Goalkeeper angles
in Goalkeeping, Tips and advice
This session is all about movement around the goal so keepers have the best chance of reacting to danger. It forces shot stoppers to think about how they stand and the positions they MORE
Get your angles right
Soccer commentators are always expressing disapproval when a goalkeeper is beaten by a shot on his near post. Why? Because it is a sure sign he hasn’t positioned himself correctly. This session will iron out any such problems your keeper might have.
What this session is about
Reducing the target area an attacker has to aim at.
What to think about
Watch your keeper’s positioning from behind the goal. When facing an attacker in a 1v1, he must be in the correct position. If you draw an imaginary line from the ball to the centre of the goal, he must be between the near post and that line to reduce the angle of the shot.
Keepers must also:
- Move with a quick, sideways skipping action.
- Move towards the approaching attacker to further cut down the angle.
- Gather the ball if possible.
Set-up
| Warm up | Session | Developments | Game Situation | Warm Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-15 minutes | 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 10 minutes | 10-15 minutes |
What you get your players to do
Use two servers, each one placed where the penalty box “D” meets the edge of the penalty box.
Line up the remaining players into two lines, as shown in the top picture.
Taking it in turns, the first player in each line plays a one-two with the server, before taking a touch and shooting at goal.
Once the player has taken a shot, he joins the back of the opposite line.
Shooters play a one-two with servers and take a shot at the goalkeeper, who narrows the angle.
Development
Set up an area with a goal at each end. Split the playing area into three, with a smaller “keeper” zone at either end, leaving a larger central area.
Play a five-a-side game. Each team has a keeper in each goal plus two players in the middle area and two attackers, one either side of the pitch, just outside the playing area and the keeper zones.
These players are limited to two touches – one to control and one to shoot. Keepers must stay inside their zones and players can only enter a keeper’s zone following a rebound.
Midfielders pass to shooters, who are outside the area, so a shot comes in at an angle.
Game situation
Play a five-a-side game in an area 30 yards wide by 20 yards long. Place the goals on the longer touchlines so the pitch is wide rather than long to encourage lots of shots from a variety of angles.
Normal rules apply, such as throw-ins, corners and offsides.
Encourage keepers to cut down the angles. The team that scores most goals wins.
Play a small-sided game on a wide pitch so keepers face a variety of shots from different angles.
