Parrying

A ball may be too far away to catch cleanly, but sometimes just a fingertip to the ball can be enough to send it high or wide. Parrying, or tipping, is the technique used to do this.

The open hand (heel of the palm or fingertips, depending on the save) should be used to redirect the ball, not the fist. Extended fingers have a few more inches of reach than the fist in addition to having more control. Don't let your players try to punch the ball around the goal - punching is reserved for crossed balls and is discussed separately below.

Parrying High Balls

The most common use of parrying is to get to balls chipped over the goalkeeper's head. The technique is very similar to how a baseball fielder might play a similar ball hit over them. The basic steps are these:

• Decide (quickly!) which side the ball is going to. If it's coming directly at the keeper, they should just pick their most comfortable side.
• Get the hips pointed in the proper direction - turn left if going back to the left, turn right if going back to the right. This can also be accomplished by simply taking one step back with the foot on that side.
• Use a crossover step to get back as quickly as possible.
• power step upwards, slightly backwards (the only time a keeper will ever be allowed to go backwards!) and through the ball. The keeper should aim to get to the ball as high as possible - above the level of the crossbar if they can.
• Get the opposite side hand to the ball. If the ball is on the left, for example, the keeper should use the right hand. This is because as the keeper turns sideways, the opposite hand becomes the "top" hand and will be closest to the soccer ball.
• Use the fingers and top of the palm to simply direct the ball straight up. The momentum of the ball will provide enough energy to get over the bar. The ball should not need to be pushed up over the bar - if it's coming slowly enough to require a good push, it should probably be caught instead of parried. In addition, the palm should always face forward - the keeper should not turn the palm towards the goal and try to push or "dunk" the ball backwards over the crossbar.
• Don't worry too much about the landing. Some keepers like to use their twisting momentum to roll out of the landing; others just land however they fall.

Good footwork, from hip turn to crossover to power step, is critical to a good parry over the crossbar.  A keeper should never back straight up on a ball over their head - it puts their weight on their heels and can lead to balls pushed into the top of the net, or worse yet, a bruised tailbone as they fall over backwards.

Parrying Balls Around the Post

The technique for tipping balls around the post is similar to that for extension diving, except only one hand is used. Which hand? The closest to the ball. For low balls, this will be the one on the ball side, or the bottom hand once the keeper dives. For high balls, the hand on the far side should be used, as this will be the top hand when the keeper is horizontal.

To parry a ball around the goalpost:

• Use good footwork to get into position for the dive
• Explode through the ball, forward at an angle, using extension diving technique
• Lead with the hand closest to the ball, using the heel of the palm to deflect the ball outside the post. The heel of the palm provides the most solid surface to contact the ball while still maintaining some control.

Make sure the keeper goes forward at an angle when parrying around the post - the ball will not be caught, so a goalkeeper diving backwards will all too often just deflect the ball into the side netting.