Making sure you don't pay the penalty

"I was beaten four times from penalties this year and have never had a great record saving them. Any advice?" ? Junior club football goalkeeper.

We spoke to a current inter-county goalkeeper who preferred to remain anonymous lest all his trade secrets be outed.

He said: "The most important element in penalty-saving is belief. Remember, the pressure is all on the taker. Stay loose and on the balls of your feet, stay focussed and project confidence ? this will further unsettle the kicker. Try to get into his head. A little wink maybe. Remind him of that time below in The Park where he sent the umpire scurrying for cover."

The key of course is reading which side the taker is aiming for. Our man has a three step process for predicting the kicker's intentions.

1. The Eyes Have It

"Watch them closely as the eyes are your first clue. See if the kicker sneaks a look at one corner in particular. Beware, though, of the classic double bluff ? if the glance to the corner is too exaggerated, the kicker is probably going to go for the opposite corner."

2. The Planted Foot

"If the planted foot is telling you the same corner as the eyes, you could be onto something. As a rule, the ball is going in the same direction as the planted foot is pointing. We're not there yet though ? the wily customer could still be concocting a devious plan to send you the wrong way."

3. Swing Those Hips

"As Shakira will tell you ? and what a goalkeeper she was in her day ? the hips don't lie. If you watch the way the kicker's hips are facing, it should be clear which they are going. If a kicker's hips are closed, parallel to the goal, the kick is going in the direction the planted foot is facing. However, if the hips are open, at an angle to the goal, expect the shooting foot to swing across the body to the opposite side.

"Even then, I prefer to wait until the kick is taken to dive. You can encourage the kicker to go for your favourite direction by leaving a bigger gap that side. And between you and me, the chances of you getting penalised for taking a few steps off your line before the kick is taken are slim to none - and of course this narrows the taker's angles considerably."

The Coach is compiled by Freelance GAA Reporter Liam Horan. Questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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