Penalties. Every goalie has an opinion on how to approach them. Some love the pressure. They thrive on it, trying to get into the taker’s mind, and predict where they’re going to shoot. Others buckle, lose their cool, and dive at random, hoping they pick the right way.
Whatever your view, there are times it can feel like penalties are nothing but pure luck. You either dive the right way, or you don’t. While there’s some truth to that, it’s not the whole story. There are ways in which you can influence the outcome of a penalty and improve your save rate. This guide will show you how.
Keep Calm
Our first tip might seem like an obvious one, but it’s still worth mentioning: before the penalty is taken, try to keep calm. Remember, most penalties are scored. You’re not expected to save them all. So, don’t panic or feel like there’s tons of pressure on your shoulders.
Fretting and flustering won’t get you anywhere. In fact, it’ll probably result in a loss of focus and misreading the taker’s run-up or judging where they might shoot. It’s much better to approach a penalty situation with a calm and confident mindset instead.
Try to Delay the Taker
If you watch a lot of football on TV or as a spectator, you may notice how some keepers try to delay the taking of a penalty as long as possible. They’re not the only ones. Defenders also get in on the act, picking up the ball or chatting with the taker.
There’s a reason for that. It’s a way of getting into the taker’s head, forcing them to overthink the penalty and increases the likelihood of them making a mistake. If you want to push the odds in your favour before a penalty, it’s worth using a few sneaky tricks to delay it. Just don’t go too far, or you might end up with a yellow card.
Use Mind Games
Following on from the previous point, another good way to get into the taker’s head is through mind games. There are loads of famous examples of this, like Bruce Grobbelaar’s “spaghetti legs” or Emi Martinez’s cheeky dances and brash comments.
We’ve seen some keepers literally point to the corner where they think the taker will shoot to psych them out. Others have even gone as far as taking off their gloves before a shot or waving their arms around in the air. Yes, it can look silly if the penalty goes in, but it may also be the difference-maker that helps you pull off more big saves.
Do Your Research
Before any game, it’s a good idea to chat with coaches and teammates to learn what you can about the opposition, especially their penalty takers. Try to find out who tends to take penalties for the other team and which side they favour. The more you know, the more chance you’ll have of making the save.
Of course, you might not always know much about the team you’re playing against. But you can still make certain educated guesses about how a penalty taker might act.
Judge the Taker’s Starting Position
You can learn a lot from where a penalty taker begins their run up. If they stand to the left of the ball, for example, it indicates that they’re going to hit it with their right foot. Right-footed players are also more likely to strike the ball to your right, as the keeper, and vice versa for left-footers.
If the taker takes quite a long run up, they might be planning to put a lot of power into their shot. Or, they’re hoping that you’ll dive early in the run, making their job a lot easier. If they only step back a few paces, they’re probably hoping to place their shot right in one of the low corners. Keep all of that in mind and try to figure out the most likely type of shot the taker will choose.
Watch the Standing Foot
In almost all cases, a penalty taker’s standing foot will point in the direction they’re planning to shoot. Therefore, by paying close attention to that foot, you can figure out where the shot is going and start your dive just before the ball is kicked.
The standing foot will come down just a second – or fraction of a second – before the strike. So, you won’t have a huge amount of time to react. But that fraction of a second might be all you need to make the dive and stop the ball. It won’t work every time, but it’s good to get in the habit of watching the taker’s standing foot.
Use These Tips to Step up Your Penalty Game
There you have it. Six top penalty tips that should help any aspiring keeper improve their stats when facing penalties and shootouts. Remember, even the best keepers in the world let more penalties in than they save. You can’t stop them all. But as this guide shows, there are plenty of ways to improve your chances.