Skills & drills for women’s football

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What it looks like

Goalkeeping » Catching crosses

How?

“Catching a ball above your head is not an easy skill, and it becomes a lot harder when you have opponents challenging you. When you want to grab a ball that is chest height or above, you have to get your hands behind the ball with your fingers pointing upwards. The two thumbs should be close together so that between them and the two index fingers a ‘W’ is formed. If your thumbs are close together, there is no way that the ball can get past you. Keep your hands relaxed – if they are too tense, you’re more likely to spill the ball. Feel the ball ”“stick”“, then clutch it to your chest. ”

Why?

“A confident keeper can take a lot of pressure off the defence by coming out to catch crosses. She must work with the defence (using her voice!) so that everybody knows who is doing what. This becomes easier with time, i.e. once you have trained and played together a lot.”

Tips & drills

Stay on your toes and don’t be afraid to come off your line!