NSCA COACH 1.4
field. Long or short passes between attacking players stresses
the need for the goalkeeper to have fast reaction ability, with
swift and purposeful movements.
et al. cited work stating plyometric training has been shown to
improve motor control (8). Training to improve both speed and
agility as well as motor control can be done by incorporating drills
as well as plyometrics into a goalkeeper’s training program (4,8).
POSITION REQUIREMENTS AND TRAINING
A soccer goalkeeper needs a unique set of physical abilities for
the various situations they may face during a game, a few of
which were listed previously. Physical conditioning may not be
enough for a goalkeeper needing to respond quickly. For this
reason, reaction training should be a staple in a well-rounded
conditioning program for soccer goalkeepers. As in other sports
requiring a high degree of reactive skill, soccer goalkeepers can
benefit from training to improve mental processing speed by
training both auditory and visual components (1,3,6,10).
Since soccer goalkeepers are responsible for processing a lot
of information in a very short amount of time, it is important to
challenge all forms of stimulus response. The auditory component
can be something as simple as listening to the sound of the thud
on the ball as it leaves an attacker’s foot (9). If it is coming from
something like a corner kick or a penalty kick, understanding
the amount of time the ball will be in the air can affect how the
goalkeeper defends the play. One sport that is very dependent
on auditory reaction training is track and field sprinters.
Tonnessen et al. showed a sprinter’s 100-m time was significantly
associated with reaction time (p < 0.01) (9). A sprinter is trained
to respond to the sound of a starting pistol, so is it a far stretch to
assume a goalkeeper can be trained to respond to the sound of a
kicked ball?
Visual training improves their ability to recognize player
movements and understand what it means for the defense.
A visual reaction/agility test performed by Zemkova et al.
assessed the difference between a non-competitive atmosphere
and a competitive atmosphere (11). The results showed there
was a significant improvement in ability during a competitive
atmosphere. This would lead one to believe the effort put into the
drill is just as important as the drill itself (11).
Another aspect of conditioning that is of extreme importance is
power. Power by definition is a function of weight moved by unit
of time. The Olympic-style lifts, clean and jerks, and snatches may
improve power which can affect everything from vertical jump
to being able to dive for a ball (2,4,8). Because of the technical
aspects of these movements, it is very important to seek coaching
from a qualified professional. Olympic-style movements can be
very beneficial, but also very dangerous if taught incorrectly or
prescribed improperly.
One final aspect of a soccer goalkeeper’s physical requirements is
multidirectional speed and agility. Like most sports, soccer is not
uniplanar—moving straight forward, backward, or side to side—
and involves change of direction abilitie