Diving into Jaime Penedo’s Goalkeeping
Alright, so I decided to spend my practice time today focusing on Jaime Penedo. Remember him? The keeper from Panama. Solid player back in his day. I wanted to refresh my memory and maybe pick up a few things by watching him closely.
First off, I just went searching for some match highlights. Pulled up a bunch of clips, mostly from his time with the national team and maybe some LA Galaxy stuff. Didn’t want anything fancy, just raw game footage. Sat down with my coffee and just started watching.
Getting into the specifics:
I grabbed a simple notebook, nothing special, just to jot down things that caught my eye. My main focus initially was just his positioning. How did he set himself before a shot? I watched replays of different goals conceded and saves made. Paid attention to his angles, how close he stayed to his line or when he decided to come out.
- Watched his stance during penalties.
- Looked at how he organized his defense on corners.
- Tried to see his starting position for long shots versus close-range efforts.
Then, I shifted my focus to his reflexes and diving technique. Penedo always seemed pretty agile. I replayed saves frame by frame, looking at his footwork right before the dive, the power he generated, and how he got his hands to the ball. It’s one thing to be quick, another to be efficient with movement, you know?
Spent a good chunk of time just on this. Rewinding, playing in slow motion. It’s tedious sometimes, but that’s where you spot the little details. How he’d push off, the shape of his body in the air, how he’d land to maybe recover for a second chance.
Trying to Feel It Out
After watching for maybe an hour or so, I actually got up. Went to a clear space in my yard. Nothing serious, no ball involved. Just tried to mimic some of the basic stances and movements I’d observed. His ‘set’ position. The initial step before a dive. Sounds kinda basic, maybe a little silly, but sometimes physically copying helps internalize what you’re seeing. Just getting a feel for the body mechanics he used.
Wrapping up the session:
Finished up by just sitting back and thinking about what I saw. What made Penedo effective? Seemed like a combination of decent reflexes, good fundamentals in positioning, and a whole lot of experience reading the game. He wasn’t maybe the most physically imposing keeper ever, but he seemed smart, played the angles well.
So yeah, that was my Penedo session. Just watching, taking notes, trying a few moves myself. Good way to spend a couple of hours, reinforces some basics just by watching someone else who did it well.
