Taken from The Big Picture

There’s been a ton of talk about adidas’ 2010 World Cup ball, the Jabulani. The talk has been virtually 100% negative from anybody not sponsored by adidas… I would assume these are fair statements for those not paid by adidas. But what is perhaps the most unseen change as of now is how goalkeeping could potentially be onto a new evolution. The ball’s negative characteristics have resulted in very unpredictable movement which has resulted in a keepers worst nightmare. While it doesn’t look as though Robert Green’s howler nor some of the other spills that have occurred during the World Cup so far HAVE directly been associated with unnatural movement, perhaps there is some correlation. Keepers have adapted to the new ball by changing up their style. Rather than controlling balls, safety now comes in the form of punching and parrying rather than catching. If the trend of the Jabulani continues, could goalkeeping be set to change? The ball has maintained a consistent pattern of “improvement” roughly every year (but we mostly only hear complaints every 4 years) as we develop insatiable appetites for more goals. This hasn’t been the case so far according to the stats and goals per game averages (perhaps shooting has also become a more arduous task).

Now, I haven’t been around a decently high-level of goalkeeper training in four years, but I assume not a lot has changed technically and tactically. The most recent major trend in goalkeeping was the importance of keepers having good feet and being able to act as a sweeper-keeper but diving is and still should be the same motion, as should cross-collecting. But I wonder, if brands like adidas continue to create difficult to handle balls, will keepers be much more inclined to push the ball away from goal rather than catch it and maintain possession? A mark of a good goalkeeper most will agree is one who can catches and keeps things under control. Not only can you start the attack but you also don’t concede corner kicks as much.

If coaches and the general public as well as goalkeepers understand the difficulty in controlling what some will deem as “average” shots, could we be more forgiving of those who parry and punch? If that does end up happening, I will say that the job of the keeper just got all that much easier. Getting to a ball (as in getting your body there) is easier than getting there AND catching it obviously. Effectively, the hardest skill is now no longer as important as unpredictability will make it hard to really gauge the flight of the ball. Meaning catching is now not the best option cause it requires diminishing returns. It’s more difficult AND you risk messing up. All you have to do is some how some way get your body behind it.

Generally this is a pretty complex situation. Goalkeepers taught to try and catch everything, can they subconsciously change their way of thinking? As well, had some keepers decided to parry rather than catch (not the Robert Green goal, he should have tried to collect that ball any way you look at it) say off free kicks, would they have not conceded embarrassing goals when they were unable to put the ball into their bread basket? As well, how many stops does a keeper make that is truly a catch vs. parry situation.

I don’t think this “revolution” I’ve highlighted is necessarily going to happen, but just something to mention and think about. It’s not like the world over will be using balls of Jabuliani-qualities, but what if Nike and the lot who sponsor major leagues also got into the business of trying to inject more goal scoring with wonky balls, maybe I should actually go and try to kick a Jabulani.

-Eugene