JOSE RAMON ALVITE Y JOSE FLORES

José Ramón Alvite de Pablo / ARTICLE

§ Sports Director and Goalkeeping Coach, Club 1º Agosto de Luanda (Angola), NaNonal Handball Coach.

José Flores Rodríguez / ARTICLE

§ Sports Psychologist, Doctor by the University of Seville and NaNonal Handball Coach.

Many goalkeepers close their eyes and/or shield their face when a winger throws from a low angle. This situation is aggravated when the shot is taken by a right-handed player from the right winger who places the shot high up, close to the face. Why do they do it? They are afraid. They are instinctive, reflex actions that they do to avoid a ball in the face. The problem is that performing these actions does not help to stop more, because when a goalkeeper closes his eyes he is at the mercy of the attacker, he cannot perceive the arm arm arming, the adaptation of the ball, the thrower's gaze, etc. These actions prevent the goalkeeper from accessing very relevant sources of information to stop the shot.

After 20 years of training goalkeepers, we have found that history repeats itself, whether in more or less professional clubs, in national teams, in the men's category, in the women's category, with children, with juniors, with seniors. Can we help our goalkeepers in this situation, can we improve this aspect, how?

The aim of this work is to present some ideas to help coaches to design their training sessions, so that their goalkeepers can overcome these situations. Before explaining it, we would like to clarify that it is a proposal that has taken shape thanks to what we have learnt from our players, other coaches, teachers, researchers, etc. The proposal has two main areas of work: a) the approach to fear and b) the design and progression of the exercises. Both areas complement each other and work in synergy. Below, we outline the general lines of both areas of work:

Firstly, a) regarding the approach to fear, although we know that it is a process that must be adapted to the age and characteristics of the goalkeeper in question (working with a child goalkeeper is not the same as working with a youth goalkeeper), we will highlight the following general ideas:

§ Recognise and accept, in a natural way, the feeling of fear. Being afraid is a natural reaction that we all experience in certain situations, although we do not all experience the same "amount" of fear in the same situations. The trainer should avoid making negative or even demeaning comments about fear. Also, without the recognition and acceptance of the situation it is impossible to solve it (some goalkeepers do not recognise it or do not realise their actions), and the use of recordings can help in this task.

§ Once the situation has been recognised, work on it. The advantages and disadvantages of the protective actions taken (closing the eyes or protecting the face with the hands) should be discussed with the doorman as concretely and objectively as possible. On the one hand, these actions can avoid unpleasant consequences such as a ball in the face; on the other hand, the performance (percentage of saves) decreases. It is a matter of specifying what the goalkeeper gains and loses when protecting himself and questioning the beliefs that maintain this behaviour: does it really hurt so much to get hit by a ball, how long does it hurt, minutes, hours, days, years, do you know any goalkeeper who has not recovered from one, would it raise your level as a goalkeeper if you managed to overcome this situation, would this improvement allow you to go to the national team/be a starter/improve your contract, would it allow you to go to the national team/be a starter/improve your contract? Logically, the answers to these and similar questions should help to find reasons to change.

§ Once the intention to change has been generated, it is necessary to show that it is possible. It can be helpful to use role models (other goalkeepers) who in these situations do not close their eyes, do not cover their face or continue to play after a ball in the face (some goalkeepers even improve their performance). It is important that these models are meaningful, that they fit the characteristics of the goalkeeper we are working with. In other words, if we are working with a child goalkeeper, we should not use images of a world champion goalkeeper. It is much better to use examples of goalkeepers of the same category, from the same club, who were afraid when they were their age and who, after training, overcame their fear. As we said before, it is a matter of making the situation natural. We are talking about one of the many skills that a goalkeeper must learn, let's not make a drama out of it. It is also important that the coach and the goalkeeper know that any process of change is difficult and has ups and downs in performance, i.e. it will not be achieved at the first attempt.

§ The exercises must be representaNve of the real game situaNon, because if the training sessions do not resemble matches, the matches become training sessions. It should be borne in mind that throws from the wing are taken from short distances and have a lot of variability: players with trajectories that open or close the angle of the throw, players who jump towards the goalkeeper, right-handed players from the right wing, throws from a great height or falling, different arm arm arming, throws taken afer compleNng or not the step cycle, etc. This variability must be included in the training exercises. Consequently, it is necessary for goalkeepers in training to pracNse their intervenNons with localised throws close to the face. § Logically, the situaNons idenNfied above must be presented in a progressive manner, in order to facilitate learning. Below, by way of example, we propose exercises that progress from less representaNve situaNons to more representaNve situaNons, from simpler and more stable situaNons to situaNons where uncertainty is greater, from analyNcal exercises to group exercises..

Exercise 1.

§ Type of exercise: not very representaNve * . § Development of the exercise: the goalkeeper is seated in the base posiNon and tries to stop throws located close to the face. The throws are made over short distances and balls of different sizes and textures that do not cause too much pain on impact are used. Keep the hands within the field of vision. § ObjecNve: to opNmise the ability to perform segmental movements (fast and short) without closing the eyes. The characterisNcs of this exercise require that, in order for the goalkeeper to be successful, he must necessarily keep his eyes open and use the base posiNon described above.

§ Type of exercise: more representaNve than the previous one ** . § Development of the exercise: the goalkeeper moves in the goal, from point A to B, maintaining the base posiNon while stopping close shots that are directed close to the head. § ObjecNves: the previous objecNve plus pracNsing movements in goal with short and quick steps.

Exercise 3

§ Type of exercise: more representaNve than the previous one *** . § Development of the exercise: the goalkeeper stops the shots aimed at higher angles (near the face). Throws are made from 4/5 metres and balls of different sizes and textures are used, as well as official balls. The throwers vary the trajectory: gaining or losing angle.

§ Objectives: the above, adjusting the movement in goal to the trajectory of the thrower.

§ Methodological progression:

o Start with one row, then increase the number of rows. o At first, players cannot change the last impulse in relation to the original direction, later they can. o At the beginning, players can only localise at the top, later they can localise at half height as well. Finally, the throw can also be localised downwards. In this way, the range of the goalkeeper's movements is extended (the goalkeeper will be able to stop with arms and legs). o Throwing distance: the first throws from 4 metres and little by little it is increased, up to the distance given in the matches.

Aspectos a tener en cuenta ante lanzamientos desde el extremo

In the following group exercise, we are going to focus on shooNng from the end, although shooNng from other areas of the field is taking place. This approach will be carried out with the applicaNon of rules that have to do with the trajectories and impulses of the players. These trajectories and impulses are associated with specific locaNons, so our goalkeepers will idenNfy pacerns of execuNon that have to do with the cycle of steps that we allow the throwers to take from the end, the height of the arming, the path of the arm and the final gesture of how the player lets the ball go.

§ Type of exercise: more representaNve than the previous one **** § Development: 1st line throw with blocking + end throw with two possible trajectories. (vary the throwing sequence) § ObjecNves: 1- IdenNficaNon of the exit of the ball to 1st line throws and defensive collaboraNon. 2- IdenNficaNon of trajectories and impulses from wing throws to specific locaNons. § Progression:

o Vary distances from central defenders, in width and depth. Vary distances and step cycles to the winger's throws. o LocaNons from winger, trajectory 2, throw to second post free high, throw to short post down. o Trajectory 1, free down.

In exercise 5 we only change the trajectories from the right end with both right-handed and lef-handed players, but keep the trajectories from the lef end.

Exercise 6

§ Type of exercise: more representative than the previous one ****** § Development: Exercise for decision making of "A" where 3 players, left back, pivot and left winger, are encouraged to throw. (In this case we will only set rules for the left winger). § Aims: To identify throws to specific areas from the left winger within an exercise with time variables. § Progression:

o In exercise 6 we progress to an "A" decision making exercise and so within the technical tactical improvement of the players we can include tactical work aimed at goalkeepers and the variety of throwing variety for wingers. o The rules for the winger's throw will be the free throw at any height to the first post and the half-height throw downwards to the second post. This exercise is intended for more experienced goalkeepers to throw close to the body where it will help in improving the arm and arm trajectory to throw to the near post.

o We will also observe the level of concentraNon on each throw from the winger when they occur. o ApplicaNon of rules to throws from the remaining posiNons in different situaNons.

These exercises can be set up in 3x3, 4x3, 5x4, 6x5 situations. It is preferable to have superiority or equality with wide spaces in order to increase the frequency of shots. An exercise that may be appropriate for first year cadets on successive progressions with search and attack of the 5x4 spaces, where we could set simple rules such as that a winger can only shoot to high areas of the goal and the opposite winger to low areas.

A complex exercise for young players could be carried out with 3 throwing rules where the locations are one at the short post, a second at the long post and a third one that is a skill; dink, lob, lob. Where the player has these 3 types of shots during a real 6x6 game exercise.

In summary, we suggest that in the lower categories, alevín and infantile, the ball should be made of a softer material to reduce the trauma to the goalkeeper, above all in shots that impact directly on the face. To teach as a first didactic unit to protect oneself from shots by applying a correct base position, placing the hands within the field of vision, and finally, a progression in the exercises so that our goalkeepers acquire tactical richness and thus improve their performance as the players acquire more resources.

RAMÓN PECO RUIZ

SENIOR TEAMCOACH MANZANARES HANDBALL CLUB (CIUDAD REAL)

EXERCISE No. 1 1x2 outdoor zone.

DESCRIPTION

The task starts with a previous pass from the opposite zone of a 1st line player who makes a pass to the zone of acNon. The pass must be made by jumping. The acack must try to resolve the situaNon with a maximum of 1 pass. The outside zone will be limited. This can be done in 2 zones alternaNvely. If the defender is successful, a first wave counter-acack is carried out.

Objec-ve:

• To amor-se inferiority situa-on. • To condi-on the pass. • To cover passing lines. • Iden-fy real goal threatening situa-on. • Iden-fy and occupy space in front of possible a]acking foul situa-ons. • An-cipa-on

CORRECTIONS:

• Ini-al situa-on that allows visual control of the a]ackers. • Delay the pass. • Keep the 1st line away. • Close the space to the winger without possible penal-es.

EXERCISE No. 2 2x2 in conditioned outdoor area DESCRIPTION

A 2x2 is played in an outside zone with a centre back. When the wing passes to the support player, the defensive player must go around a cone that delimits the attacking situation. The attackers must try to solve the situation without bouncing. Attackers can only pass the ball once to the support player. It is possible to work in 2 zones alternatively.

OBJECTIVE:

• the outside defender has to amortise the momentary situation of inferiority • the lateral defender must get to the situation as quickly as possible. • Anticipation and occupation of shooting space. • Communication and coordination between defenders.

CORRECTIONS:

• Avoid defensive situations that could lead to penalties. • Do not take risks in situations that do not involve a real goal threat.

EXERCISE NO. 1 3X3 OUTDOOR AREA.

DESCRIPTION

THE CENTRAL DEFENDER STARTS FROM THE SUPPORT PASS ZONE. WHEN THE PASS IS MADE HE CAN ENTER THE DEFINED AREA TO ACT. THE ATTACKING PLAYERS HAVE 3 PASSES TO SOLVE THE MOMENTARY SITUATION OF SUPERIORITY. THE PIVOT IS ALWAYS POSITIONED IN THE OUTER ZONE. AND CANNOT MOVE.

Objective:

• HELP FROM THE OUTSIDE PLAYER TO DEFEND THE PIVOT. • ANTICIPATION • ASSESS WHICH IS THE MOST DANGEROUS SITUATION • AMORTISING THE MOMENTARY INFERIORITY.

CORRECTIONS:

• INITIAL SITUATION THAT ALLOWS VISUAL CONTROL OF THE ATTACKERS. • DELAY THE PASS. • KEEP THE FIRST LINE AWAY. • CLOSE THE SPACE TO THE WINGER WITHOUT POSSIBLE PENALTIES.