Uhlsport have released the glove worn by Dino Zoff in the 1982 World Cup. Some may recognise the old school logo and coloured, traditional negative cut palm. It is aply named – “Uhlsport Limited Edition Dino Zoff 1982″
It is great to see this glove available for purchase. These days gloves seem to keep getting more and more ’space-age’ (Sells & NASA anyone?). Bringing things back down to simple terms is not a bad thing! They can be bought for around £25.
Not sure who Dino Zoff is?
Maybe you are a younger reader who isn’t familiar with this goalkeeping legend. Not to worry, here is a quick mini bio on Zoff -
Born in 1942 in Italy, he is the oldest ever winner of the World Cup, doing so in 1982 (age 40). He is ranked the 3rd greatest goalkeeper of all time and holds the record for the longest playing time without conceding a goal. 1142 minutes.
At club level he had playing spells at Udinese, Mantova, Napoli and Juventus. After retiring from playing, he managed a host of clubs, including the Italian National Squad from 1998-2000.
Hannover and Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke was killed by a train on the 10th November 2009. Police have confirmed it was suicide. After suffering from depression following the death of his 2 year old daughter in 2006, the ex Barcelona keeper felt there was no other option but to end his life.
Our deepest condolences go out to his family at this time. At 32 years of age, Enke was arguably in his ‘prime’ as a goalkeeper, with an expected World Cup 2010 call up, it is a tragedy, not only German fans, but followers of the game around the world.
Don’t be fooled by the word ‘basics’ in the title of this post. Handling is a core element to the keeper’s arsenal that must be mastered.
The key to good hands
Generally speaking, hand shape is broken down into 3 variants
- The W catch (aka diamond catch)
- The Basket catch
- The Scoop catch
The W Catch
This is when the goalkeeper’s thumbs form the letter W behind the ball. The reason for this is to add some protection, stopping the ball from slipping through the fingers. Remember, it does not have to be a perfect W (as the name suggests, sometimes it forms a diamond). Your wrists can be closer together, or the W can be slightly wider apart. Don’t stress about this. You will gain proficiency by repetition.
A W catch would normally be employed with balls at face, throat and slightly above head hieght. Depending on the keeper’s preferance, it can also be used at chest height.
The Basket catch
A ball heading towards your chest, stomach or waist area should be dealt with by bringing the pinkies and forearms together and wrapping them around the ball. At the same time, arching your back and sticking your bum out to absorb the impact of the ball, avoiding any bounce outs.
The Scoop catch
Similar to the basket catch in the sense that, the pinkies come together and you gather the ball into your body. The difference is what you do with your legs. If you bend one knee down, this will create a barrier to stop the ball going through your legs if your hands slip.
Why not 2 knees down?
Simple, it is much slower getting up with both knees down. If you spill the ball, you need to react as quick as possible. Allowing only one knee to go down gives you the leverage to move quickly if needed.
All of this means nothing if…
You don’t have fast feet to move around goal. Our blog article on essential goalkeeper skills explains the importance of fast feet for a keeper.
Goalkeeper gloves | GoalTender November 22, 2009 | 
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