Sharpening the senses with eye-patches and glasses

The TSG goalkeepers stood on the pitch at the training camp in Kitzbühel wearing eye patches or special glasses. Various objects were thrown at them, which Oliver Baumann and co. had to catch. What's behind it all?

"It's cognitive and coordinative training," explains goalkeeper coach Michael Rechner. For example, he uses an object that has three handles in three different colours. "I throw it to the goalkeepers and name which colour they have to catch," Rechner explains. Not an easy task given the way the object flies through the air. In the second level of difficulty, the task is further complicated by Rechner shouting out which hand the catch must be made with as well as which colour to grab.

The TSG goalkeeper coach also deliberately restricts the vision of his charges in his training. In addition to eye patches, the 42-year-old uses special glasses that severely limit the field of vision. "The glasses make it feel like you have blinders on." Goalkeepers see around 30 to 40 percent less with them. "If you can do something with 40 percent less vision, it will obviously be a lot easier with 100 percent," explains Rechner. The goalkeepers can look ahead to the new season with sharpened senses.