The three ways to increase height and distance on your dives by over 70%.

The article that follows will consist of;

. An introduction to the power step.

. The importance of developing your power step

. How to increase your power step.

What is the "Power Step"? -

The power step is the amount of force your body can generate while stepping into a dive. There is an element of technique but, muscle strength is a great contributor. There is not a fixed technique for the power step. Use Manuel Neuer as an example. He swings his arms fully back before taking off into a dive to generate more power in his overall body, therefore, diving higher and further. This technique may not work for you and me. So we will explain several different examples in the following pages.

There are several variables you have to consider when executing the power step. A perfect example would be the speed of the ball. Attempting to load your leg too low for the most power will not always work because of the time it takes for our body to enter and exit that position, as shown in the image below. Attempting to load too low when the ball is struck from a close distance or with considerable speed will leave the goalkeeper in a planted position appearing that there was no real effort to take off, which couldn't be further from the truth. Instead, the goalkeeper should have loaded higher with less force generated from that leg.

Therefore, the amount of force we can generate from the narrowest load in either one of our legs is our perfect model.

The muscles activated in the decline of a lunge are; the hamstrings, quads, glutes, and calves. As a goalkeeper, when we take a power step, our shape is identical to an angled lunge when the initial movement being slightly backwards. Following the discovery of our perfect model, we now understand the importance of generating the most power in the shortest load for the muscles named above.

The two muscle fibres we will be looking at closely will be the hamstring and the quadriceps. The primary muscles for our desired movement. In the subheading below, we will be outlining how you can develop these muscles to improve the height and distance of your dive.

The importance of increasing your "Power Step" -

Increasing your power step is crucial if you want to concede fewer goals. Adding height and distance on your dives creates a simple outcome, more coverage of the net. If a goalkeeper can cover more of the net, they will invariably concede fewer strikes within a training and game environment. Therefore, the importance of increasing your power step. You will have conceded fewer goals over a sustainable amount of time.

There is an element of technique that has to be coached. Coaching points such as; foot-placement, body angle and, weight transfer are imperative when learning how to develop your dives. Nevertheless, you can still build a certain amount of power with no equipment at all - I want to introduce you to plyometrics.

How do I increase my "Power Step" -

Increasing the maximum amount of power in the shortest of load's is our desired outcome. Therefore, exercises dedicated to building explosive power is our solution, I'd like to introduce you too plyometrics.

Attached below are two plyometric circuits that target all muscle groups previously discussed. To perform them both, minimal equipment is required.

#1 The plyometric burnout -

1. Jumping squats x10 (3 sets)

2. Russian split squats x8 (x4 each side / 3 sets)

3. Burpee x15 (3 sets)

4. Tuck jump x10 (3 sets)

5. Speed skater x10 (3 sets)
   

#2 The tough mudder -

1. Single-leg hops x10 (3 sets)

2. Alternate-leg bounding x10 (3 sets)

3. Ankle hops x8 (3 sets)

4. Curtsy lunges with jump x8 (3 sets)

5. Box jump x10 (3 sets)

To conclude -

Developing your power step may be one of the most important element's of any goalkeeper's game. This is due to the increased goal coverage you will generate and the reduced amount of goals you will concede over any given time. The three ways to develop your power step are;

1. Coaching points; foot position, body angle and, weight transfer.

2. Plyometrics; The plyometric burnout & The tough mudder.

3. Weighted exercises; following the same principles as plyometrics with additional weight.