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Goalkeeper training: 5 key movement skills and how to train them

Goalkeepers require specific strength and conditioning training, with five key movements skills important to train.

By Jesper Gustafsson Last updated: February 29th, 2024 9 min read

Contents of article

The 5 key movement skills for goalkeepers

• Goalkeeper-specific speed: sprint and side-to-side positioning
• Improving the dive
• Developing high-ball jumping
• Increasing duelling strength

Practical applications

There’s no denying it – outfield football players get most of the glory compared to goalkeepers. And while there are plenty of strength and conditioning (S&C) training recommendations and guidelines for outfield players, there is little published on goalkeeper-specific S&C training. That’s despite goalkeepers having a highly important role and requiring specific training – since their game demands are very different to outfield players.

Elite goalkeepers cover an average of 5000 m during a game, of which as much as 68 % is classified as low intensity and only ~ 0.8 % as high intensity, such as sprinting ( >25.2 km/h ) and high-speed running (HSR)( 19.8-24.8 km/h ). Elite goalkeepers generally have a total sprint distance of ~ 11 m, compared to ~ 97-313m for elite outfield players . They also perform ~ 56 m of HSR per game, in contrast to the considerably greater distances of ~ 500-1100 m in HSR executed by outfield players.

Even though the frequency of explosive actions is clearly far below what outfield players perform in an average game, the performance of goalkeepers is often seen as game-decisive .

So it’s clear that goalkeepers and outfield players can’t be trained with a one-size-fits-all approach. Any training that aims to improve goalkeepers’ physical performance should be specific to the movement demands of goalkeeping. A general aim for the prescription of exercises is to achieve the so-called ‘transfer of training’ effect – where a high level of training specificity in a specific exercise leads to a higher likelihood of improved sporting performance. This is because the body adapts specifically to the demands placed on it by training, a concept widely known as: “Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands” .

This article is a conscious attempt to bridge the gap between goalkeepers’ isolated technical training regime and their S&C training. It will be focused on strength, power and speed, and will categorise goalkeeper-specific S&C training into five different game-specific movement skills. It will also contain an in-depth technical analysis of each movement skill and provide accompanying practical exercise recommendations.

The five key movement skills categories have been selected based on research, my game observations as a retired goalkeeper, and my experience as an active S&C coach within an elite football environment. The movement skills have also been selected because they either appear frequently during games, are game-decisive, or both.

The five key movement skills are:

• Goalkeeper’s sprint
• Side-to-side positioning

1. Goalkeeper’s sprint

In a study investigating the frequency of different movements of professional goalkeepers leading into important technical actions, displacement (moving forward, sideways, or backward) was the most commonly occurring, followed by the not-so-frequent diving and jumping. Looking at the different movement directions of goalkeeper displacement, forward running is the most frequent, followed by lateral running. Further, the typical forward displacement of sprints was in the range of 0-5m .

So, we need to train our goalkeepers to be able to move powerfully and quickly in a linear (i.e., forward) fashion as well as laterally. A goalkeeper’s training regime should be heavily focused on short-distance acceleration-based speed training (i.e., 5m accelerations) and short-distance lateral change of direction. However, elements of longer distance sprints (>10m) should not be neglected.

2. Side-to-side positioning

Based on my game observations, there are two common lateral displacement actions for goalkeepers. These are the lateral shuffle and the cut – in this text, collectively referred to as side-to-side positioning. During the lateral cut, the outer leg (i.e., the opposite leg to the movement direction) is the primary leg being used to create force and, as a result, lateral displacement.

Training should also be predominantly unilateral. It is believed that unilateral training (training that involves one side of the body) is more effective than bilateral training (involving both sides of the body) in improving physical performance variables such as single-leg maximal strength, acceleration and change of direction speed .

Another factor to consider when choosing appropriate exercises to develop linear and lateral speed is the direction of forces being produced during explosive movements. Evidence suggests exercises with the same directions of force production as the targeted sport skill are more effective than exercises with different directions of force production. In a study with elite handball players, a horizontal plyometric training programme had greater improvements in horizontally dominated sport skills such as change of direction speed and acceleration , in comparison to a vertical plyometric training programme.

Furthermore, the available timeframes for maximal force production during the targeted sport skills should be considered when aiming for high training specificity. The force-velocity curve is a depiction of the relationship between force and velocity. It can be used to evaluate whether exercises are velocity-specific relative to a specific sports skill. The force-velocity relationship can be explained as “the slower a skeletal muscle shortens, the greater the force it can generate during contraction and vice versa” . So, the amount of time available to perform a task will dictate how much force can be produced.

With this information in mind, lateral movement exercises could be even more effective at developing acceleration or change of direction speed if the concept of specificity is appropriately considered.

A recent study investigated muscle activation patterns of goalkeepers during ‘diving saves’. It was found that dives towards the upper corner of the goal require high amounts of force and power during hip extension at push-off. While both far distance and high corner dives both require high power development during ankle plantarflexion (pushing the ground away with the foot). The authors also found that ankle plantar flexor muscles need to absorb lots of elastic energy, then immediately recoil back to release it (much like a rubber band being stretched and released) during high corner dives. Additionally, all far-distance dives require lots of force production during knee extension at push-off.

This suggests that power training involving the Gluteus Maximus, Gastrocnemius and Soleus (calf) muscles could prove helpful for goalkeepers when diving for high-corner balls. Plyometric training should also be a target to condition the ankle plantar flexors to assist with push-off. During long dives (where the goalkeeper has to reach out for the ball), power training involving the Quadriceps femoris and calf muscle groups is appropriate.

In the same study that investigated muscle activation patterns during ‘diving saves’, it was discovered that the ball-side leg (BS leg) produces more force (higher muscle activation) at high-corner or long dives and less force (lower muscle activation) at low-corner or short dives. According to the same authors, the BS leg is responsible for both the amount of power being produced and its direction during take-off in a diving save.

All of this indicates that when training horizontal lateral power (i.e., developing the physical attributes behind the diving action), exercises where the BS leg is the main ‘driver’ need to be prioritised.

4. High-balls

As mentioned earlier, goalkeepers don’t regularly perform vertical jumping during games . However, when they do, it could turn out to be game-decisive. Based on my game observations, goalkeepers most often tend to jump on one leg at set pieces or cross balls. The selected exercises should thus have more of a unilateral emphasis, as unilateral training seems to be most effective at improving unilateral movement skills.

The chosen exercises should also account for the force-vectors of the vertical jump. To rehash, a vertical plyometric training program is more effective than a horizontal plyometric program at improving vertically dominated sport skills – for example, a goalkeeper jumping up to punch out a cross ball.

The time available to create maximal force during a unilateral jump in a game could potentially be very different from situation to situation, and definitive research is lacking in this area. However, based on my own observations, most goalkeepers’ vertical jumps are performed with minimal knee and hip flexion at ground contact and with maximal effort – as the goalkeeper tends to prefer a high catch of the ball to avoid the attacker getting there first. This means that specific unilateral exercises could be appropriate, with short ground contact times or a small range of motion at knee and hip flexion. However, exercises involving a greater range of motion at the hip and knee joints should not be overlooked, as jumping from this position happens during a game, albeit less frequently.

5. Duelling

The last movement skill to scrutinise is duelling. This could be translated to the goalkeeper’s ability to use their body to protect the space within the penalty box. During open play, the numbers of players within the penalty box are generally few. However, during defensive set-pieces, there are often many opponents in the box, and this can make it difficult for the goalkeeper to get to the desired position from which to react. To be competitive in these tangled and somewhat chaotic situations, a strong, powerful core and upper body is necessary.

Not only does the upper body and core matter, but the whole kinetic chain needs to function properly, to transfer force from the feet up through the hips and core to the upper extremities. During a goalkeeper’s upper body-dominated activities, such as punching, throwing and pushing, the power produced by the upper body is very much the result of forces produced by the lower body, which are then transferred through the core up to the arms, via a “… muscle activation system known as the kinetic chain”.

This guide can be used to shape an S&C program for aspiring goalkeepers. However, individuality should not be neglected – all athletes have different physiological capacities, physical strengths or weaknesses and movement skills, to name a few. See Figure 2 for some examples of exercises to improve upon the five key movement skills discussed in this piece.

By using this guide, S&C coaches , goalkeeping coaches, and even ‘keepers themselves can hopefully start communicating and collaborating to find some common ground using the same terminology and language.

This guide can be used to help anyone create effective and inspiring training sessions for goalkeepers, where specific technical training and S&C training can be intertwined.

Alcazar, J., Csapo, R., Ara, I, & Alegre, L. M. (2019). On the Shape of the Force-Velocity Relationship in Skeletal Muscles: The Linear, the Hyperbolic, and the Double-Hyperbolic. Frontiers in physiology , 10 , 769.

de Baranda, P, S., Ortega, E, & Palao, J, M. (2008). Analysis of goalkeepers’ defence in the World Cup in Korea and Japan in 2002. European Journal of Sport Science, 8. 127-134.

Dello Lacono, A., Martone, D., Milic, M, & Padulo, J. (2017). Vertical- vs. Horizontal Oriented Drop Jump Training: Chronic Effects on Explosive Performances of Elite Handball Players. Journal of strength and conditioning research , 31 (4), 921–931.

Di Salvo, V., Benito, P, J., Calderón, F, J., Di Salvo, M, & Pigozzi, F. (2008). Activity Profile of Elite Goalkeepers During Football Match-play. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 48(4), 443-446

Di Salvo, V., Baron, R., Gonzalez-Haro, C., Gormasz, C., Pigozzi, F, & Bachl, N. (2010). Sprinting analysis of elite soccer players during European Champions League and UEFA Cup matches. Journal of Sports Sciences. 28. 1489-94.

Dos Santos, T., Thomas, C., Jones, P, A, & Comfort, P. (2017). Mechanical determinants of faster change of direction speed performance in male athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Publish Ahead of Print, 1-22. 

Dos Santos, T., McBurnie, A., Thomas, C., Comfort, P, & Jones, P. (2019). Biomechanical Comparison of Cutting Techniques: A Review AND Practical Applications. Strength and Conditioning Journal. Publish Ahead of Print. 1-28.

Ingebrigtsen, J., Dalen, T., Hjelde, G. H., Drust, B, & Wisløff, U. (2015). Acceleration and sprint profiles of a professional elite football team in match play. European Journal of Sport Science , 15(2), 101–110.

Kubayi, A. (2016). Analysis of Goalkeeper’s Game Performance at the 2016 European Football Championships. South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 32(1), 1-4. Padulo, J., Haddad, M., Ardigo, L, P., Chamari, K, & Pizzolato, F. (2015). High frequency performance analysis of professional soccer goalkeepers: a pilot study. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness , 55(6), 557–562.

Pearson, D., Faigenbaum, A., Conley, M, & Kraemer, W. J. (2000). The National Strength and Conditioning Association’s basic guidelines for the resistance training of athletes. Strength and Conditioning Journal , 22 (4), 14-30.

Ravé, G., Granacher, U., Boullosa, D., Hackney, A, C, & Zouhal, H. (2020). How to use global positioning systems (GPS) data to monitor training load in the “real world” of elite soccer. Frontiers in Physiology, 11(944), 1-11.

Sciascia, A, & Cromwell, R. (2012). Kinetic chain rehabilitation: a theoretical framework. Rehabilitation research and practice , 853037, 1-9.

Stern, D., Gonzalo-Skok, O., Loturco, I., Turner, A, & Bishop, C. (2020). A Comparison of Bilateral vs. Unilateral-Biased Strength and Power Training Interventions on Measures of Physical Performance in Elite Youth Soccer Players, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research , 34(8), 2105-2111.

Matsukura, K. & Asai, T. (2019). Characteristics of lower limb force exertion during diving motions by collegiate male soccer goalkeepers. Science and Medicine in Football, 4, 1-8.

Wild, J., Bezodis, N., Blagrove, R. & Bezodis, I. (2011). A Biomechanical Comparison of Accelerative and Maximum Velocity Sprinting: Specific Strength Training Considerations. Professional Strength and Conditioning, 21, 23-36.

Jesper Gustafsson

Jesper is the former Head of Sport Science in Västerås SK (2nd league in Swedish Football) and Lecturer in Sport Science at Örebro University. He has many years of experience working as a Strength & Conditioning Coach, Sport Scientist, and Physiotherapist in Swedish elite football (club and national teams). Jesper also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Sport Science, a Postgraduate Certificate in Strength & Conditioning, and a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy.

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GOALKEEPER TRAINING METHODOLOGY

This book does not intend to discover something new or make any innovations. Its purpose is to organize our existing knowledge. It was written to address the needs that occur from daily training with young goalkeepers, which sets the base for analysis, planning and adapting methodology to the needs of every individual goalkeeper.

This book presents the 14 categories of GK training, both in order of importance and by age. Each training category includes a rich and specialized range of exercises that is accompanied by photographs and illustrations. In total there are 168 exercises to cover every aspect of the specialized GK training.

Vaggelis Lappas was born in Athens on the 28th of March 1975. He has UEFA A and AFC-GK Level 1 qualifications.

He has presented at numerous seminars and conferences throughout his career. For the last 8 years, he has also presented at seminars and conferences in Greece and a variety of international events.  His involvement with soccer started at a very young age, specifically in the goalkeeper position at the Academy of Aetos Korydallou.

He competed in many amateur teams as well as for F.C. Keratsini in the 3rd Division. His career as a trainer began early on in 1998 as he took his first steps at the Academy of Amfiali (1998).

In 2001, he worked at the Academy of Aetos Korydallou for four years and then in the First League as a GK trainer for AE Moschato FC, Proodeftiki FC, Panelefsiniakos FC, Haidari FC, and Fostiras FC. In 2010, he joined the Academy of FC Panathinaikos where he worked until 2015, after which he was promoted to the First League team.

He did this while still having an overview of the Academy always in relation to the GK training. During the season of 2016-17, he signed with Al Dhafra FC, based in Abu Dhabi, which competes in the Arabian Gulf League. In 2018, he joined the Academy of Olympiacos FC as a goalkeeper coach and an Academy Goalkeeper Development Supervisor.

I want to congratulate Vaggelis Lappas on his book Goalkeeper Training Methodology. This book will help many goalkeeping coaches to improve their training and the level of their goalkeepers. With the help of many technical drills supported by coaching comments, coaches can bring their goalies to the next level! Maarten Arts (Owner MAGC at MAARTEN ARTS GOALKEEPING CONSULTANCY)

I have nothing but admiration and respect towards Vaggelis Lappas. I have always admired his work and I am very happy that he was able to complete his project in spite of all the other demands on his time. Giannis Samaras (Director of Football)

Vaggelis Lappas is one of the most professional goalkeeper's coaches that I have work with. He has the tools to make the best of any context that he faces, his creativeness, resourcefulness, and initiative allows him to face any demand. This book is a reflex of his author. Goalkeeper Training Methodology offers a very good insight into an excellent and solid perspective to the goalkeeping coaching based on years of experience, with a consistent theoretical approach but with a day-to-day application. It's a must-read for every professional in the are  a. Pedro Caravela (Assistant Coach U20 & Head of the Scout Department)

One of the best books that I have ever read about goalkeeping. Vaggelis Lappas is a top goalkeeper coach who has been working at a high level but the most important for me is that he has experience in all age groups. This gives him the opportunity to go deep in the process of goalkeeping education explaining all the steps in a very simple and clear way. This book is an amazing tool for all the goalkeeper coaches! Dimitris Mousiaris (Goalkeeper Coach at WADI DEGLA)

An excellent book that categorizes the basic GK principles in a logical progression. Simplicity is the most difficult. In this book, you will be able to see simple, but crucial things, that will give you the fundamentals for the next step. Dimitris Gkoumas (Football Analyst at ASPIRE Academy / Qatar Football Association)

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The Complete Goalkeeper Training Guide (Drills and Tips)

As the last line of defence, a lot of pressure rests on the goalkeeper's shoulders to do everything they can to keep the ball out of the back of the net.

That's why efficient and effective goalkeeper training is so important.

Whether it's diving at a striker's feet, agilely palming the ball away from the top corner of the goal, or confidently coming to claim crosses, a goalkeeper needs to be ready and prepared for whatever comes their way.

While ball-handling skills and stopping shots are a key part of a goalkeeper's job, they also have to be calm, collected, and consistent, as well as communicate well and instil trust and confidence in their defence.

As it’s a unique role, goalkeepers have their own drills and training regime.

These focus not only on their technique and agility, but also their footwork, positioning, and distribution.

In this complete goalkeeper training guide, we'll first look at just what exactly is expected from a goalkeeper in terms of their play and performances out on the pitch.

We'll then move onto some goalkeeper drills and tips that can help you master this important position yourself or coach an up-and-coming goalkeeping prospect to harness their potential.

The Goalkeeper Role Explained

The keeper's primary objective in any game is to stop the opposition and keep a cleansheet.

This involves a lot of different things such as organising the defence, making saves, and being alert to any danger that arises.

Shot stopping is a large part of this and goalkeepers need to be very agile, have quick reactions, and be able to spring into action at a moment's notice.

For low shots, they need to be able to get down quickly while shots arcing towards the top corners demand quick footwork and great positioning, as well as tremendous leaps.

If the goalkeeper can't hold onto a shot, then they should look to parry it away from danger or tip it behind for a corner.

In addition to dealing with any shots that come their way, goalkeepers need to be very brave when they’re called into action.

This could see them throw themselves at a striker's feet to block a shot, come hurtling off of their line to clear a ball in behind the defence, or punch crosses and corners away while under pressure from hulking centrebacks.

To make sure they don't concede a goal, keepers need to remain very calm and focused throughout the match and remain in constant communication with the defenders before them.

This not only helps the defence to plug gaps and prevent goalscoring opportunities from arising but also helps the goalkeeper and defenders to trust one another.

It’s the latter, however, who should command and dominate their box and know when to come and claim crosses and when to stay on their line.

While their ball-handling skills, shot-stopping, and command of their box are key, modern keepers are also expected to be good on the ball and be able to keep possession within the team.

Whether it’s throwing the ball, passing it on to a centreback , or kicking it long to a striker , a goalkeeper's pass should find its target more often than not.

How involved a keeper is in passages of play does, however, depend on their team's style of play and the formation they’re playing in.

With three at the back, for instance, a goalkeeper is much more likely to have to rush off their line and cover and clear any passes that get played in behind their defender.

Besides being alert to the danger, this then also means that the keeper should have a decent burst of speed to them and know how to time a tackle.

Alternatively, they may have to face a one-on-one.

In this situation, they should be quick off their line to narrow the angle and force the striker into either taking a shot or attempting to take the ball around them.

They should have great timing and know exactly when to engage the striker and when to stay on their feet. As such, decision making is also an important part of being a keeper.

As they’re the last line of defence and any mistake they make is liable to end up in a goal being conceded, goalkeepers need to be cool, calm and collected, and thrive on the pressure of making a match-winning save.

They need to have a lot of confidence, self-belief, and trust in their goalkeeper training.

This enables them to bounce back quickly from any mistakes they make and keep making important saves even when things haven't been going their way.

As you can see, there are loads of different skills and attributes that a goalkeeper needs if they’re to make it to the very top of the game.

As always, patience, perseverance, and practice go a long way to helping players progress.

Now that we’ve looked at just what’s expected from the modern goalkeeper, let's turn to some drills that can help you improve and master some of what we’ve touched on.

Goalkeeper Training Drills

Whether it’s catching, punching, or parrying shots, taking up the perfect position to pull off a save or judging when to come and claim a cross, a lot goes into being a great keeper.

As it’s a unique position unlike any other on the pitch, goalkeepers need to work on different skills and have a separate goalkeeper training regime from the rest of the team.

In this section, we're going to look at some fun but focused drills which will help you improve your shot-saving technique and ball-handling skills, as well as your footwork, agility, and reflexes.

These exercises are also great for your positioning, decision-making, and organisational skills. 

Let's take a look!

1. Warm Up and Distribution

Before moving on to more challenging drills in training or starting a proper match, it’s always important to warm up properly.

This exercise will allow keepers to practise their handling skills, footwork, and distribution while warming up and getting ready for the training session or match to begin in earnest.

1. Place a ladder on the ground or a line of cones if you don't have one.

2. Perpendicular to the end of the ladder, place 2 cones around 2 metres apart. These act as a small goal and should be around 10 metres distance from the ladder.

3. While 1 static goalkeeper stands in front of the small goal, another goalkeeper lines up at the beginning of the ladder, ready to start the drill.

4. In addition, another goalkeeper, player, or coach should stand around 5 metres from the other end of the ladder with several soccer balls on hand.

How to Run the Drill: 

1. Once the coach gives the command, the goalkeeper at the beginning of the ladder should quickly run forward, taking small, sharp steps. Both feet should touch the ground in each square. Another option is for the goalkeeper to slalom from side to side, again as quickly as possible.

2. When they reach the end of the ladder, they need to gather, catch, or jump to get the ball which the player throws or kicks to them.

3. With the ball in hand, they must then turn to the other goalkeeper and attempt to roll the ball at pace between the two cones.

4. After rolling the ball, they then sprint back to the beginning of the ladder to start the drill again.

5. Once they have completed it around 5 times, they should rotate with the other goalkeeper.

Coaching Points: 

1. As this drill is used during the warm-up, the goalkeepers should progress in speed, starting slow and building up speed.

2. The goalkeepers should focus on their footwork and do small, sharp steps which will help improve their agility and speed.

3. When catching the ball, they should get their whole midriff behind it or jump with both hands to the ball before bringing it to their chest.

4. They then want to roll the ball as hard, fast, and accurately as possible along the ground and past the other keeper. This then allows them to practice their distribution for the game ahead.

2. Agility, Ball-Handling, and Footwork

With this drill, the goalkeeper is meant to nimbly make their way through a series of cones before they either catch, dive, or jump to catch the ball, depending on what you want to work on.

The idea is that they improve their footwork, ball-handling abilities, and agility; all in one drill.

1. Set up a line of cones in front of the goal from the goal line to the 6-yard box or just beyond.

2. At the end of the cones, place either a cone, mannequin, or agility pole around 2 to 3 metres to either side of the line.

3. While one goalkeeper starts on the goal line, two other goalkeepers, players, or coaches line up around 4 or 5 metres from each mannequin with several soccer balls on hand.

How to Run the Drill:

1. The goalkeeper on the line moves between the cones as quickly as possible before darting to the outside of either of the cones/mannequins/agility poles.

2. Once they arrive here, one of the other two players drop-kicks the ball at the keeper's chest. Alternatively, they can always pass the ball along the ground, throw it up high into the air, or toss it to either side, depending on what skill you want to work on.

3. With any of these different drills, the keeper should catch the ball and throw it back before immediately shuffling to the outside of the other cone/mannequin/agility pole where they repeat the drill.

4. They then run back towards the goal line and take up the starting position, ready to begin the drill again.

5. They should work through this drill around 10 times before they rest and rotate with one of the other keepers.

6. Once they’ve all done this a couple of times, vary it up by getting them to dive or leap for the ball or pass it back along the ground with one touch.

What to Bear in Mind:

1. To make the most of the drill, the players should work through it as quickly as possible as this mirrors game situations.

2. The goalkeepers should take quick, sharp steps when working their way through the cones and refrain from crossing their feet as this unbalances and destabilises them and will prevent them from easily leaping to either side.

3. When catching the ball, the keepers should be reminded to put their whole body behind the shot so that it doesn't squirm past them if they don't catch it.

3. Footwork, Reaction Time, and Shot-Stopping

A fun drill that will excite both the goalkeepers and players, this drill involves the keeper attempting to save, catch, or parry any shot that comes their way.

The idea is that after having dived to make a save, the goalkeeper should spring up as quickly as possible to stop the next shot.

This not only helps them improve their shot-stopping technique but their footwork and reaction time too.

Setup: 

1. Scatter around 10 soccer balls on the edge of the penalty area.

2. While the goalkeeper should be positioned in front of the goal, two other goalkeepers, players, or coaches should stand on the edge of the box.

1. To start the drill, one of the players on the edge of the box takes a shot which the goalkeeper then attempts to save.

2. Once they’ve either saved or let in the first shot, the second player should then take their shot.

3. Like this, they continue to alternate with the keeper trying to save and react to each shot as quickly as possible.

4. Once they’ve run out of soccer balls, the players collect them and line them up again. The goalkeeper can also rotate with another keeper before repeating the drill.

1. With this drill, the keeper should always remain a couple of feet off of their line and position themselves in between the ball and the goal.

2. They should be encouraged to get back on their feet as quickly as possible, use the correct footwork, and try to catch and hold on to as many shots as they can.

3. The players who are shooting the ball should focus on accuracy rather than power and only just give the goalkeeper enough time to get to their shot.

4. Reaction, Agility, Footwork, and Vision

This drill sees goalkeepers react as quickly as possible to retrieve, catch, and smother a ball bouncing around the 6-yard box.

As other balls are thrown in at the same time, the keeper needs to quickly lock on to the target ball and recover it, improving their vision, agility, reaction time, and footwork all in one go.

1. With this exercise, the goalkeeper should line up on the goal line, facing away from the pitch, ready to turn at a moment's notice and smother the target ball.

2. Three goalkeepers, players, or coaches stand on the 6-yard line with a soccer ball in each of their hands. One of these should be a different colour. This is the target ball.

1. On the coach's command, the 3 players should throw or toss the 6 soccer balls into the area in front of the goal.

2. As soon as the coach gives the instruction, the goalkeeper should turn as quickly as possible and locate the target ball, diving to collect it amongst the other bouncing balls.

3. Once they’ve retrieved it, then the players collect the other balls and the keeper returns to their position for the drill to start again.

4. After having completed it several times, the goalkeeper should rest and rotate with another keeper before repeating the drill.

1. The goalkeeper should remain light on their feet so that they can turn as quickly as possible to retrieve the target ball.

2. When diving to smother the ball, the keeper should focus on their footwork, taking small, sharp steps before flinging themselves at it.

3. While they should focus first on catching the ball, the goalkeeper needs to remember to keep their hands in the right position and cushion it when landing back to the ground.

4. On top of this, it’s a good idea to teach the goalkeeper to stay square and try and keep their body behind the ball when catching it. This means that their body will block the ball and stop it from entering the goal if they spill it.

5. Shot Stopping, Reflexes, Agility, Footwork, and Distribution

A very fun, competitive, and high-intensity drill, this exercise sees 2 goalkeepers face off and attempt to score past one another.

As they get to both kick, throw, and shoot the ball, the goalkeepers improve their distribution as well as their footwork, reflexes, and agility when it comes to saving shots.

1. With cones, set out a 20x15 metre grid. On the longer side, there should be a different coloured cone that marks the halfway point.

2. Along the shorter sides, set up a full-sized goal at each end.

3. In front of each goal, mark out a “goalie zone” with cones. These should be around 5 metres from the goal line.

4. Each goalkeeper should take up their position in front of a goal.

5. A good number of soccer balls should be easily available to each keeper.

1. To start the game, one of the goalkeepers tries to score against the other. They can throw, kick, or volley the ball but only from within their zone.

2. The other goalkeeper does everything in their power to save the shot.

3. If a goalkeeper scores, they’re allowed to take another shot. If their shot is saved, however, it’s then the other goalkeeper’s turn to try and score.

4. In this way, the game continues until either their time is up, they run out of balls, or they score a certain number of goals, depending on what rules you laid out at the start.

5. Once the game is over, the goalkeepers can rest and collect any stray balls before starting another round or rotating with any other keeper on the team.

What to Bear in Mind: 

1. The goalkeepers should stay on their toes and be ready for any type of shot that comes their way.

2. It’s best if they try and catch and hold on to the shots and keep their midriff behind it when they do so.

3. Make it fun and competitive and encourage them, but change the drill or alter the rules if it looks like it’s getting too one-sided and a keeper is getting demotivated.

6. Catching, Punching, Leaping, Timing, and Distribution

While saving shots is a large part of being a goalkeeper, coming to claim crosses bravely and confidently is equally important if you want to consistently keep clean sheets.

In this drill, keepers navigate their way around a crowded penalty area to either come and catch crosses or punch them clear.

1. Place 3 or 4 mannequins, agility poles, or static players around the 6-yard box in front of a full-sized goal.

2. One goalkeeper stands in front of the goal, ready to start the drill.

3. Another goalkeeper, player, or coach stays outside of the penalty box on one side, ready to whip crosses in. They should have a good number of soccer balls with them.

1. The drill starts when one of the players out wide crosses the ball, in the air, into the box. It shouldn't be too near or too far from the goal, rather around the edge of the 6-yard line or penalty spot.

2. When the cross is hit, the goalkeeper wants to make their way around the mannequins, judging when best to leap and catch the ball. This should be at its highest point as any lower down and a striker would likely head it in if this were a proper match.

3. Once they catch it, they throw the ball as quickly as possible out to where the player out wide is. This then helps them improve their distribution.

4. The drill is then repeated a number of times until the goalkeeper rotates with another keeper or rests and retrieves any missing balls.

5. Once the drill has been run a few times on one side, you can practice coming to claim crosses or punch them away from the opposite side.

6. To make it more challenging, you can also have a couple of strikers try to get on the end of crosses or vary up the balls into the box with low, driven, and curling crosses from different angles.

1. The goalkeeper should focus on the ball while also keeping an eye out for the mannequins and any active players.

2. They need to decide quickly whether to come for the ball, catch it, punch it, or leave it.

3. Once they’ve made a decision, they need to stick to it and fully commit and be brave, decisive, and aggressive as well as time their jump to perfection.

4. When jumping to catch the ball, they should push off of one leg and keep the other in front of them as this helps protect them at corners and crosses from incoming players.

7. Jumping, Timing, and Recovery 

Reacting quickly and recovering from being out of position is another invaluable skill for a keeper.

This drill helps them to improve both of these things while also working on their jumping and timing skills.

1. A full-sized goal.

2. The goalkeeper starts on the 6-yard line in front of it.

3. A goalkeeper, player, or coach stands around the penalty spot with a soccer ball in their hands and a good number at their feet.

1. The drill starts when the player with the ball throws it up and over the goalkeeper towards the goal. The aim is for it to loop over them but drop in just below the crossbar.

2. The goalkeeper has to backpedal quickly while it’s in the air and time their jump to perfection to tip it over the bar.

3. After they've landed, they should get up as quickly as possible and sprint back to the 6-yard line.

4. Once they reach it, the player with the ball should again throw the ball over the goalkeeper's head, varying where they aim it.

5. The goalkeeper should run through the drill a number of times before resting, recuperating the balls and rotating with any other keeper.

1. When backpedalling, the goalkeeper shouldn't cross their feet but should turn slightly in the direction of the ball as they go.

2. When they jump towards the ball, they should push off of the foot nearest to the goal and tip it over the bar with their closest hand. Here, they should ideally use their palm to get more power on it.

3. In addition to their footwork and jump, the goalkeeper should focus on their timing and keep their eyes on the ball at all times.

8. Bravery, Timing, Movement, and Decision-Making

While confidently coming to claim crosses, recovering quickly, and stopping shots are all crucial to keeping clean sheets, diving at a striker's feet and defending one-on-one situations is just as key.

In this drill, the keeper increases their confidence and bravery by flinging themselves at a striker's feet.

This also helps them improve their timing, movement, and decision-making.

2. Two lines of cones that are placed diagonally towards the goal from the corners of the penalty area and a bit beyond.

3. Two players waiting at the start of each line of cones.

4. One goalkeeper, player, or coach who stands at the penalty arc with a ball in hand and a good number more at their feet.

1. The drill starts with the player with the ball volleying it from their hand at the keeper.

2. Once the keeper catches the ball, they roll it quickly to either of the other two players at the start of the line of cones.

3. This player then dribbles their way through the cones and advances on goal before attempting to score.

4. Once they get to the end of the cones, the goalkeeper can come out and try and narrow the angle and either make a save or dive at their feet.

5. After they’ve saved the shot, smothered it at their feet, or let the ball go in the goal, the drill starts again with the player at the arc volleying the next ball goalwards.

6. Repeat this drill a number of times before rotating with another goalkeeper.

7. To make it harder, allow players to shoot at any point they like while dribbling through the cones, or make it a two-on-one situation with the other player in front of the cones also joining the attack.

1. The goalkeeper needs to be on their toes, ready to throw themselves at the striker's feet.

2. They should not go to ground too quickly but focus on taking small, sharp steps to position them before the striker.

3. They need to time their approach, judge the distance to the ball, and think about narrowing the angle.

4. Once they make a decision, they need to be brave and decisive and fully commit.

5. Ideally, they should hold onto the ball and not be scared about receiving a whack from the striker.

9. Kicking, Catching, and Distribution

Kicking the ball and distributing it accurately upfield is also part of a keeper's remit and is increasingly important in the modern game.

This drill sees goalkeepers practice their long-distance kicking and throwing as well as coming to claim high balls into the box.

2. A goalkeeper standing a bit off of their line.

3. Another goalkeeper, player, or coach who stands near the halfway line with a good number of soccer balls at their feet.

1. The player with the ball at the halfway line kicks it either from the ground or from their hands high in the air into the penalty box.

2. The goalkeeper should come and claim it, jumping to catch it in the air using the proper technique.

3. With the ball in their hand, they can either overarm-throw it back to the player or kick it back as accurately as possible.

4. Repeat the drill around 10 times before rotating with another goalkeeper, resting a bit and recuperating any balls that went astray.

5. After this, change the position of the player on the halfway line so you learn to kick to different sides and areas of the pitch. The goalkeeper can also start with the balls and practice their goal kicks.

1. The goalkeeper should focus on coming to claim the ball, using the right technique and judgement to catch it and bring it to their chest safely.

2. They should spring off of their strong foot with their arms raised high and keep their other knee up to protect themselves against any incoming players.

3. When throwing the ball, they should put their weak foot forward, point their weak arm in the direction they want the ball to go, and launch it with their strong arm. You don't want it to arch and go too high and lose speed and accuracy, however, so make sure to let go of the ball at the right time so that it shoots towards its target.

4. When kicking from their hands, keepers often focus on distance and height rather than accuracy. To clear it upfield accurately and powerfully, goalkeepers should focus on their technique and make sure they gauge the right distance and power to reach their target.

5. With goal kicks, the keeper usually wants to launch it as far and as high down the pitch as possible. This means perfecting the technique for striking the ball. As such, they should lean back and to the side as they strike the ball so that it gains elevation and travels as far as possible.

10. Shot Stopping, Reflexes, and Agility 

While no keeper or team wants to give away a penalty, it does happen from time to time, and so it’s well worth practising for such an eventuality.

Besides, practising penalties is a fun way to end a training session which helps your goalkeeper to improve their shot-stopping, reflexes, and agility.

2. A goalkeeper standing on their line.

3. A goalkeeper, player, or coach lining up to take the penalty with the ball on the penalty spot.

1. When the player takes the penalty, the keeper should do everything in their power to stop it from crossing over the line.

2. After the first penalty, the next penalty taker takes their shot. This gets the goalkeeper used to different shooting techniques.

3. Once all the different players have taken a penalty, the goalkeeper can rest and rotate with another keeper.

4. To make it more fun and competitive for everyone, turn the drill into a small competition between players and goalkeepers.

1. The goalkeeper should keep calm and focused, have their arms out wide and bend their knees so that they can spring to either side.

2. They want to be on their toes, ready to fling themself towards the ball.

3. They should wait until the ball is struck and then attempt to dive a bit forwards but not too far as this narrows the angle.

4. Once you’ve chosen a side, you should commit fully and stretch as far as you can.

5. The keeper should look to see where the penalty taker is looking, which way their body is leaning, and where they place their foot, as this hints as to where they’ll place the ball.

6. After they make the save, they should leap to their feet as quickly as possible to deal with any rebound or smother the bouncing ball.

Now that we've looked at some great drills that can help you improve your goalkeeping skills, let's now turn to some top tips that can take you to the next level.

Tips on How to Be a Better Goalkeeper 

While many people think that stopping shots is the most important part of a goalkeeper's job, it’s often their footwork and positioning that determine whether they make the save with ease or not.

Beyond that, the way they communicate with their defence and command their box is just as crucial to keeping clean sheets as is their bravery, confidence, and decision-making.

As you can see, absolutely loads go into being a great goalkeeper.

With all that in mind, here are some top tips for better goalkeeper training:

1. Practice!

While it may seem obvious, it’s important to emphasise that going to training, playing as much soccer as possible, and learning all you can about the role is key to being a better keeper.

By practising constantly, you'll hone your skills, discover new techniques, and gain invaluable experience of different scenarios that are sure to arise out on the pitch.

2. Know the Rules

Although it may again seem self-evident, knowing the rules is of the utmost importance to a goalkeeper and is possibly more important for this position than any other on the pitch.

This is because goalkeepers are the last line of defence and so any error they commit is more likely to result in a goal being scored.

As such, goalkeepers should know when they’re legally allowed to pick up the ball, how long they can hold onto it, and how to avoid giving away penalties.

3. Work on Your Decision-Making Skills

Nothing sends panic through a defence quicker than a goalkeeper who’s hesitant and doesn't know whether to come for a ball or leave it.

Consequently, keepers should be decisive and confidently come to claim any ball or dive without a second thought at the feet of a striker.

Practising and playing as much as possible helps players to improve their decision-making.

4. Don't Be Afraid

Goalkeepers have to be very brave and not be afraid to put their head where it hurts.

While this fearlessness comes with time and experience, it can also come about through learning how to dive and fall safely.

Knowing how to protect yourself, your face, and your body and being decisive and fully committed when going for the ball all help build your self-belief and confidence and eradicate fear and uncertainty.

5. Be Confident and Trust in Yourself

While all goalkeepers make mistakes from time to time and let in goals they wouldn't want to, what’s important is how they respond to these setbacks.

Goalkeepers need to have incredible confidence and self-belief and this is again built on the skills and techniques you learn during training and the experience you gain in match situations.

6. Ask for Feedback and Listen to Advice

Goalkeepers can learn a lot from their coaches, teammates and other keepers.

As such, it’s well worth asking for pointers, tips, or feedback so you can incorporate new elements into your game and improve your technique and decision-making skills.

Another invaluable source is YouTube where you can watch the best goalkeepers in the world and see what they do to keep clean sheets.

Such as the following:

7. Communication Makes Your Job Easier

While a lot of emphasis gets placed on goalkeepers' shot-stopping abilities, how they communicate with and command their defenders before them is just as important.

This is because you can direct the defenders to plug gaps and close down any danger before it arises.

This then prevents you from having to make saves or at the very least puts the attacker off so that the shot isn’t so dangerous when it reaches the goal.

8. Work on Your Positioning and Reading Opponents

The position you take up before the striker shoots goes a long way to determining how easy it is to make the save or get to the shot.

Positioning and footwork are just as important to shot-stopping as your agility and reflexes.

In addition, you can make your life much easier if you learn to read opponents and determine where they're going to shoot before they pull the trigger.

This gives you more time to get in place and ready yourself for the strike.

9. Work on Your Distribution

While clean sheets are what goalkeepers are primarily judged on, in the modern game they’re increasingly called upon to be great with their feet and have decent distribution.

As a keeper, you should learn how to take good goal kicks, how to throw the ball accurately and powerfully, and how to keep possession within your team.

10. Have Fun!

Although there’s a lot to learn and work on if you’re to be a top goalkeeper, having fun and enjoying your soccer is key to developing and improving as both a player and person.

Playing with a smile on your face and loving every minute of being on the pitch will mean that you work hard and enjoy all the training sessions and do your best to improve as a goalkeeper.

As it’s a very unique role, goalkeepers have a lot of different responsibilities and requirements placed on them in comparison with other players.

This means that they have their own training regime to work through which not only focuses on their shot-stopping, ball-handling, and reflexes but their footwork, positioning, and agility, too.

In addition to this, they have to be very brave, focused, and committed, command their box, and communicate clearly with their defenders if they’re to consistently keep clean sheets.

With this complete goalkeeper training guide, you can greatly improve your goalkeeping abilities through the drills and tips we outlined above.

Good luck and happy playing!

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Home » Coaching Guides

The Fundamentals of Goalkeeper Training

• beginner soccer goalie training
• benefits of multisports
• Coming off the line
• Do goalkeepers need to be flexible?

Goalkeepers occupy a unique position on the pitch, requiring a highly specific skill set. But as the demands of the modern game require ‘keepers to resemble outfield players more closely, should we adapt our approach to goalkeeper training? Here, we discuss when young players should specialise as goalkeepers, consider the specific skills required by goalkeepers today, and explain how a multisport approach can help young players to develop key skills and physical attributes.

Click here to watch the full Masterclass Discussion with Yilmaz Aksoy

In This Article

Deciding when goalkeepers should specialise.

• What Should a Goalkeeper Train?

The Benefits of Multisports in Goalkeeper Training

The key points.

When working with young players, it’s important to consider the context around both the individuals in our team and our coaching environment. What does age-appropriate learning look like for our players ? Are we working in a grassroots environment, where contact hours are more limited? And, if so, how do we make the most of that time?

“I recall experiences in the academy system where goalkeepers start specialist training very young,” says PDP Co-Founder Dave Wright. “But in those environments, coaches have the luxury of more contact time. And there remain questions around what age ‘keepers should start focusing on one position, and whether playing in goal is something all young players should have a turn at.”

According to Yilmaz Aksoy, Head of Academy Goalkeeping at Charlton Athletic FC, it’s important that we don’t encourage young players to specialise too early: “Looking at the journeys of goalkeepers who’ve made it to elite level, one common condition is that they had a wide array of experiences growing up — whether that was across different sports, or because they played different positions and became a goalkeeper quite late.

“I believe it’s really important to provide an environment that helps players develop the fundamentals — that could mean being comfortable with the ball at their feet or developing the physical attributes to move in and around the spaces on the pitch and the psychological skills to understand how to exploit those spaces — and developing the goalkeeper skills later on. Those fundamentals are then transferable.”

The Skills Needed by the Modern Goalkeeper

Appreciating the changing demands faced by goalkeepers is key to understanding what attributes to help them develop. For instance, in the professional game, players in all positions need to be more physically capable than in the past, while the increasing frequency of teams playing out from the back requires goalkeepers to be better at receiving and passing the ball.

“At the top end of the game, goalkeepers’ involvements are around 80 percent with their feet to 20 percent with their hands,” explains Aksoy. “The in-possession part of their game is as important as the out-of-possession part — perhaps more important — because the goalkeeper plays an important role in how the team builds and maintains possession. That’s another reason why I agree with goalkeepers specialising later.”

“ Positional connections and combinations with teammates are also hugely important ,” adds Wright. “For example, the connection between goalkeeper and centre-back, or goalkeeper and fullback, or potentially with the central midfielder who’s coming short — these are all vital if we want to be comfortable playing out from the back. There are advantages to doing specialist work, but context is key, and making the game realistic remains important.”

Given their emphasis on avoiding premature specialisation and giving young players a wide variety of experiences, we may find that debates surrounding goalkeeper training complement discussions around the value of multisport approaches in youth environments . As physical attributes such as speed, power, and agility become more important for goalkeepers, it appears that a childhood playing a variety of different sports, and developing a wide range of fundamental movement skills, could be key to helping aspiring ‘keepers prepare for the demands of the modern game.

This is a standpoint advocated by ex-Premier League and USMNT goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who, in an interview with PDP, details a childhood spent both playing basketball and a range of different outfield positions in football before finally specialising as a goalkeeper at around 18-years-old.

“It’s best if youngsters play other invasion games,” agrees Tim Dittmer, Head of Coaching at the FA. “ It will help them learn other movements and disciplines . In the younger age groups, learning to be an athlete is better than learning only to be a footballer. Kids should also spend an equal amount of time outfield as they do playing in goal.”

“The position certainly lends itself to transferable skills,” concludes Aksoy. “Taking the basketball example, there’s hand-eye coordination, there are many different physical attributes — for example, when you try to generate power, when you make single-leg take-offs, and the sharp, explosive movements over shorter distances. All of these things can be useful to goalkeepers, and demonstrate the benefits of developing transferable skills.

• We should consider the context around our players and coaching environments before encouraging individuals to specialise in certain positions.
• It’s vital we create an environment that helps kids learn fundamental skills — both being able to move, and feeling comfortable on the ball.
• In the modern game, goalkeepers need a wide range of skills and attributes that must be developed through a more varied approach to goalkeeper training.
• Playing multiple sports is a great way for kids to enjoy a well-rounded athletic experience and develop new skills that can be transferred to football.

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GOALKEEPER TRAINING METHODOLOGY BY FC PORTO

Importance of the goalkeeper in integrated training, goalkeeper training, specific actions, individual…….

Goalkeepers in integrated training

Specific actions collective….

GAME…

Esquema entrenamiento de porteros FC Porto

Specific goalkeeper training…, how to be a good football goalkeeper .

What is done in training is to promote the acquisition of unique behaviours, because they identify how goalkeepers should play for the team.

(Pedro Pereira, 2009).

The effectiveness of the goalkeeper’s actions is given by his ability to recognise game situations and this will be achieved as soon as possible, the more game situations are promoted in training exercises.

(Wil Coort, 2009).

The ideas that we want to implement must necessarily come into play in the creation of game situations, because they are the ones that allow the development of habits contextualised to the various scenarios that may arise.

(Pedro Pereira, 2009)

SPECIFIC Goalkeeper Training

– Open the game… the training… the exercise…

– Transferring what we do in training to the game

The goalkeeper in integrated training

The effectiveness of the goalkeeper’s actions is given by his ability to recognise game situations and this will be achieved as soon as possible, the more game situations are promoted in the training exercises.

INTEGRATED Training

• Higher ratio…
• More space…
• Unpredictable situations

The goalkeeper must be trained in such a way that he/she can function as a member of the team and can evolve in his/her performance and functions.

The goalkeeper cannot only be trained individually, he has to train and interact with the team to solve collective problems.

We have to build exercises related to team play (the model).

The head coach (with the help of the goalkeeping coach) must know what the goalkeeper’s job is, must “understand” the goalkeeper’s training and must know how to correct during the week, contributing to the development of all players.

– More problems… – More complexity… – More interaction (behaviours) with the team…

The group is not composed of 20 players + 2 goalkeepers… it is composed of 22 players and the coaches (the coaching staff) must also know what the goalkeeper’s job is.

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How To Train Goalkeepers – The Full Plan

There are a lot of goalkeeper training videos out there, some of them made by very enthusiastic young goalkeepers. I don’t want to throw shade on them, but sometimes the problem that you’ll find in trying to mimic some of these youtube videos is that the goalkeepers in them are not exhibiting the best technique. Another important fact that I want to mention is that there is no one training video or specific exercise that you’re going to be able to mimic every day and become great. When training goalkeepers you want to make sure that you use a variety of exercises. Why is that? Well, you want to work on different aspects of the game. At the same time though you want to make sure that you keep it fun. This is how to train goalkeepers! 

Speaking about keeping it fun, the truth is that sometimes you also need to sprinkle in some tough workouts. I had a coach for example that would love to set up “the ring” as he called it. All it was, was 4 stakes with elastic bands wrapped around them. What you would have to do is make a save while jumping over those elastic bands. It’s a great workout, but if you don’t have your diving technique down you could get hurt.   

This definitely brings me to my next point. While it can seem really boring to start out training without any type of fancy equipment and just literally having to throw yourself onto the ground, that’s really the best way to stay safe. There is no reason to sugarcoat it, goalkeeping can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Therefore, as a goalkeeper coach or attempt of one at least, you have to figure out who you’re going to be training. As a goalkeeper don’t think that you’re ever too good for the basics.    

Starting Out With Ball Security  

A lot of training sessions start out with very simple ball security drills. Usually, what you’ll see is two goalkeepers essentially kicking the ball back and forth. What you’re trying to get here is just loosened up while you work on your ball security skills. One of the things that is very important in some of these more simple drills is to take them seriously. You want to make sure that you can drop/kick the ball right to the hands of the goalkeeper that is in front of you. When it’s time to make the catch you want to make sure that you’re well positioned. It’s very important to take advantage of each drill. Don’t take any drill for granted. Again it’s not that you can’t have fun, but you can have fun while working at a decent pace.   

From There You Want To Start Diving 

If you want to find really quick ways to get hurt during goalkeeper training go ahead and try to dive at full speed in the first training exercise that you do. A lot of people are going to feel that I’m saying things that are polar opposite. You can be intense with a simple ball security drill, and then start easing your way into diving full speed. In a lot of these warm up drills it’s a perfect spot to still be working on diving technique. You want to be closer to the ground at first maybe on your knees. Work on diving to low running shots. These two exercises can be done pretty much on a daily basis. They are a great way to get warmed up and still get a chance to work on fundamentals in each training session. 

Easing Into The Main Course     

You can make your warm up as dull or as colorful as you want it to be. The two exercise examples that I talked about are extremely basic. What I also don’t like though, particularly with young keepers is wearing them out with too many warm up exercises. As a coach you really need to be able to read the room and read your keepers. I know it’s really tough to take goalkeepers in different age groups and skill levels and put them through the same training regiment. In this third step though, you want to introduce the specialized training exercise for the day. If you’re going to be working on reaction time or speed you probably want your keepers to be a little more fresh at this point. Again, there is no need to wear them out in warm ups. 

I may have skipped over the stretching part of the warm up. You should always be stretching out before you do any type of workout. I think it is particularly important when you’re going to be doing a lot of jumping and a lot of diving. For example, if you’re going to be using the stakes and elastic bands that I was talking about before, you really want to make sure that you get good stretching in. When you’re going to be doing exercises where you’ll have short bursts to react to the ball you may not wear out your hamstrings all that much, but stretching is still important.  

How To Train Goalkeepers: Manage Workloads Accordingly 

This is something that I mentioned before, as an aspect of training that can be really challenging for coaches. In learning how to train goalkeepers loadmangment is super important. Particularly, if you’re going to be working with your goalkeepers on a daily basis or at least 3 times a week. You want to make sure that they are fresh enough to be able to get the benefits of each exercise. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t push your players hard. It’s just that you really should know for example who can take maybe 8 shots per exercise and who is only going to be able to go through the course with 4 shots. 

In my career I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. I’ve trained in scenarios where I felt that I wasn’t getting the type of workout that I wanted because the intensity levels just weren’t there. In other cases, I was just going through the motions trying not to die. Again, I’m not saying don’t push your guys or gals hard. The problem for me though is if for example you’re running an exercise that is meant to help goalkeepers get a sense of proper positioning prioritize the positioning. I see this a lot, uncreative coaches will just resort to taking shots on goal. It’s ok at the end of the day, you want to mimic game-like scenarios. Just forcing your keeper to dive without any real guidance and poor positioning isn’t helping anyone. 

Correcting Mistakes As They Happen 

This can be a bit tough when you’re training a larger group of goalkeepers. If you think about it though, then it begs the question, how many goalkeepers can you train at a time. I would say that ideally you’ll have 4 per coach. Maybe 5 max. I know that a lot of times in some goalkeeper training programs the more that you have the more money that you’ll make. So some coaches are going to take on larger groups. The reason why I talk about a maximum number of goalkeepers per coach is precisely so that each of them has enough time to go through drills and be corrected as they are making mistakes. If you want to correct things after the fact without a chance to dive correctly or attack the ball in the right manner it can be hard to get into the habit of doing things right. 

I’m a big believer in stopping the exercise and correcting a goalkeeper when they are not doing things right. I see a lot of youth goalkeepers get into the terrible habit of diving backwards for example. That’s something that is not only going to effectively reduce the amount of saves that you’re going to potentially make. If you want to move up to a next level of goalkeeping and you find yourself at a tryout some of those primitive technique problems could keep you from getting a shot to play at a higher level. The only way to improve your technique through trial and error. You need to make sure though that you’re effectively correcting these mistakes as they happen. For coaches I would say, take your time with each goalkeeper. There is really no other way to teach.    

What Type of Training Exercises Should You Be Looking Into?  

There are a couple of things that you’re probably going to be doing every session, as I’ve mentioned. You’ll be doing at least some light work catching the ball in warmups and diving. Again, these are meant as warm ups, but they are a great way to be able to perfect technique. As I coach you really want to look into how your players are diving and how they’re catching the ball even in these simple exercises. From there, what most goalkeeper coaches at the pro level do is choose a day for a specific type of training. So you’ll have one day that is almost fully devoted to reaction time. This is where you’ll get those drills where you’ll bounce the ball off a surface and force the keeper to react at short distances. Some coaches love to put a ton of cones and things in front of the goal, then they’ll take shots hoping to get a deflection from these elements forcing goalkeepers to react.

The next day you’ll have a heavier work out that is aimed at leg strength and jumping abilities. This is where you could implement the ring concept that I was talking about earlier. Some coaches like to have their goalkeepers jump over boxes or other types of equipment. I would say that it’s always a good idea to keep things on the safe side for these types of situations. Sure you want to try and essentially force your guys to jump higher. What you don’t want to do is have them crash down hard if anything goes wrong. Some of these drills are better suited for goalkeepers with some experience. If you don’t feel comfortable with your diving technique don’t get into the ring. You’ll fall hard and have the potential of getting hurt.  

When it comes to something as important as positioning it’s interesting because there’s usually not a day that is fully dedicated to proper positioning. Just as there is usually not a day to learn to dive or learn to catch or save. These are elements of goalkeeping that you’re perfecting in every drill. Many coaches love to put the small cones to force players to sidestep or lift their knees as they walk through the goal to ultimately make the save. In these drills don’t take those cones and the side-stepping lightly. They are part of the work out, and also an element of positioning that you need to grasp.                        

How To Train Goalkeepers: Jogging & Weight Training Programs 

With goalkeeping drills you can mix in cardio and even weight training within the drills. This is something that is becoming more and more popular. Some of the functional training regiments that you can find in different studios essentially pride themselves in being able to do this. I would definitely say it’s a good idea to incorporate some type of weight training into some of the drills that you might do. That doesn’t mean that you never have to step into a gym. If you’re really serious about goalkeeping at a professional level pure weight training should be a part of the plan. Make sure that you don’t overwork in the gym though. You want to be fit, not stiff. 

When it comes to jogging or other types of cardio to complement goalkeeper training I do think it’s almost a must. What you’re trying to do is build resistance with more cardio. As I mentioned, you’ll be getting in a ton of cardio in training, so I would understand if you didn’t want to go for a jog afterward. If you’re doing goalkeeper training maybe 2 or 3 days a week extra cardio can really help out. I would recommend jogging just because as a part of a team you’re going to be forced into it at some point. If you’re not used to it, it can get really tough. As a coach and a player you don’t want to get so lost in how to train goalkeepers that you forget you’re also part of the team!  

Some players don’t love to go out and jog not only because they get tired, but also because of the extra strain that they are putting on their knees and feet. With all of the falling on the ground that you do in goalkeeping the strain on the knees can be quite severe over time. Therefore, swimming can be a great ally. You’ll be building up resistance which is what you’re mainly looking for with some of the extra cardio. At the same time, you’ll be giving pretty much all of your muscles a workout. Even if you’re not Micheal Phelps in the water it’s a good discipline to look into. You’ll get the workout and a lot of times even the recovery from swimming without the strain that you can get from jogging. 

How To Train Goalkeepers Conclusion  

There is no formula on how to train goalkeepers. Most coaches in the pro game are going to have plans more focused towards making sure that they are managing loads correctly and maybe correcting some things that come up. To be honest there’s more of a challenge to training youth goalkeepers. You don’t only need to make sure that they’re fresh for Sunday. At times goalkeeper training can get repetitive, but repetition is the only path towards consistent technique. You have to get your body used to proper positioning and proper hand placement. Unlike many other positions a lack of technique can lead to injury real quickly. That’s also something that you have to keep an eye on. Particularly if you’re looking to get creative with the drills. 

If you’re looking into how to train goalkeepers because you want to train yourself the word of advice would be to be honest about your deficiencies. Don’t just repeat the drills that are fun or that you’re good at. Try and add variations to drills as you start feeling more and more comfortable with your game. It’s also important to note that as you’re getting creative you could suffer some setbacks like a hard fall. It’s part of the game, but also don’t be too stubborn about it. Know your limits and try and improve with time. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but repetition is the only way to really get to where you want to go. If you follow many of the tips here you’ll learn how to train goalkeepers!           

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Goalkeeper Training – Principles, Guidelines and Technique

In soccer, as in other games, the importance of the goalkeeper cannot be overstated. The goalkeeper’s performance is the deciding factor in many victories- and many defeats. In this post I will share with you guidelines that I consider essential for a good goalkeeper training!

Guidelines for a good goalkeeper training

• Each session (technique, tactics and condition) should be appropriate for players’ age and ability level.
• The smaller the group, the more you can focus on the goalkeepers. The ideal size for technique training is two to four goalkeepers; for condition training, the group can be bigger.
• Make practice intense, focused, varied and interesting – from 60 to 80 minutes, depending on the age level.
• A rule of thumb: Always move from easy to hard, from simple to complex.
• Practice new techniques by themselves at first, and then gradually combine them.
• Always combine coordination training with goalkeeper-specific technique training.
• The warm-up and the main portion of each session should always focus on a specific concept.
• Use warm-up to prepare players for the main session ‘ s focus point.
• Use general discussions and individual corrections to address mistakes (focus on the major problems); offer simple solutions.
• Instead of long sets with lots of repetition, exercises should be short, intense and demand full concentration.
• Exercises should approximate actual match play.
• Goalkeepers need goals (even if they’re just two cones) in every exercise, as clear points of reference and orientation.
• Include motivational exercises at the end of every practice session.
• It’s a good idea for all goalkeepers to practice with other age levels; for example, 9- to 10-year-old goalkeepers should practice regularly with the 10- to 11-year-old team, whose goalkeepers should practice with the 11- to 12-year-olds, etc. (An advantage is that they become more comfortable playing with players who are older and physically more mature) .

The importance of good technique for a Goalkeeper

Good technique is one of the single most important prerequisites for a successful career as a goalkeeper. Therefore, a major objective of youth goalkeeper training is for players to execute the movement sequences involved in goalkeeping techniques as automatically as possible.

Players who learn the wrong moves when they’re young will have a very hard time correcting the problem later.

Goalkeepers should strive to improve their technical-tactical skills

Just like field players, goalkeepers should strive to improve their technical-tactical skills and physical abilities continuously at every age level.

Coaches have to be resourceful – sometimes a sympathetic educator, sometimes a tough drill instructor – but a continuous and clearly structured training program will always be effective in the lang run.

If you want to be a big star, you have to start small!

Should I incorporate goalkeeper training into my regular team practice?

The practical question of whether goalkeeper training should be incorporated into the team’s regular practice sessions cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.

In professional soccer, separate goalkeeper training is practically the rule (apart from team and group tactics training, which requires goalkeepers and field players to practice together).

At lower levels and in youth soccer, separate goalkeeper training usually runs into a major obstacle: limitations on the coach’s time.

For many of these teams, a separate goalkeeper training session even once a week would be a major accomplishment. And at least some parts of the general training program – crosses from the outside forwards, 1 v. 1 situations in front of the goal , and similar exercises – do provide plenty of action for the goalkeepers.

About the Author

Peter Greiber is a professional Goalkeeper coach with over 25 years of experience. He has coached for 1.F.C Köln/Cologne Football Club for over 10 years and is currently the goalkeeper coach at VFL Bochum in the second division of Germany.

He is the author of the book “ The complete Keeper- Youth-Goalkeeping fomr A-Z   ” which can be ordered online at  https://shop.ifj96.de/en/book-the-complete-keeper

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