Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): Goalkeeper Practice Session (Start Time: 2020-10-22 16:35:00)

Screen 1 (15 mins)

Organisation

Mark out a pitch area that is 44yds wide (i.e. the width of the penalty box) and half a pitch in length (55-60yds)

Then split that area into 4 quarters

Players

We have two goalkeepers (one in each goal)

Two neutral "wingers" on the outside of the area

and 2v2 inside the playing area - initially, they will be told to place themselves one in each quadrant

The Exercise

Play starts with (say) the red goalkeeper who throws a ball to the right winger who then advances and crosses to goal.

(Initially, we make the crosses uncontested)

Then the blue goalkeeper serves his right winger who crosses

We now have a mechanism for a circuit of play flowing from one keeper to the other.

To give the goalkeepers a variety of challenges, we can rotate the start of play through:

1) Throw to Right Winger

2) Throw to Left Winger

3) Short throw or pass to nearest team-mate

4) Long throw or drive pass to furthest team-mate to immediately create a 1v1 with the opposite keeper

For both 3 & 4, players are allowed to leave their quadrants as soon as the ball is touched by the receiving player

Progressions

- Allow crosses to be contested

Coaching Points

Hopefully, this exercise should enable us to coach a number of different aspects of the keeper's role, notably

- dealing with crosses

- distribution; both by hand and foot

- shot stopping

- positioning, body shape & handling