Setting Up Walls - Goalkeeping

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's subject deals with keepers setting up walls.

First, if you haven't done so already please take a moment to learn more about how training sessions are developed from start to finish over the course of a season. To learn more please go to http://finesoccer.com/full_season.htm . The current seasons sessions are for high school aged teams but previous seasons (which are still available) include, U11's and U9's as well as college aged teams.

When a free kick is awarded to the opposing team within a scoring area teams will set up walls (whether it's a direct or indirect kick) in order to help protect part of the goal. Properly setting up a wall in a timely manner will frequently be the difference between success and failure for the defending team.

The first thing that has to happen is for the determination to be made whether a wall is necessary. The only person who can make this decision is the keeper since it's the keeper who is ultimately responsible for the result of the free kick. Once the keeper has determined a wall is necessary, the next thing that the keeper must do is determine how many players are needed in a wall. Too few players in the wall will result in a large part of the goal unprotected and too many players in the wall will result in other attacking players being undefended and also will make it difficult for the keeper to see the ball. There really isn't a set number of players per given location on the field because it will depend upon many factors including the keepers range, the shooters ability to bend balls etc. Each keeper might have a different preference towards numbers in the wall in a given situation so it's something that the keeper must articulate quickly and clearly.

One way to make sure the right people are in the wall is to pre-assign them based on positions. For example, the stopper might be assigned number 1, the near outside midfielder might be assigned number 2, the far outside midfielder might be assigned number and the two forwards might be assigned numbers 4 and 5. By using these pre-assigned numbers when a keeper yells "3" the stopper automatically goes to the end of the wall, the near outside midfielder goes to the next position and then far outside midfielder goes to the next position in the wall. This method avoids most of the confusion of who should be in the wall when the keeper yells out the number.

Now that the correct people are in the wall it's up to the keeper to set them up quickly. The easiest way to do this is for the keeper to go to
the near post (quickly) and work with the number 1 player on positioning. There are a few different ideas as to where the number 1 player should be positioned ranging from the keeper should be able to see the ball between the number 1 players legs to the keeper should be able to see the ball
between number 1 and number 2. This would depend upon things such as the shooters ability to strike a ball hard and also their ability to bend the
ball. The keeper needs to make this decision ahead of time. Once player number 1 is setup properly, the rest of the player's fill in right away and the wall is now set up. There are different methods for the keeper and player 1 to communicate but I prefer to have player 1 turn and face the keeper and the keeper points in one way or the other. Player 1 takes very small steps
until the keeper indicates player 1 should hold and then player 1 turns around to face the ball. The reason for player 1 turning and facing the keeper is that it doesn't require verbal communication and sometimes it's hard for them to hear each other. The thing to emphasize is that if they are facing each other the keeper can't yell "right" or "left" because the keepers left is player 1's right so that would be confusing. This is the reason I prefer the keeper points.

Many people prefer that the wall be set up by a forward from the other side of the ball but the reason I prefer to not use this method is it requires lining up 4 points instead of just 3. When the keeper lines up the wall, the keeper must line up the near post, player 1 and the ball, which is a total of 3 points. When a forward lines up the wall, they have to line up themselves, the ball, player 1 and the near post and the fewer points to line up the less chance of a mistake. Others would take the view that when
the keeper is lining up the wall, the opposing team could shoot quickly near post and catch the keeper out of position but if organized ahead of time, this shouldn't be a problem.

Once it's determined there should be a wall, how many players should be in the wall, who the players in the world and where the wall should be located, the next step is for the keeper to get into the proper position. Frequently, this means the in a line that could be determined as follows.
Draw a line from the ball to the last player in the wall (if there are 3 players in the wall the imaginary line goes right next to player 3) and extend this line to the goal line. The keeper would be lined up almost on that line which would let them cover the near post on a chipped ball (unless there are too many people in the wall) and also cover the far post shot.

As you can see, the proper use of a wall requires thought, planning and a lot of quick teamwork. This is a great example of how the people who say you have to be crazy to be a keeper are so wrong. The truth is you have to be smart to be a keeper to get things organized and set up so quickly.

Any questions, comments or suggestions should be sent to Lawrence@finesoccer.com or they can be posted on the FineSoccer Forum at http://finesoccer.net

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Have a great day!
Lawrence
www.FineSoccer.com
1976 Olympus Rd
Charleston Wv 25314

We would like to thank Lawrence Fine and FineSoccer.com for allowing us to publish this article on the NASL website. Please visit http://www.FineSoccer.com and sign up for Lawrence's free coaching newsletters and articles.