/Which other sports benefit goalkeeping?
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Discussing goalkeeping with a fellow coach earlier this week, our conversation moved to the topic of other sports that are beneficial to goalkeeping.
He works within the Foundation arm of a professional club and was giving me some insight into some of the external factors they consider when working with young goalkeepers.
Some of these are unfortunately outside the control of the player and their parents, namely physical attributes such as height, but there are things you can have influence over.
One such area is to partake in different sports, specifically the likes of rugby or tennis.
Rugby is a great sport for goalkeepers to participate in as it features a lot transferable skills they can use to enhance their goalkeeping. Players will pick up technical skills like handling, but will also take in various mental skills like concentration, teamwork and bravery, the latter of which is often a real bonus, particularly in the youngest players. Being brave, confident and not afraid to take a hit is a tricky thing to learn, so goalkeepers who pick this up more naturally will no doubt benefit from it long term.
Tennis meanwhile, focuses more on the technical side of the game. One of the key skills within tennis is footwork and movement, something that is easily one of the most essential skills for a goalkeeper to master. Tennis players are constantly on the move, adjusting the positioning and body shape all the time to deal with danger and adapt to the game in which they are playing. They also need to shift direction regularly, so are often required to utilise small steps in order to maximise the efficiency of their movement. All of these skills are imperative to goalkeeping and mastering these in a different environment will again bring huge benefits on the football pitch.
There are no doubt other sports out there that will benefit goalkeeping too, but having your child partake in rugby and/or tennis whilst they are finding their way in football too will bring a range of benefits to their game and allow them to stand out on the pitch.