Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Monday Morning GK Session 8/19

Conditioning (15 mins)

Organization:

1 set of cones in a triangle. 4 sets are shown to illustrate progressions and movement.

Instructions:

1. WARM-UP: SHUFFLE AND VOLLEY –

Quick shuffles and handling from a volley to kick this session off. Working on lateral movement.

2. ONE TOUCH WEAVE WITH VOLLEY –

Activation with a one touch pass, before backsetting and stepping on to the ball line for a volley. Here we are working on multi-directional movement and handling.

3a. VOLLEY AND SHUFFLE IN LINE WITH BALL –

Using the turf surface, we place more emphasis on the speed of movement to adjust back to the ball line for a ball that is skipped in to the keeper. Ideally, the keeper will have as much of the body behind the ball as possible.

3b. SAME DRILL BUT ADDING DYNAMIC FOOTWORK –

The same rules for the above exercise apply here, but we add quick footwork across the cone to work on keeping the upper body stationary while the legs do the work, and the balls are skipped in at an increased pace, enabling the keepers to see a variety of ball speeds.

4a. ONE TOUCH, SHUFFLE, AND LOW DIVE –

Again, we revisit the one touch pass as an activation at the post, and using the same foot, stepping in to a quick shuffle and a low dive back towards the post. Good balance and drive off of the plant foot are key points to look for. The low dive prepares the keepers bodies for more aggressive shots as we progress.

4b. VOLLEY, SHUFFLE, AND MID-LEVEL SAVE –

We start to increase the pace and height of the shots that the keepers face, and the keepers have to decide whether to use a crossover step as an initial movement after the volley, or if they are close enough to shuffle. In a cutback situation, this split-second decision making can often be the difference between a goal and a save.