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
Total goalkeeping
Give your goalkeepers a complete workout with this exhaustive session that focuses on shot stopping, reactions, communication and distribution.
What this session is about
- Improving distribution with feet.
- Improving shot stopping from distance.
- Improving shot stopping from inside the box.
What to think about
To be a top goalkeeper, you need to excel at a number of key techniques both in shot stopping/ handling then distributing the ball to defenders to help play out of defence and build attacks. Therefore, training for keepers has changed rapidly in line with the growing demands on them to play a more active role in the game.
Set-up
| Warm up | Session | Developments | Game Situation | Warm Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 10 minutes | 15-20 minutes | 10-15 minutes | 10 minutes |
What you get your players to do
Play 4v4 in a 30-yard square with a goalkeeper at either end. Teams look to keep possession for eight consecutive passes, using the goalkeeper to do so.
The goalkeepers play an active role in the possession game, working on passing and receiving techniques.
Development
Play 4v4 plus keepers on a 36×25-yard pitch divided into two halves.
Each half contains three defenders a keeper and an attacker.
To start, a keeper passes to a defender who looks to make room for a long shot inside his own half. The forward looks to react to any rebounds.
The defending keeper must communicate to the defenders to block the shot while being on his toes looking to make a save. He must also be aware of the forward and parry the ball away from him if he cannot hold the shot.
The goalkeeper communicates to his defenders and gets ready to save the longer shot.
Game situation
Using the same pitch, progress the game.
Now play 2v2 plus a keeper in each half.
The keeper helps his defenders play out of defence and to the forwards who look to score – or defenders can try shooting from long range.
Each team now has a goalkeeper and two defenders in one half and two forwards in the opponents half.
The goalkeeper must:
In possession: Use good passing and receiving skills to help the team play out of defence.
When defending: Constantly communicate to his defenders to give them information and issue orders. The keeper must be alert and ready to make a save – this requires good agility and reaction skills alongside excellent shot stopping.
The goalkeeper communicates to his defenders and gets ready to react and save from a shot inside the box.
