Analysing the method and madness of GAA penalty shootout

A top GAA goalkeeping coach has said that the introduction of penalty shoot-outs has led to such a scrutiny on takers' technique and preferred side that the data is almost becoming irrelevant – with a return to instinct over information now prevailing for both shooter and goalkeeper.

Former Armagh goalkeeper Philip McEvoy, who has worked closely with a number of clubs and counties in Ulster and Leinster in recent years, feels that teams invest so much time preparing for such an eventuality that the data is often immaterial as shooters are beginning to opt to aim for their weaker side in order to counter what the goalkeeper may already know.

"My perception of penalty kicks has changed over the last 12 months," said McEvoy, who was behind the goals in Clones on Sunday as Derry claimed the Ulster title on penalties.

"That came pretty much on the back of Armagh’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Galway at Croke Park last year.

"Goalkeepers never share their technique when facing penalties for obvious reasons, however having just hit 40 I don’t see myself being back in nets any time soon so happy to share that when I was playing, I would have, in the majority of cases, dived to what is known as the closed side [a player hitting to the opposite side to his preferred foot], as in the player was kicking across himself.

"If it was a right-footed player, I would be diving to my right. If it was a left-footed player, I’d be going to my left.

"There would have been the odd exception using my own specific knowledge of the taker. For instance, my old club-mate Aidan O’Rourke always preferred hitting to his open side [a right-footed player hitting to the right-hand side] so I would have adjusted if I had faced him in training.

"That technique