The 7-on-6 game, which also depends on the speed of the goalkeepers when running back, has little influence for Andersson: “The goalkeepers are all fit, fast, and athletically well-trained, so it doesn’t bother them.”
Due to changes in the game system and the greater importance of the goalkeeper, Andersson believes that the role of the goalkeeper coaches has become increasingly important in recent years.
“This is also reflected in the rule change that allows a fifth official on the bench — and in many teams, that is the goalkeeper coach. But we are not as far along as soccer, for example, there is still room for improvement in handball.”
For Andersson, it is therefore important to look beyond the horizon and see how goalkeeper training is done in other sports. He has already visited the football team of FC Bayern Munich and trained with world champion Manuel Neuer, among others, but at the same time he also exchanged ideas with their goalkeeper coach, Michael Rechner, about what handball can learn from football.
“At our goalkeeper training courses in Germany, experts from hockey, ice hockey, and football always present their concepts and exercises. We analyse what we can adopt and use from them,” says Andersson, who mentions goalkeepers dealing with pressure as an example: “Mental strength is extremely important and is always part of the training.”