The keeper keeps it
in Goalkeeping
Teach your goalkeeper to play the ball out with their feet and start attacks from the back. By GWYNNE WILLIAMS MORE
Goalkeeper’s two-fisted punch
There are times when a goalkeeper can’t catch a flighted ball, such as when the penalty box is crowded, so the next best option is to clear the ball as far away as possible. The two-fisted punch is the most effective way to do this.
What this session is about
- Clearing the ball from the penalty box by getting height and distance.
- Dealing with crosses.
- Decision making.
- Communication with defenders.
What to think about
- Place the insides of fists together, so the middle joints of the fingers touch
- Press thumbs out of the way against the side of the fists, not inside • Hands close to chest, elbows by the side and bent
- Flat surface drives through the ball
- Look for height, distance and width – don’t punch the ball straight back to the opposition or into the crowd!
Set-up
- 1 ball per group of 3.
| Warm up | Session | Developments | Game Situation | Warm Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
What you get your players to do
Goalkeeper and catcher position themselves approx 10m apart with a server between them. The server throws a ball to the ‘keeper, (who is on their knees) and the ‘keeper tries to punch the ball over the server’s head to the catcher.
Repeat for a few turns before switch roles so every player has a go at being the goalkeeper, server and catcher.
Repeat, but this time with the keeper standing rather than kneeling.
The goalkeeper punches the ball back over the server to the catcher.
Development
Introduce a 4th player, a passive attacker, who stands next to the ‘keeper to distract them but doesn’t challenge.
Move the passive attacker in front of the ‘keeper, so the ‘keeper has to practise jumping to clear the ball when it is served over the attacker’s head.
Attacker increases pressure by moving and even jumping.
Now a passive attacker can obstruct the goalkeeper’s view.
Game situation
Play 4v4 in a pitch approx 30x20m, plus 2 goalkeepers. 2 wide players operate outside the touchline playing for the team with the ball and are conditioned to provide high crosses from a variety of angles whenever possible.
Wide players have three touches (control, dribble, cross/pass) while goalkeepers have to decide what to do – eg. catch, punch, allow defenders to head – for each cross.
With play going through dedicated wide players the goalkeeper will get more opportunity to practice punching.
What to call out
- “Don’t punch with the knuckles”
- “Get technique and timing right first, power can come later”
- “When in doubt, punch it out”
- “Call keeper’s!”
