Futsal and keepers

To accompany the other futsal thread, the board consensus seems to be that futsal is great particularly for defenders. I agree. But what about keepers. As I wrote in the other threads, I think it's a great chance for keepers to play the field. But as keeper training, they don't really catch or extend save (which is the keystone for what keepers do). Futsal helped my son's body blocks (though he did it a bit too much after instead of catching) and it was key in developing his backpass. The reaction time is so minimal, though, and the ball so heavy that there's little more for a keeper to do than a reaction save. Do you think it leads to bad habits? Does that make it more dangerous for the keepers? A good keeper can really switch the balance of power in futsal, but with keepers wanting to play the field, the specialized training required for futsal, and with some youngers afraid/not wanting to play it due to the danger/speed/rules restrictions (such as the 1 backpass rule), they are few and far between. But one of the reasons youth futsal is so high scoring (much more than the pro games) is because the keepers are sometimes forced to play the position and don't know what they are doing. Thoughts?
 
Futsal helps with hand and foot quickness, but yes bad habits can be created if not careful. The biggest improvement I have seen due to futsal with my kid is her foot skills, and a keeper's foot skills at younger ages seems to normally be weak. I put together a specific futsal team with 2 keepers (including my kid) so that she can play field 50% of the time to work on foot skills, she is improving - slowly.
 
Agree with it helping with the quickness of feet and that I have seen it improve things for my DD. She is not a huge fustal fan, tho.. She thinks playing keeper is very different in fustal. Diving is more dangerous on the indoor surface, is one of the big reasons. I think the floor is also less forgiving and think some issues with her knee a few seasons ago are directly related to playing a lot of indoor. She tries to use it as an opportunity to play with her feet, and is happiest in futsal when she is in goal half the time and on the field half the time. The two keepers or rotating someone into goal in fustal has been what has worked best for her for sure.
 
Futsal is excellent for Keeper's hand eye coordination and improving on shot stopping skills, because the speed of play is so faced paced, But this can also be a bit detrimental too. Because the ball moving so fast, most saves are made with the legs and not the hands. Also in futsal when shots are taken on the keeper the ball is mostly punched away from the goal and not caught. My daughter plays as a futsal keeper and a soccer keeper, the thing is if they choose to play both keeper positions they needs to play understanding they are playing two different types of games with distinctively different responsibilities. Two Main things is how the ball is played (distribution) and how its saved by the keeper. My daughter as made some very spectacular leg saves on the Soccer Field and every time her coach yells, "Great leg save, Don't ever do that again"(LOL). Like anything keepers will benefit from playing as a Futsal keeper, or field player, but they need to understand there are pros and cos in every training, take the positives and learn to understand the negatives. Bottom-line, if my daughter uses her futsal skills to make a great leg save every now and then, which allows her team to stay competitive, I'm sure there wont be to much complaining.
 
My daughter was damaging her knees playing keeper in Futsal. She would dive on certain shots. It is a natural reaction for her, so she switched to field play to improve her footwork while playing Futsal.
 
My daughter was damaging her knees playing keeper in Futsal. She would dive on certain shots. It is a natural reaction for her, so she switched to field play to improve her footwork while playing Futsal.
This was with lateral movements, diving to left and right?
 
My daughter was damaging her knees playing keeper in Futsal. She would dive on certain shots. It is a natural reaction for her, so she switched to field play to improve her footwork while playing Futsal.
Once they learn to stop diving and using their feet and body for blocks the wear and tear on the body goes way down. My daughter would come home beat to heck until she learned this. Good luck to your kid.
 
This was with lateral movements, diving to left and right?
Mostly left or right. Only takes 2-3 dives to bruise those knees indoors. Couldn't get her to wear her basketball knee pads. It is a good opportunity to get her some footwork in anyways. Plus she likes to score a goal or two.

Her competitive spirit overrides her brains sometimes(plus she is 12, never quite understand that aged brain anyways, plus that kid thinks about fortnite non-stop). A while back she went to practice with a bruised and bloody knee from a basketball game and was told not to dive by coaches and myself. In the 20 minute scrimmage at end of practice she can't help herself if she thinks a ball might go in and a dive will stop it.
 
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