Goalie positions, how to understand them

What a topic. Compared with the field players, this is the individual technique for a goalie. For me as goalie coach and goalie, positions and skating are the foundations for this beautiful position. So understanding the positions and doing them is the way to go.

However, if you want to make a difference, you need to understand them. Understand how to do them and when to use them.

I see the positions as tools, and there are not that many, there is not much creativity. Unlike the field player, what you can do with a ball and a stick is infinity. When I hear a head coach telling a goalie not to save like this, don’t use that position… for me it sounds like you are asking a field player not to pass, or not to shoot. It is your responsibility to teach your goalie how to play the positions, and make the goalie understand that a game is not the time to experiment, the time to experiment is during the week, during the training sessions.

I hear a lot about some coaches that use the changing in between positions as a sign of being on the game, of proactivity. These people cannot be more mistaken. Or others force goalies to change their style because they never had a goalie with another style. While they will never ask a field player to change the way they play or their style. Some coaches ask a goalie to do some positions when the situation requires something else. And as goalies we need to stand up and say why not. Not on the game, on the training session.

So I'm writing this in order to explain how I like to divide the positions, not just a description or a name. To keep it simple and only talking about the positions on a front situation. Im leaving aside the situation behind the goalcage or in the corner.

There is one position off this division, on the skates. When a goalie is on the stoppers. Nowadays only used on penalties or free direct shots before the player touches the ball. It was the saving style back in the day. I have only seen one goalie saving like this. Greetings to you Glenn. I’m shook that your knees are still alive.

The Moving Positions

I divide the positions into two, moving positions and saving positions.

The moving positions: 1st position to be learnt. Nowadays the simplest position is the main and this one is the first position to be taught. It is considered the main position for the Portuguese style of saving. Once the goalie grows up a bit more and gets some more strength maybe U13 or U15 depending on the goalie and proprioception. I teach the L and variants. The L is a really demanding position and it is considered more Spanish style of saving.

These positions allow us to swap faster in between positions. From the L to the wall is just a leg movement for example. Both the L and the main give the goalie mobility. There are more body parts free to move. Both hands on the main. And we don't depend on the hands to get balance in the position. Allowing us to move steady, consistent, and precisely in these positions.

They allow us to have a quick reaction. As most of our body is free we can quickly react and anticipate anything that may happen. In these positions, it is really easy to get comfortable and relax even though you need to be sharp because the ball may be close by.

The Saving Positions

The saving positions: These positions are: the wall, N5 or pass the wall or N4 lateral legs.

These positions are done for saving but they have an implicit movement. Let me explain, doing these positions you will naturally move. Imagine you are on the main and you are right handed, and now you have a string tied to your left stopper. Someone slowly pulls that string, pum. Magic. position N5.

These positions are more complex and demanding, physically and mentally. They require more training as there is only one way to do them. Linking with the previous point, a poor technique on any of these positions will make them extremely inefficient. Every position has weak points, these ones as they are physically demanding, covering the weak points is really hard. If the technique is poor the goalie will add more weak points to each position.

These positions are the last bullet we have as goalies. In a normal scenario, recovering position from N5 is much harder than from the main. In my opinion this is the x factor.

My style

You may be asking now, why does this matter? Well, decision making. We all agree that the positions are tools. Being comfortable with every position for me is a must. Once the goalie is comfortable with them, the goalie can decide which style suits more or which position is used in certain scenarios.

Positions wise I am a complete goalie. I can do all positions and I understand when I can use them. But I'm not as good at all of them. My main style has always been on the main, i always like to use my stick. The main allows me to use it easier. I was not really fit while growing up, so doing the L was really hard for me. But my wall was extremely good compared to the N5. Even though I'm not big in size, my wall always looked really good. But I knew that the wall had time, and using the wall from the main is not efficient in most scenarios.

When I was 21, just after covid I got a bad injury. I had to change my style to keep playing. So I changed to the style of Sergi Fernandez. My positions were good enough to do this. And to do it well but the positioning was different. The physical demands were different. It took me around half of the season to get 70% of my level. It was like learning again. Because of my injury my coach did not complain. He knew that was the only option for me, and the only option not to lose a goalkeeper. This change of style was super hard and demanding, I was analysing how the goalkeepers move in this style. Experimenting. Not many goalies know how to do it.

Game Scenarios

Let's create game scenarios. In my personal preference as right hand goalie, in any one-on-one situation or 2-on-1 situation or direct free hit, if the ball comes from my left side I wait on the L, if it comes from my right side I wait on the main. That is what I found more effective for me.

Scenario 1, long distance shots. Some goalies will wait for the shot on the wall. For me this is a huge mistake. Terrible decision making. Sitting on the wall makes you lose that power of the wall just when you jump, and how you advance on the jump, covering the top space of the goalie as well. Also what if there is rebound, this position makes you slower, and what if this was a waste of energy. It is a long distance shot, using any moving position in 90% of situations will be more efficient. Do 10 walls in a row, you will feel your body pumping.

Scenario 2, one-on-one with the goalie. The player approaches the cage from the goalie's right hand side, and the player spoons towards the left hand side. As goalie I will be waiting on the main, to change to N5 when the players spoons towards the second post. N5 is effective because while the goalie is moving the keeper is covering the space, and when the goalkeeper gets to the 2nd post the goalie is still in a position that allows me to save.