Penalties...

The whistle blows, the referee places the ball on the spot. Too many times, goalkeepers take it for granted that the penalty taker has the advantage. Wrong! The expectation is that the player taking the kick should score. As goalkeepers, we should do all we can to increase the pressure that is already on them... but how?

Firstly, the longer they wait, the better. This isn't to say we should deliberately time-waste, but we also should not be standing on the line, waiting. Let the taker be first to get into position, then move to your line. Body language is important here - this is your box, your area! Keep your head up, and move with purpose. Don't avoid eye contact.. if the forward looks at you, smile and wink. It suggests you know something they don't!

When you're on your line, you want to place doubt in their mind, and there are many different ways to do this. Starting off-center, pointing in one direction, and moving laterally on your line are all tactics to try and influence the kicker to suggest you're favoring one side or the other. 

Another time, we will look at the technique of saving penalties.. for now, try to win the battle before the ball is kicked. If you get stuck for ideas, you could do worse than get ideas from former Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar!