Handball Techniques

Lessons

Senior 4 · Physical Education

Handball Techniques

4 lessons

Lesson 4 of 4

Goalkeeping exercises

30 min

A third of a second

A strong shot from 9 m can travel at about 25 m s⁻¹ (an illustrative figure), so it reaches the goal line in $\frac{9}{25} = 0.36\,\mathrm{s}$ . A goalkeeper who waits to see the ball leave the hand and only then starts to move will often be too late. Good goalkeepers win that race before the shot: they stand in the right place, in a ready position, read the shooter's arm and body, and move early with the whole body. In Senior 2 you practised basic goalkeeping exercises and tactics. This lesson refines the ready position, the saves for high, low and side shots, positioning and angle play, the goalkeeper throw that starts the counter-attack, and the rules that apply only to the goalkeeper.

Definition

Ready (basic) position: feet about shoulder-width apart, weight on the balls of the feet, knees slightly bent, hands up at about head height with the palms facing the shooter, eyes on the ball.

Angle play (narrowing the angle): moving along an arc in front of the goal, on the line between the ball and the centre of the goal, and stepping towards the shooter to hide more of the goal.

Step-out save: a save in which the goalkeeper steps sideways with the leg on the ball side and reaches with the arm on the same side, making a long, closed shape.

Split save: a save of a low shot by sliding one leg out along the floor towards the post.

Goalkeeper throw: the throw that restarts play from the goal area after a save, a shot over the outer goal line or an entry into the area (IHF Rule 12).

Goalkeeper's restraining line: the 15 cm line 4 m from the goal; in a 7-metre throw the goalkeeper must not cross it before the ball leaves the thrower's hand.

Saves and when to use them

Shot	Save	Key points
High, near the body	Hands up, block with both hands or one	Palms forward, fingers spread, hands move to the ball, not the body away from it; keep the ball in front.
High to the side	Step-out with arm	Push off the far foot, step the near foot towards the post, reach with the same-side arm; keep the shape closed.
Low to the side	Split or leg save	Slide the near leg out along the floor towards the post; the same-side arm covers the space above the leg.
Half-high (hip height)	Leg lift with arm	Lift the knee and bring the arm down to make a wall; very fast shots here are the hardest to save.
From the wing	Near-post position	Stand at the near post with one hand high and the near leg ready; close the near post and force the shot to the far side.

The goalkeeper and the rules

(IHF Rules 4:7, 4:9, 5, 12 and 14, summarised.) The goalkeeper may touch the ball with any part of the body while defending inside the goal area and may move with the ball there without the step and time limits of court players, though the goalkeeper throw must not be delayed. The goalkeeper may leave the area without the ball and then plays as a court player, but may not leave it with the ball under control, nor touch a ball lying or rolling outside the area while standing inside it. The goalkeeper throw is taken without a whistle and must cross the goal-area line. In a 7-metre throw the goalkeeper must not cross the 4-metre line before the ball leaves the thrower's hand, although one foot may stay on the floor at the line while the other foot moves over it in the air. Goalkeepers wear a colour different from both teams' court players and the other goalkeeper; head protection, face masks and gloves are not allowed.

A 7-metre throw in a German women's league game, January 2007. The goalkeeper Laura Glaser stands near her goal line with both arms raised and her weight on the balls of the feet, while the shooter (yellow) throws from the 7-metre line. Photo: Armin Kuebelbeck, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Worked example

Worked example 1: why stepping out works. A shooter stands 9 m in front of the centre of a 3 m goal. A goalkeeper with arms spread covers 0.9 m each side of the body (a reach of 1.8 m). A line from the shooter to a point $g$ metres from the goal centre passes the goalkeeper, who stands $k$ metres out, at $g \times \frac{9 - k}{9}$ from the centre, so the goalkeeper hides every point with

|g| \le \frac{9 \times 0.9}{9 - k}

On the goal line ( $k = 0$ ): hides $|g| \le 0.90\,\mathrm{m}$ ; open goal $2 \times (1.5 - 0.9) = 1.20\,\mathrm{m}$ , 40% of the width.
Two metres out ( $k = 2$ ): hides $|g| \le \frac{8.1}{7} = 1.16\,\mathrm{m}$ ; open goal $2 \times (1.5 - 1.16) = 0.69\,\mathrm{m}$ , 23%.

The cost. At 25 m s⁻¹ the ball reaches a goalkeeper on the line in 0.36 s, but one 2 m out in $\frac{7}{25} = 0.28\,\mathrm{s}$ , and a goalkeeper far off the line can be beaten by a lob. So goalkeepers step out against shooters from distance and from the wing, but hold a position nearer the line against a player who is close and has time to lob. (Reach and speed are illustrative; the figures ignore the height of the goal.)

Worked example

Worked example 2: measuring a goalkeeper. In a school tournament a goalkeeper faces 48 shots on target and saves 17 of them; 6 of the shots were 7-metre throws, of which she saved 2.

Overall save rate: $\frac{17}{48} \times 100 = 35.4\%$ .
Against 7-metre throws: $\frac{2}{6} = 33.3\%$ ; against other shots: $\frac{17 - 2}{48 - 6} = \frac{15}{42} = 35.7\%$ .

A save rate means little on its own: a goalkeeper behind a weak defence faces more shots from close range and from the pivot, which are harder to save. Coaches therefore record where each shot came from (as in Lesson 3) before judging the goalkeeper. All figures are illustrative.

A goalkeeping exercise session (about 25 minutes)

Warm-up (6 min): skipping, side steps along the goal-area arc, arm circles, hip and groin mobility, then gentle stretching of the legs used in the split save.
Ready position and footwork (4 min): a partner points at a spot on the 9 m line; the goalkeeper moves along the arc to stay on the line between that spot and the goal centre, and ends in the ready position.
Reaction saves (6 min): soft balls or tennis balls thrown from 6–7 m to high, low and side targets, first announced, then unannounced.
Wing and 7-metre situations (5 min): near-post position against wing shots; 7-metre throws with the goalkeeper keeping behind the 4-metre line until the release.
Goalkeeper throw (4 min): after each save, a quick throw to a wing sprinting up the court, aimed ahead of the runner as in Lesson 1.

Video: "Keeper's basic positioning 2 | Handball at school", IHF Education Centre. As you watch, check where the goalkeeper stands relative to the ball and the goal centre, and the ready position of the hands and feet.

Tip

"Ball, centre, me." Stand on the line from the ball to the centre of the goal, step towards the shooter as far as is safe, and be still and ready when the shot is released.

Warning

Common mistakes. Standing flat-footed. Hands too low or behind the body. Moving at the moment of the shot instead of being set. Standing in the middle of the goal against a wing, leaving the near post open. Leaving the goal area with the ball, or crossing the 4-metre line early on a 7-metre throw.

Safety. Goalkeepers are hit by the ball more than anyone. Start every session with soft balls and slower throws, and build up. Shooters in practice aim at targets, never at the goalkeeper's head. Boys should wear a groin protector. If the ball strikes the head and the goalkeeper then has a headache, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision or confusion, suspect a concussion: remove the goalkeeper from play and refer to a health worker (ERC 2025). Never let the goalkeeper return to play the same day.

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Practice

Describe the ready position of a handball goalkeeper.
Which save would you use for a low shot towards the left post? Describe it.
Using the formula of Example 1, calculate the open goal when the goalkeeper stands 1 m out.
Explain the advantage and the risk of stepping out towards a shooter.
A shot travels at 22 m s⁻¹ from 8 m. How long does it take to reach the goal line?
State three things a goalkeeper is not allowed to do under IHF Rule 5.
A goalkeeper saves 12 of 40 shots. Calculate her save rate.
Two goalkeepers have save rates of 38% and 31%. A coach says the first is clearly better. Evaluate this claim.

Show answersHide answers

Feet about shoulder-width, weight on the balls of the feet, knees slightly bent, hands up at about head height with the palms towards the shooter, eyes on the ball.
A split save: slide the left leg out along the floor towards the post, with the left arm covering the space above the leg.
Hides |g| ≤ 8.1 ÷ 8 = 1.01 m, so open goal = 2 × (1.5 − 1.01) = 0.98 m, about 33%.
Advantage: the goalkeeper hides more of the goal (the angle is narrowed). Risk: less time to react and the shooter can lob over the goalkeeper.
8 ÷ 22 = 0.36 s.
For example: leave the goal area with the ball under control; touch a ball lying or rolling outside the area while inside it; cross the 4-metre line before the ball leaves the 7-metre thrower's hand (also: endanger an opponent, re-enter the area from outside with the ball).
12 ÷ 40 × 100 = 30%.
Not proven. The save rate depends on the shots faced: close-range and pivot shots are harder to save than long shots. Compare save rates by shot position, over several matches, before deciding.

Quick check

Where should a goalkeeper stand when a wing is about to shoot from the side?

Remember

Ready position: weight forward, knees bent, hands up, palms to the shooter; stand on the line from the ball to the goal centre.
Choose the save for the shot: hands for high, step-out for high to the side, split for low; near post against the wing.
Stepping out narrows the angle (40% open on the line, about 23% at 2 m against a shot from 9 m) but leaves less time and risks a lob.
Rules: no leaving the area with the ball, no playing a ball outside the area from inside, stay behind the 4-metre line on a 7-metre throw.
A suspected concussion means remove from play and refer to a health worker.

1A third of a second

2Saves and when to use them

3The goalkeeper and the rules

4A goalkeeping exercise session (about 25 minutes)

A third of a second

Saves and when to use them

The goalkeeper and the rules

A goalkeeping exercise session (about 25 minutes)