DIVING SAVES

Making diving saves can be the most spectacular and worthwhile part

of being a goalkeeper. It’s an important part of what we do, but must

have sound fundamentals to perform a dive successfully and safely.

Basics of Diving

The fundamentals of footwork and catching also apply to diving: stay

square to the ball, move forward towards the ball, use the hands to catch

the ball. For diving, they are expanded a little. 

Use good footwork to get into position to dive

Shuffle steps will mostly be needed to get the body into the proper range

to make the dive.

Always attack the ball

The first step going into a dive should be sideways towards the ball at

roughly a 30-degree angle. This gives us a proper angle to deflect balls

away from goal. We should never be attempting a save diving backwards as can often lead to the

ball being pushed into our own net. 

Get low

Drive with the near leg, starting low to generate power. 

Catch the ball with the hands first, then cushion the fall.

Making a diving save doesn’t hurt if done properly. When we catch the ball we should be aiming to land on our hip then shoulder. Make sure the elbow is tucked away as landing on this part could result on the ball being dropped.

Remember: If we can’t make a clean catch of the ball then we should be ready and alert to react for any follow ups or smother the ball at second attempt.