How to improve aerial diving for football goalkeepers
As a goalkeeper, it’s essential to have strong aerial diving skills to make crucial saves for your team. It requires a combination of strength, technique, and quick reactions to reach the ball in midair.
Here are some tips on how you can improve your aerial diving skills:
Work on your overall strength and conditioning. Being physically fit will help you have the power and endurance to make repeated diving saves throughout a match.
This includes training your upper body, core, and legs to increase your overall stability and strength.
Being able to perform unilaterally (off of one limb) is really under-appreciated , especially in young GKs, so make sure you can jump, dive and land well on each leg to not only improve your performance, but also minimise the risk of injury.
Practice proper technique. When diving, make sure to keep your arms extended and your body straight. This will help you cover more ground and make a bigger impact when you make contact with the ball.
Timing is key. Pay attention to the trajectory of the ball and try to anticipate when it will reach its highest point. This will give you the most time to react and reach the ball.
Use your body weight to your advantage. When diving, transfer your weight from your feet to your arms to help propel you towards the ball.
A good tip I teach my players is to remember that your head is the heaviest part of your body, so use your legs to generate momentum in the opposite direction, a bit like a see-saw.
Practice, practice, practice. The more you practice your aerial diving skills, the more comfortable and confident you’ll become in making those crucial saves.
Remember, aerial diving is just one aspect of being a successful goalkeeper. It is important to also work on your footwork, reflexes, and overall positioning to become a well-rounded and reliable keeper.
Look out for my future video on unilateral drills for goalkeepers where I’ll give you a few of my favourites.
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