Goalkeeper Training

Soccer drills to help goalies stop a high cross

Corners, free-kicks and crosses can cause chaos if your goalkeeper doesn't jump high and catch the ball. Use the following soccer coaching drills and tips to sharpen your goalie's skills.

Drill A. Defending the High Cross 

• Use a 15m x 15m square.
• Put your goalkeeper and two attackers in the square and a player at each corner with a ball.
• The coach calls out a number (1 to 4) and that player kicks a high ball to the keeper. The keeper has to attack the ball and win it in the air, under pressure from two attackers in the box.
• Keep repeating the soccer drill, as practice is important.

Drill B. Defending the High Cross and Clearing

• In this soccer drill, have your goalkeeper in the goal against two attackers.
• Two players with multiple balls stand on the wings to cross high balls into the box. Two other players are 25m down field in a marked off target area (cones will do).
• The goalkeeper attacks the high ball, wins it in the air and immediately turns and throws it downfield in the opposite direction from which the cross came. This switches the field and catches the attackers still charging at the goal.

Throw out coaching tips for goalies

Goalkeepers like nothing better than to have the ball in their hands, run to the edge of the area and blast it into the sky. But coaching them to use throw-out skills instead can produce better results.


The ability to throw the ball quickly and accurately is increasingly important

Many of the world’s top keepers can throw the ball more than half the length of the pitch, and the distance and accuracy they can achieve is a big counter-attacking weapon for the team. The overarm throw allows your goalkeeper to clear the ball over a longer distance and at greater height.

AND IT CAN BE MORE ACCURATE THAN KICKING THE BALL.

Tips to focus on in training drills include:

• Tell your goalkeeper to adopt a side-on position, and put their weight on the back foot.
• Your goalkeeper’s throwing hand should be positioned under the ball, and their throwing arm kept straight.
• The non-throwing arm should point in the direction of the target.
• The goalkeeper then brings this arm down as the throwing arm comes through in an arc over the top of their shoulder.
• The goalkeeper’s weight should be transferred forward as the ball is released.
• It is similar to a bowler’s action in cricket.

OVER LONG DISTANCES, GET YOUR PLAYER TO CONCENTRATE ON POWERING THE ARM DOWNWARDS ON THE SAME LINE AS
THE TARGET SPOT. THIS WILL HELP YOUR GOALIE'S ACCURACY.

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