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Soccer Drills - Goalkeeping
Goalkeeper Training - The unsung hero
A goalkeeper does not have it easy - most almost forget about him during victories, but he easily becomes a bogeyman during defeats. Not without reason he is often described as a hero in the background. Also in terms of integration into the training session plan there is great uncertainty, especially on an amateur level: "How can goalkeeping drills take place during training?" And "Is individual training the best option?" Are just two of many questions that coaches face when it comes to goalkeeper training. However, it is quite evident that a good and a bad goalkeeper can make the difference between victory and defeat.
Due to the steadily increasing athletic abilities of soccer players, especially on a professional level, a goalkeeper's tactical, technical, as well as coordinative and cognitive skills have to be incredibly well developed. We took up these requirements and transferred them to the amateur level of coaching. Our planet.training premium exercises, designed by sports scientists and certified soccer coaches, feature detailed goalkeeping exercises, including a warm-up program, mainly focusing on "coordination and cognition". During team training periods, these exercises can be carried out by the assistant coach or even the goalkeepers on their own. In the best case scenario these drills are done during individual training with a goalkeeper coach!
Goalkeeper - Back-Pass, Ball reception and pass under pressure
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Set Up:
Set up 4 cones/stations in front of the penalty area – 1 player with several balls per station. Set up 1 goal to the left and 1 goal to the right of the penalty area – could be replaced with players. The goalkeeper lines up in the middle of the goal area, eyes on player 1-4 – The coach lines up behind the goal, to give signals to players 1-4.
Execution:
The coach gives signal to players 1-4, which of them will play a back-pass to the goalkeeper (Example: Player 4). The respective player passes the ball near the goalkeeper. After the pass the passing player becomes the goalkeeper’s opponent and follows his own pass with only a several meters of distance between him and the ball. The goalkeeper’s aim is to control the ball and play a pass into the goal that is the furthest away from the previously passing player – Pass from players 1&2 = Goal B / Pass from Player 3&4 = Goal A.
Goalkeeper - Catching cross passes safely – With Coordination Task
Set Up:
Set up the stations 1 & 2 to the side of the penalty area with each one cone & several balls – one player at each station. Set up a big goal approx. 30 meter in front of the goal line – Can be replaced with field player. Set up three small hurdles on the goal line – Starting Point for goalkeeper is to the left or right of these hurdles.
Execution:
The goalie starts from the left side of the hurdles, if player 1 is crossing, or on the right side of the hurdles, if player 2 is crossing. The goalkeeper moves over the hurdles with two contacts in between each hurdle, touches the inside of the goal post and gets into a good position inside the goal area as quick as possible. Player 1 now crosses the ball inside the goal area (5m area). The goalkeeper has to catch the ball safely and secure it. After securing the ball, he runs a couple of steps forward and drop kicks the ball into the goal. He then moves back to the goal line and now lines up to the right side of the hurdles. It’s player 2’s turn to cross the ball – Two repetitions per side, then switch goalkeepers.
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Goalkeeper - Cognition on the goal line with varying shots on goal
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Set Up:
Set up 1 cone in the middle of the goal line – Starting point for goalkeeper. Set up shooting stations 1, 2 & 3 approx. 11m in front of the goal – one player per station – all balls are at station 1.
Execution:
The goalkeeper lines up on middle of the goal line with his back facing the shooting stations – Players 1, 2 & 3 are focused and ready to shoot, player 1 controls the ball. On the coach’s signal “A” or “B” the goalkeeper starts shuffling to the respective goalpost, touches it and turns around as quickly as possible, to find the ball. While the goalkeeper is shuffling to the post, player 1 has the option to pass to player 2 or 3 at any time. The player in control of the ball after the goalkeeper has touched the goalpost tries to shoot the ball as quick as possible after the goalkeeper has turned around. Player 1 doesn’t have to pass the ball, he can also keep it and shoot it himself.
Goalkeeper - Double-Safe with change of directions
Set Up:
Set up 1 Cone (Orange) in the middle of big goal – Starting point for goalkeeper. Set up a Hurdle (low) in front of the Cone – diagonal to the running direction. Set up 2 Shooting-Stations with each 1 cone (blue), several balls and one player – 1. Corner of goal area; 2. 11m in front of goal line and outside of right goal post
Execution:
The goalkeeper stands in front of the orange cone on the middle of the goal line. On the coach’s signal, he starts moving in the direction of player 1 to the short post – Player 1 performs a hard and low shot, which the goalkeeper needs to safe. After the first shot the goalkeeper immediately runs over the hurdle in the direction of player 2 – Player 2 shoots immediately after the goalkeeper passes the hurdle – Shot in the high corner of the goal. The goalkeeper tries to catch both shots – If shot is too hard/precise for him to catch, he has to deflect the ball to the side.
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Register nowThe modern goalkeeper can also play on the pitch
While goalkeepers where used to being coached almost isolated from the team, they are now increasingly involved in team training sessions. That's a good thing, because modern soccer demands a lot from today's goalkeepers. In addition to the main task of "keeping the box clean", the build-up as well as the passing game have become an integral part of the goalkeeper's game. You should live up to this trend in your training planning. For example by having goalkeepers participate in small-sided games or passing exercises, giving them the opportunity to develop their football skills. That's how Manuel Neuer and many other professional goalkeepers train. To make sure that your next session plan is created even faster, there are a lot of other drill examples and variations on our other exercise pages.
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