know ahead of time whether you’re going to have to play on a rough field or not. That’s why it’s a good idea to bring all of the gear that you may need to those away games. The last thing that you want is to have to put yourself in harm’s way. That’s for the situations in which you don’t have a choice.
Is it a good idea to change your training ground because the field is too hard? Yes, this is actually something that I would strongly recommend. The fact of the matter is, that tough field is going to take a toll on your body whether you like it or not. With this in mind, the field that you’re going to be playing for, for example for a college or club team at any level is something that you want to account for before making a commitment to the team. Should it be the most important thing that you have to account for? Probably not, but if you can take your pick you should be picking soft fields no doubt about it!
Recovery Is Key For Goalkeepers
One of the things that’s going to help you avoid major injuries as a goalkeeper is being active with your recovery. Goalkeeper training can take quite the toll on the body. Knowing this it does become really important to make sure that you do enough to help yourself recover after training and games. I know that this is not something that’s going to be as important for young goalkeepers because you’re going to be able to handle the pain a bit better. You’re going to recover a lot quicker when you’re younger, and that’s a huge advantage for sure. However, it’s a good idea to work recovery into your routine so that you’re used to this being a part of your training.
Ice baths, and jacuzzi time are two of my very favorite options for recovery. Jacuzzi time is perfect for when you feel really uptight. In preseason for example you can feel your body start to cramp up on you sooner rather than later. Spending some time in a hot tub if you have access to one, and getting an early night sleep can be two components that will compliment any type of recovery schedule. I loved putting in some pool work because that can help you loosen up the muscles while at the same time serving as an extra work-out to keep yourself fit!
Know & Accept When You’re Hurt
This is perhaps one of the hardest things to accept when you’re playing a competitive sport. You’re always going to want to play, but there are times when you just have to accept that you can’t go. In certain situations what you may want to do is continue to train, but don’t put stress on the areas that are hurt. I’m not talking about strains or anything like that. In those situations doctors and trainers are going to be the ones that make some of the calls. When the issues are bumps and bruises which are common to goalkeeping you may want to be upfront with your coach about it to see if they can’t shift some of the day’s training to make sure that you’re hitting the ground as little as possible.
I know it can be hard especially when you’re trying to earn a position on a team to say that you’re hurt. However, there are ways to go about this. You can be upfront with the goalkeeper coach and tell how you feel without necessarily having to come up and say to them right off the bat that you can’t go. Goalkeeper coaches should also want to know how their players are doing. You need to be able to adjust your training sessions to the current state of your goalkeepers. I had a goalkeeper coach one time that had no off switch it was just full throttle all the way through. He injured each and every goalkeeper on the team at different points in the season. That’s definitely not something that you want for your team. So make sure you know how your players are doing.
How Do Goalkeepers Not Hurt Themselves When Playing – Conclusion
Proper technique is going to help you avoid major injuries. No one though is going to be exempt from injuries on freak plays. These unfortunate incidents though can happen to anyone virtually in any sport. We can’t necessarily say that these types of issues are unique to goalkeeping. One of the things that you need to lose when it comes to diving is that fear of getting hurt. A lot of times that fear is going to put you at a higher risk of injury. Really to conquer that fear the only thing that you can do is go out there and try and fail. Particularly when it comes to diving.
I would recommend that you get help from a good goalkeeping coach, or you try and mimic certain drills that will help you acquire this technique. The recovery side of things which I talked about in the last half of the article is going to be really important from age 13 or 14 onward. That’s really when the toll of goalkeeping training can start getting to your body. Building a recovery routine can certainly help make everything more manageable. You need to be fresh when you practice and play. A proper recovery can help you do just that!
