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Click here to see the video: Soccer Goalie: The W Catch

Kevin Mackenzie: I'd like to talk to you about the contour catch, or the W catch. This is for a ball that is driven to the goalkeeper and it is above the goalkeeper’s waist. The first that is involved is a good stance. Lily is going to show us what that looks like, so she is on the balls of her feet, her hands are up and she's ready. We always catch with what is called a W, if the ball is above the waist. If you look at my hands, my thumbs and my forefingers form a W pattern. This allows the thumbs to get behind the ball. It's very important this way the ball won't go through my hands.

When I catch the ball, I want to reach out and catch the ball in front of me, my arms are just slightly bent upon impact and then I cushion the ball in. I want to have soft hands and soft arms, so I'm giving as I catch the ball. It should actually be a very quite catch. If you are hearing a smack with the hands, that means that you're not giving and you're not soft enough, so you want to pretend it's in agony; you don't want it to break. Nice soft hands, relax as you catch the ball.

Lily's going to demonstrate. You can hear how quiet she is as she catches the ball, no sound at all. Lily is on the balls of her feet, she's moving, she's not flat-footed. Good job, Lily. So the key to the contour catch for a ball that is driven above the waist is the W. If a young player has small hands, it is OK to slide them back and make the thumbs more parallel, the most important thing is to get your hands and your thumbs behind the ball. The other important thing to remember, is soft hands, and cushion with your arms.