Tag Archives for " Footwork "

1 v 1 Training

I would say that most coaches believe that it's very important for all soccer players to be very comfortable with the ball at their feet. How they go about developing this confidence varies widely from one coach to another. Some will focus on fast footwork exercises, others will use cones or other obstacles to encourage players to keep the ball under control.

I've had the most success using fakes and moves to train ball control, creativity and 1 v 1 ability at the same time. The moves engage the player's imaginations and make it fun to practice. I discussed which

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Critical Footwork For Goalkeepers

By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on backward footwork.

The reason this activity is so important is keepers spend a lot of time working on coming forward, getting off their line etc but not nearly enough time getting back.  For the most part, for every step a keeper takes forward, he will have to take the same number of steps backwards.

Start with a keeper at the near post, a cone on the 6 outside the goal and a server with some balls around 15 yards from goal.


The keeper sprints out to the cone and sets as if

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Developing Great Foot-work with the use of Foot-Speed and Coordination Exercises - Part 2

By Justin Cresser Author of Total Soccer Conditioning: A Ball Orientated Approach

In last week’s article we spoke about the importance of developing foot speed and coordination in our players. We highlighted the need for these qualities by wing backs for example, who need to be able to jockey and defend fast wingers in 1 v 1 situations. Fast and coordinated footwork are also necessary for attacking players trying to dribble their way past one or two defenders, or for goalkeepers that constantly have to move across the face of the goal as the ball is passed around inside their penalty box.

Last week we presented a basic footwork exercise that can be used earlier in the season or by younger players that are being introduced to this type of training for the first time. However, as your players advance into the season or become comfortable with the basic exercises, it is important that you progress to more complex footwork exercises to continuously challenge and develop your players. The following is a more advanced footwork exercise that you can use:

Set-up and Directions: Divide your players into pairs. For each group, set up four small cones so that they make a diamond shape. The length of each side of the diamond must be 1.5 yards. Have a player stand on one leg in the centre of the diamond facing their partner who is standing 2 yards away from the top cone. The player on the outside should have a ball in their hands (Figure 1).


When ready, instruct the player standing on one leg to hop to the top cone and then

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Drill To Improve Footwork and Shot Blocking

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on footwork, movement and shot blocking

There are 3 goals made using cones on different angles.  There is a server 15 yards from each goal and a keeper starts in the middle goal.  Each server has a ball.


The coach starts by calling a number.  The keeper must sprint into position to

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A Great Exercise For Improving Footwork and Catching

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity deals with footwork and catching.

Start with a keeper in a goal made up of flags or cones and a server with a ball 12 yards away with a ball.  On an angle from each post are three cones 1 yard apart.


The server starts by striking a ball for the keeper to save.  The keeper makes

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Drill to Improve Footwork and Catching

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on footwork, fitness and catching.

Start with two cones making up a goal (8 yards apart).  A series of cones are set up starting 5 yards behind the goal.  A server has a few balls 15 yards in front of the goal


The keeper starts by slaloming through each of the cones.  Instead of just

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Stance, Footwork and Fitness

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on stance, footwork and fitness.

Start with two keepers facing each other in a proper keeper stance (in the diagram below, the red keeper isn’t in a proper position because I’m somewhat limited in the positions I have available with the graphics but assume he were in a proper stance)


One of the keepers is assigned the role of leader.  The other keeper is the “mirror”.  If the red player is the

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Footwork, Shot Blocking and Recovery

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on footwork, shotblocking and quick recovery.

This activity requires a keeper, a full sized goal, a cone, a server and a few balls. The keeper starts at one of the posts and the cone is set in the middle of the goal, four yards out. The server has some balls at the 12 yard spot.

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Footwork, Fitness and Ball Handling

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on footwork, fitness and ball handling.

It’s common for keepers to integrate a speed ladder into their training.  Frequently this might involve a keeper with a starting just in front of the ladder and they go through the ladder using various combinations.


Some variations include the following progression.  Everything is done 4 times unless

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Shot Blocking and Positioning

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on shot blocking, footwork, fitness and positioning.

Start with a keeper at one post, servers with balls 8 yards out on an angle from the corners of the 6, a server at the 12 yard spot with a ball and two cones making a 4 yard wide goal 4 yards off the goal line.


The server closest to the ball starts by shooting toward the far post and low so the keeper should be able to

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Shot Blocking, Footwork and Backward Dives

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on shotblocking, footwork and backward dives.

Start with a keeper in goal, a server on each side of the 18 and another server near the penalty spot.  Each of the servers has a few balls.


Server one starts by shooting on goal (the angle can vary).  The keeper is given just enough

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Footwork for Flighted Balls

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on footwork for flighted balls.

Catching (or punching) flighted balls requires the keeper to be able to judge the flight of the ball and also to be able to use proper footwork to approach the ball properly.  This activity works on the footwork.

Start with a keeper on the near post and a server holding a ball at the corner of the 6 and endline.


The server tosses the ball in the air just in front of

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Footwork, Anticipation and Breakaways

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s featured activity works on footwork, anticipation and breakaways.

Start with a keeper and a server.  There are 4 cones making up a 4 yard square and the server is just outside of one part of the square and the keeper is just outside the opposite side.  There is a ball 4 yards outside of each side of the square.


In this example the black player is the server and the yellow player is the keeper.

The server moves side to side within the boundaries of the sides of the square and the

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