Denmark have produced their fair share of top Premier League goalkeepers down the years.Peter Schmeichel is probably the best ‘keeper of the Premier League era, while his son Kasper is also the proud owner of a winners’ medal after Leicester City’s remarkable title triumph in 2016.Other goalkeepers to hail from Denmark include Thomas Sorenson, Anders Lindegaard and Stephan Andersen.You may or may not have noticed that Kasper Schmeichel has a slightly unusual technique when it comes to catching the ball.It’s probably not something you’d notice in real time - but a video posted to Twitter by Pro GK Academy (@progkacademy) from a Denmark training session shows the technique in slow motion.As the ball is fired towards him, Schmeichel puts his hands towards his chin, tucks his elbows in and allows the ball to hit his chest.His arms create a barrier and the ball comes to a standstill.Watch the video here…
It looks an unorthodox way of catching the ball - and a risky one, too - but it clearly works for those who have grown up doing it.
Former Manchester City youth goalkeeper Greg Hartley confirmed that Schmeichel has been using this unusual catching technique for years.
While Steve Hale, a coach with a UEFA Goalkeeper A License, mentioned that Leicester’s Daniel Iversen, who has represented Denmark at every level from Under-16 to the Under-21s, also uses ‘The Danish Catch’.
And over on YouTube, there’s a video from September 2019 which shows another Danish lad practicing this technique.
“This is a catch that I learned basically on my first day at goalkeeper training in Denmark when I was 10 years old,” Alexander Brems wrote in the caption. “I use this catch often and with great success. Believe it or not, I trust this catch more than my hands when a ball comes at my chest.“
It’s probably not a technique that experienced goalkeepers will suddenly want to try during a match.
But for younger ‘keepers, it’s well worth giving a go.
If it works for Schmeichel…