Goalkeepers are a soccer team’s last line of defense. Every team needs a highly skilled goalkeeper to help stop opposing goals. No matter how great the field players may be, without a good goalie, the team can end up losing.
Soccer goalkeeper training is an essential part of a soccer team’s coaching program. All goalkeepers need to work on drills that focus on their specific needs. As goalies can use their hands, they need to have expert hand-eye coordination. Not to mention, athleticism, making top-hand saves, and sheer bravery!
Unfortunately, not all coaches know how to train a goalie. Typically, soccer drills are designed for field players. It is important to find a private goalkeeper coach who can help you advance your goalie skills. The goalkeeper requires a variety of skills that other field players do not need.
In this blog, we will go over 6 drills that are crucial for any goalie that you can easily do at home to help improve your goal-keeping skills.
Soccer Goalie Drills
Below is a list of skills all quality soccer goalies should have. (Not listed: fearlessness). These skills can be developed through training and practice. Any good goalkeeper training program will focus in on these skills:
- Quick Reflexes
- Good Agility/High Vertical Jumping Skills
- Hand/Eye Coordination
- Physical Strength
- Mental Sharpness
The goalkeeper drills in this blog will help increase these skills and help you reach your highest levels of the game.
Throw Against the Wall
This drill is for helping to increase your distribution and handling skills.
- Underhand ball against the wall at an angle to have to move your feet to shuffle.
- Get set immediately after the toss.
- Shuffle in the direction to get in a good ball line.
- Catch the ball off the wall.
- Reset and repeat.
- Use both your left and right hand.
Knee Wall Dives
This drill says it all, you will work on your diving skills to help make you a successful goalkeeper.
- Get about two feet from a wall on your knees with a ball in your hands.
- Two-hand chest pass the ball off the wall at an angle that you can dive.
- Dive and secure the ball.
- Quickly recover back to your knees.
- Continue to repeat alternating sides.
Dive Off Wall in Air
Another effective soccer goalie drill to increase your diving skills.
- From a controlled distance away from the wall, pass the ball with the inside of your foot, at an angle in the air where it will bounce back for a proper body length away dive in the air as shown.
- Repeat alternating which side you are diving to.
Footwork Sideways to Dive
Footwork is one of the most important, and often overlooked, skills in a goalkeeper’s training. Use this drill to increase your footwork and diving skills.
- Line up six cones horizontally.
- From each end cone place a ball in front of that imaginary horizontal line about a body and a half away.
- Start at one end of the cones doing footwork through.
- Once at the other end step and low-ball dive to the ball.
- Leave that ball there and start again going the other direction through the cones towards the other ball.
- Complete 3 sets there and back as one round of footwork.
- Footwork includes 1) two feet laterally in each space facing forward
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- facing forward again, working through the cones going forward and backward
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- facing sideways (facing the cones) shuffle (ichy shuffle) through the cones.
- Once you get to the last cone turn your body back forward before diving to the ball. Repeat until time is up
Shuffle Out-Back to Dive
Speed is important for a soccer goalkeeper. If a through ball breaks away with an attacker close behind, you need to be fast enough to get to the ball first. Use this goalkeeper drill to increase your speed.
- Have one cone on the ground, one ball in your hands.
- Shuffle three shuffle out and place the ball down on the ground.
- Use a cross-overstep back to the cone.
- Go around the cone completely and shuffle back out to the stationary ball and dive onto the ball.
- On your recovery bring the ball back with you to the cone.
- That is one set complete. Repeat.
Over-Hand Throw- Bouncing Ball
This goalie drill will help in your handling and distribution skills.
- Overhand throw (windmill) ball against the wall, with pace, so it will bounce on the ground once before catching and also at an angle to have to move your feet to shuffle.
- Catch the ball before it rises back above your hip waste. This should be a basket catch (turning your hand down toward the ground).
- A ball with pace needs to be taken to the ground to secure the ball completely. Reset and repeat.
Wrap Up
Soccer goalkeeper training drills are a perfect way to help you become an accomplished goalkeeper. As the goalkeeper is one of the most crucial positions for any soccer team. A good goalkeeper can stop a soccer ball from any direction and at any speed.
Use the goalie drills above to increase your speed, footwork, diving, and hand-eye coordination. Then expand on these drills. Remember, a private goalkeeper coach can help pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of your game and help create a more personalized training plan.
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