Cognitive Strategies for Goalkeeper Responding to Soccer Penalty Kick

Abstract

The main aim of the present study was to examine how a goalkeeper's response-initiation time influences the accuracy of the response to a soccer penalty kick. The participants were 24 university male students in two groups: 12 experienced soccer goalkeepers, and 12 experienced soccer field players. They were required to watch videos made by three different kickers preparing a penalty kick, then 12 ensuing moments, occluded 467 msec, before impact of the kicker's foot with the ball to 267 msec. after impact. There were three different kicks (instep, front of foot, inside of foot) directed at three different possible positions within the goal (left, right, center). As a response, participants were required to move their body to intercept the oncoming ball. Results showed that neither the goalkeepers' group nor the field players' group could use the advance visual cues to anticipate the direction of the ball when they initiated a response before the moment of impact during the penalty kick, but all groups were successful when the response was initiated after impact. The goalkeepers' group had a significantly faster response-initiation time than the field players' group. It was inferred that the goalkeepers were more likely to adopt a strategy of relying on situational probabilities in situations where the speed of response is critical.