"Protect" the Keeper

This may not be a popular opinion, but I am tired of the number of times I hear "you have to protect the keeper". I wouldn't mind if it was just players and parents complaining about this, but now I am starting to hear it from goalies as well. I believe this mindset/attitude is an obstacle to good keeping.

I was a keeper and played up through a small college. I am 5'9". For male keepers, I am tiny. So how did I play for so long at relatively high levels despite my physical impediment?
I had good hands and had near perfect positioning, but that is kind of like the base necessities. My strength was
I had zero fear.

I came out, a lot. Because I wasn't large enough to stop shots from my goal line at the same level as a 6'5" keeper, my goal was to stop shots before they even occurred. This means most of my saves were 50/50 challenges. I also needed good enough geometrical awareness so I could cut off the best angle even when I was 10 yards off my line, but that is a different matter.

When I came out and dove at a players feet in the middle of a shot, I had zero fear. My goalie coach taught me: "If it comes down to your body vs their leg, your body will win every time". I believed this wholeheartedly and ran around with reckless abandon.

There was a memorable time when an attacker slid studs up on a 50/50 ball with me. A red card for him in some ages and leagues, a minimum yellow. His studs made contact with my stomach. But I wrapped my arms around the ball and his foot got caught in my stomach/arms/ball area. If I had no forward momentum, I would have been pushed back from the force of his kick/slide and would have taken the full force of the tackle. But because I myself was going full speed the opposite direction, his foot stopped at my stomach, but his body kept going past me.
I had a cleat shaped bruise on my stomach, but his leg was broken.

Goalies should go up in the air and down for 50/50 balls without any fear. If at any point they are hoping for a referee to bail them out, they have already lost. They have went up/down with the wrong mindset. If the slightest bit of contact is enough to throw them off their objective, they are in the wrong position and should join Neymar as an attacker.

Keepers are Kings on the field. They rule their box and the air inside it. Keepers shouldn't want or hope for protection from players; players should want protection from keepers.
 
All this being said, I understand the vulnerability of a Keeper once they are in the air or they are blindsided from behind. But that should be the last thing on a keepers mind.
 
This may not be a popular opinion, but I am tired of the number of times I hear "you have to protect the keeper". I wouldn't mind if it was just players and parents complaining about this, but now I am starting to hear it from goalies as well. I believe this mindset/attitude is an obstacle to good keeping.

I was a keeper and played up through a small college. I am 5'9". For male keepers, I am tiny. So how did I play for so long at relatively high levels despite my physical impediment?
I had good hands and had near perfect positioning, but that is kind of like the base necessities. My strength was
I had zero fear.

I came out, a lot. Because I wasn't large enough to stop shots from my goal line at the same level as a 6'5" keeper, my goal was to stop shots before they even occurred. This means most of my saves were 50/50 challenges. I also needed good enough geometrical awareness so I could cut off the best angle even when I was 10 yards off my line, but that is a different matter.

When I came out and dove at a players feet in the middle of a shot, I had zero fear. My goalie coach taught me: "If it comes down to your body vs their leg, your body will win every time". I believed this wholeheartedly and ran around with reckless abandon.

There was a memorable time when an attacker slid studs up on a 50/50 ball with me. A red card for him in some ages and leagues, a minimum yellow. His studs made contact with my stomach. But I wrapped my arms around the ball and his foot got caught in my stomach/arms/ball area. If I had no forward momentum, I would have been pushed back from the force of his kick/slide and would have taken the full force of the tackle. But because I myself was going full speed the opposite direction, his foot stopped at my stomach, but his body kept going past me.
I had a cleat shaped bruise on my stomach, but his leg was broken.

Goalies should go up in the air and down for 50/50 balls without any fear. If at any point they are hoping for a referee to bail them out, they have already lost. They have went up/down with the wrong mindset. If the slightest bit of contact is enough to throw them off their objective, they are in the wrong position and should join Neymar as an attacker.

Keepers are Kings on the field. They rule their box and the air inside it. Keepers shouldn't want or hope for protection from players; players should want protection from keepers.
Interesting take on the subject. My keeper has also benefited from this mentality, despite not being the biggest, fastest, or most athletic type of keeper. She's like the first responders. When everyone else is running out of the burning building, she's charging into it. That being said, I believe you're mostly referring to challenges in older age groups here, no? What kills me, and elicits that "protect the keeper" cry at the ref, is in the younger ages. Granted, the kicks and collisions aren't going to be as powerful, but I hate seeing a ulittle keeper getting treated like pinata or getting steamrolled when they clearly got to the ball first.
 
Interesting take on the subject. My keeper has also benefited from this mentality, despite not being the biggest, fastest, or most athletic type of keeper. She's like the first responders. When everyone else is running out of the burning building, she's charging into it. That being said, I believe you're mostly referring to challenges in older age groups here, no? What kills me, and elicits that "protect the keeper" cry at the ref, is in the younger ages. Granted, the kicks and collisions aren't going to be as powerful, but I hate seeing a ulittle keeper getting treated like pinata or getting steamrolled when they clearly got to the ball first.
I had a U17 ECNL boys keeper complain to me after a goal "I was pushed". In reality he was bumped, but I looked at him incredulously and said "...it was a corner kick"
This is a hard mindset to teach to the Ulittles, but it still is effective if they follow it. They aren't in full control of their bodies at that point though. The story I told happened when I was 13. I remember feeling invincible when I was 11/12, not sure if that counts as Ulittle though.
 
His foot/spikes and your face/head, "not so much."
That is why I don't dive after a ball with my face. And if the attacker wants to score, he is going to go after the ball, not my face. If he is going after my face, the only way I could avoid that sentiment completely is to run off the field.

When I got older, there was 1 red cards given to opponents that went in too hard according to the referee. There were also several times attackers got yellow cards. In all those instances I did not care about what the attacker did. I did not ask for a card, I did not let the challenge rattle me. To me, from my perspective, it was just another normal 50/50 ball that I won.
 
Protect the keeper is when they have possession of the ball and they get kicked in the arms, legs, face, head, or they are knocked down or elbowed in the face. It is said mostly by keeper parents. :) My daughter has never said anything about it, except the one time she told me she had possession, was kicked in the arm, showed me the bruise, and the ball went into the net. I told her to hold onto the ball tighter next time. :D

I'm sure some day a forward will end up with a world of hurt due to my daughter coming out to grab a ball before a player can get a shot off, sliding and tucking the ball into her stomach, and that said player then flying over the top of her. She just did it to a 17 year old boy at a practice Wednesday night, so I'm pretty positive she doesn't think about the collision, she thinks about stopping the shot.

Keepers are crazy anyway, I think we all know that.
 
That is why I don't dive after a ball with my face. And if the attacker wants to score, he is going to go after the ball, not my face. If he is going after my face, the only way I could avoid that sentiment completely is to run off the field.

When I got older, there was 1 red cards given to opponents that went in too hard according to the referee. There were also several times attackers got yellow cards. In all those instances I did not care about what the attacker did. I did not ask for a card, I did not let the challenge rattle me. To me, from my perspective, it was just another normal 50/50 ball that I won.
I'll have to learn how to dive not head first.
 
This may not be a popular opinion, but I am tired of the number of times I hear "you have to protect the keeper". I wouldn't mind if it was just players and parents complaining about this, but now I am starting to hear it from goalies as well. I believe this mindset/attitude is an obstacle to good keeping.

I was a keeper and played up through a small college. I am 5'9". For male keepers, I am tiny. So how did I play for so long at relatively high levels despite my physical impediment?
I had good hands and had near perfect positioning, but that is kind of like the base necessities. My strength was
I had zero fear.

I came out, a lot. Because I wasn't large enough to stop shots from my goal line at the same level as a 6'5" keeper, my goal was to stop shots before they even occurred. This means most of my saves were 50/50 challenges. I also needed good enough geometrical awareness so I could cut off the best angle even when I was 10 yards off my line, but that is a different matter.

When I came out and dove at a players feet in the middle of a shot, I had zero fear. My goalie coach taught me: "If it comes down to your body vs their leg, your body will win every time". I believed this wholeheartedly and ran around with reckless abandon.

There was a memorable time when an attacker slid studs up on a 50/50 ball with me. A red card for him in some ages and leagues, a minimum yellow. His studs made contact with my stomach. But I wrapped my arms around the ball and his foot got caught in my stomach/arms/ball area. If I had no forward momentum, I would have been pushed back from the force of his kick/slide and would have taken the full force of the tackle. But because I myself was going full speed the opposite direction, his foot stopped at my stomach, but his body kept going past me.
I had a cleat shaped bruise on my stomach, but his leg was broken.

Goalies should go up in the air and down for 50/50 balls without any fear. If at any point they are hoping for a referee to bail them out, they have already lost. They have went up/down with the wrong mindset. If the slightest bit of contact is enough to throw them off their objective, they are in the wrong position and should join Neymar as an attacker.

Keepers are Kings on the field. They rule their box and the air inside it. Keepers shouldn't want or hope for protection from players; players should want protection from keepers.
I agree with you completely here. We need to remember that goalkeeper position isn't for the weakest or chubiest or slowest field players as many people think.
Truly goalkeepers are those with no fear, with leader mindset and strong personality. Those who are asking for protection are those who were assigned to be keepers by the coach.
1v1 "crazy Ivan" style, is one of the best feelings for keepers.
 
Here is a video of a 13 years old kid who is 5'-1", tiny according "keeper standards"
Kid with no fear at all. The only protection he needs are good gloves, biggest excitement is to play against tough teams.
 
I'll have to learn how to dive not head first.

Slide feet first almost like a baseball slide. Or lead with your hands and arms. In one of my games if the attacker kicks the keeper after they have the ball that attacker is getting a card. When a keeper gets bumped or knocked down and still keeps possession of the ball, I will normally not call a foul and just warn the player. I usually get yelled at by the parents, “protect the keeper”, and sometimes the coach. I tell the keeper, “I don’t want to take the ball out of your hands.” The keepers are okay with me not calling the foul because they know it is to their advantage to keep the ball in their hands vice a free kick.
 
Slide feet first almost like a baseball slide. Or lead with your hands and arms. In one of my games if the attacker kicks the keeper after they have the ball that attacker is getting a card. When a keeper gets bumped or knocked down and still keeps possession of the ball, I will normally not call a foul and just warn the player. I usually get yelled at by the parents, “protect the keeper”, and sometimes the coach. I tell the keeper, “I don’t want to take the ball out of your hands.” The keepers are okay with me not calling the foul because they know it is to their advantage to keep the ball in their hands vice a free kick.
I get all that. He was talking about diving for the ball. I guess I thought diving meant you are going head first.
 
I understand that rationale when it comes to the olders but the ulittles can really hurt a keeper either because of recklessness or lack of proper play. My dd has been banged up a few times that as a parent it scares me for her to continue but she’s a feisty one who gets up and keeps on pushing. That worries me because many times we’ve seen or heard about horrible injuries involving keeps and I don’t want her to go balls out on a save that can lead to a severe injury. Below are some pics on a play in which a player’s foot landed on her face with no yellow or red card called. I’m no expert so would any ref be so kind to enlighten me. On an additional note the player did apologize to my dd about hurting her so that makes me think maybe it all happened to quick and she couldn’t hold back anymore... Being a keeper mom is tough... they don’t tell you that side effects could include elevated blood pressure, increased anxiety, and nail biting.
 

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Just have to vent and this is the forum to come to so that I can preach to the choir! LOL This last weekend my daughter is next to the goal right at the out of bounds line and scoops up the ball while facing the sideline and the offensive player that weighs at least 60 pounds more than my daughter comes at her full speed at her (running straight from goal to goal) while she was faced side ways and already had the ball. Needless to say it was beyond ridiculous. Our team parents went crazy yelling for a red card. I tend to be in shock when that happens so very little comes out of my mouth which is very unusual. Any way, he gave her a yellow card. Given that the girls are 14 (my daughter is 12 not that it matters her age) and this isn't the World Cup, I blame the Coach of that team for not pulling that girl out at least for a period of time. My daughter then gets nailed by her again about 5 minutes later when by daughter was running to kick the ball out. Again full speed blast. I realize that my daughter was essentially a field player for that play but come on ref. and coach, that is ridiculous. The ref. did not give any card for that play. Again our parents were going nuts. My daughter popped up and continued playing after both incidents because she is a nut job, but she ended up with injury. I am not angry...I really think coaches need to be taught ethics and refs. need to better put an end to that kind of action right at the beginning. My daughter is a nut job and puts herself in some pretty crazy positions which I cringe at but, the kind of hits she took from that gal was so beyond acceptable and there needs to be a very loud message for players like that and coaches that allow that.
 
refs. need to better put an end to that kind of action right at the beginning.

Your story illustrates 3 issues going on with youth soccer right now. Generalizing but there are 3 schools of referees. The defenders of the Laws of the Game, who believe their job is primarily to protect the game and enforce the rules, will call it as a foul or not depending on the rules. The tailor it to what the players want school may not call it "right at the beginning" because they are still trying to take the temperature of the game and adapt to it. The "let em play school" won't call too much on the rough contact because they want to interfere was little as possible (maybe just give the player a verbal warning).

Second, refs are reluctant to red card particularly at the younger ages and/or lower levels. It has to be pretty flagrant for a red (same for the yellows at U11/U12). I get why we don't want to go around showing yellow cards to 10 year olds...but removing that also removes from the ref a tool he can use to control the game if the coach won't.

Lastly, this is another example of why things go wrong when differing expectations of what the game should be (and what should be considered "trifling") show up on the field. It's the thing that most undermines referee/sideline trust because the referee is out there trying to manage chess, and the sidelines think the game should be checkers.
 
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