By David Clarke
Writing for my Touchline Tales column in Soccer Coach Weekly I was reminded of an incident which happened to a fellow coach.

A coach I was corresponding with has asked for advice, his problem he says is that “sometimes it’s better when my team gives away a corner rather than a goal-kick because we give the ball away and end up letting soft goals in”.

In 7-a-side matches, junior teams find it hard to clear the ball at goal-kicks, often resulting in the ball going straight to the opposition, who shoot straight away and end up scoring with the goalkeeper stranded.

However, I like my goalkeepers to take goal-kicks, because it is part of the responsibility they have to take on. Sometimes it will be the only time they kick the ball.

During last season I went to watch one of the other teams who I had not seen during the season play. The coach of our team was looking glum. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that the team were 3-0 down after 15 minutes all resulting from the goalkeeper kicking the ball straight to the opposition and being returned into the empty net.

“I’d let someone else take it but he’s the best kicker,” he told me. I explained that I too had experienced this problem and our solution had been to put a defender on the line at goalkicks in case the ball went straight to the opposition attackers.

Not only did this give us a chance to stop the ball but it also gave our goalkeepers the confidence to kick, and they usually kicked much better with this added security of a player on the line.

What I have also found useful with this tactic is that when you go to 11-a-side the players who have been on the line become excellent line clearers at corners and free-kicks. Of course they can no longer stand on the line at goal-kicks but the art they have learnt can be put to use in other ways.

Back at the game the coach of the U9s decided he would try the tactic in the second half. I reminded him to impress upon the goal-line defender that he mustn’t use his hands or he will give away a penalty. I told him to tell the defender on the line to advance towards the attacker to cut down the angle and make it harder for him to hit the back of the net.

In the second half the team tried the tactic out and they did notice a huge difference. Now if the opposition striker got the ball straight from the goal-kick he couldn’t just kick it straight back into the net, he had to think about what he was going to do to beat the defender on the line. It also gave more time for the goalkeeper to get back to the goal and be ready for a shot.

The coach said he would be practising at training and definitely use it from now on in the matches he played.

Here’s how he can coach his players:

Practice in your training sessions
Players: Goalkeeper, two attackers and your goalline defender.
Where: Use the goalmouth on your pitch making it as realistic as possible.
Aims: Goalkeeper kicks out and the two attackers win it and advance on the goal. Your goalline defender must advance towards them at speed and so must your goalkeeper. You’ll be amazed at the number of times the attackers miss or shoot straight at your goalline defender.

Here’s a clip that may stir a few memories…

Even the professionals get it wrong…