By Jason Stockman - One of the most important things players do is pre-game warmups. At younger ages this helps focus the players on soccer for the next hour and gets their blood moving; as players get older it becomes even more important to warmup to help stave off injuries (as well as get focused).
Continue readingBy Josh Jones-Keen - Reactions need to be one of a Goal Keepers top attributes. Sometimes proper technique goes out of the window and a save needs to be made, these drills can be used and adapted to push a Keeper to their limits and can be called upon in a match. Warm Up’s Head/Catch This
Continue readingBy Jason Stockmann - In Part 1 of this two-part series on goalkeeper fitness, we looked at how by having only a penalty box and some cones, a keeper can work on improving their speed and dexterity all while becoming more spatially aware of their primary zone of influence on a field. In Part 2 we
Continue readingBy Josh Jones-Keen - Warm up’s for all players is vitally important for match day preparation. As well as having the body prepped it is important to have the mind warmed up. Keepers are often sacrificed in the warm up for the sake of the outfield players having an opportunity to score resulting in an unwarm
Continue readingBy Jason Stockmann - Everyone knows fitness is key for a soccer player – very few sports exact the levels of endurance, stamina, speed and dexterity that the beautiful game demands. Though a goalkeeper may not need to reach the same level of endurance or stamina his or her field player counterparts hit, they definitely have
Continue readingBy Jason Stockmann - One of the things that I have found to be challenging for younger keepers is how to position for corner kicks. To be fair, younger field players have a rough go at it as well…they tend to either be milling around aimlessly or almost on the goal line as if the ball
Continue readingBy Josh Jones-Keen - Collecting the ball from a cross can fill a Keepers team with confidence as well as give an opportunity to launch a counter attack. Nailing the basics is important; ‘W’ formation Eye on the ball Timing Positioning Footwork Collecting the ball at the highest point the keeper can reach Communication Warm Up
Continue readingBy Josh Jones-Keen - I find a Keepers footwork is often overlooked. I believe it can be the difference between getting across to save a shot and not. What I look for in footwork is: Short, Sharp Sidesteps No heel clipping No crossing over It’s that simple. I find the 3 S’s stay in players’ heads
Continue readingBy Josh Jones-Keen -
Dealing with crosses is about being brave & strong both mentally and physically. Give the strikers something to worry about and give the defenders nothing to worry about.
Warm Up
A strong part of dealing with crosses and high balls is footwork. This warm up works on the basic fundamentals of dealing with an unopposed high ball. To start I would have the keepers perform a footwork drill, for the benefit of this session I have used a ladder but you could use an assortment of
Continue readingBy Josh Jones-Keen -
Whilst the game adapts and changes the number one job of a keeper remains keeping the ball out of the net. This session works good footwork and great shot stopping technique.
Warm Up
Starting the keepers just in front of the goal line & server just behind the penalty spot, the keeper must run forwards a couple of paces and the server drop volleys the ball into the chest area of the keeper who makes the save.
Once the keepers have had a few goes at upright saves move on to
Continue readingBy Josh Jones-Keen -
As the game evolves so does the pressure on goal keepers. Not only do they have to keep the ball out of the net but they now have to act as a very deep lying play maker, starting plays from the back. This session works on the techniques involved in doing so and gives the opportunity for the keepers to link back in with the rest of the squad after the technical practice.
Technical Warm Up
Two goal keepers are positioned around the 6 yard box. With two servers out wide of the 18-yard box.
The servers play the ball in along the floor and the
Continue readingBy Jason Stockmann -
As most US-based coaches should be aware of by now, the USYS has released some major changes that will be mandated as of the Fall 2017 season*. These changes are US-based, but it’s important for soccer in general because it is meant to further align the US with how the rest of the world plays the beautiful game. And whether you agree with them or not…the changes will happen.
One subtle but key change is the idea of build-out lines for the U9/U10 (7v7) age group (there are no keepers below U9 with these changes). This line is set a bit outside of the penalty box and restricts the opposing team from crossing it until the keeper has put the ball into play, by passing or throwing the ball to their team. Because of this idea, punting will not be allowed at this level.
This can be a major – and possibly painful – change for youth US teams…but the benefits a team can gain both at the youth level and far beyond could be great. Too often youth goalies get the ball and immediately punt the ball. And why do they rely on punting? Because if the ball is closer to the goal, it must be easier to
Continue readingBy Josh Jones-Keen -
Incorporating Keepers in sessions can be tough. Most grassroots coaches have limited Keeper experience or might not have the resources available to provide Keepers separate coaching opportunities. Likewise it is becoming more and more important for Keepers to be comfortable with the ball and their feet and to be able to create attacks with varied passing. Training as a whole team can really help understanding and build great relationships between Keepers and the rest of the
Continue readingBy Jason Stockmann -
An important skill for any keeper is the ability to take a pass from a defender and then clear the ball. This typically comes in the form of a back-pass or trail-pass from a defender in trouble and the keeper blasting the ball as far as they can in whatever direction they’re facing at the time. This is a good play and any keeper should be able to do it.
But a hallmark of a good or experienced keeper goes a step beyond the haphazard clear. As any pro keeper shows, even in trouble, this clearance should be more than just a kick – it needs to be at worst a good pass and at best the start to a tactical play. When Buffon, De Gea or Ter Stegen gets a pass from a defender, they don’t send it into the stands (usually) – they already know exactly where to place the
Continue readingBy Jason Stockmann -
I’ve mentioned before that I like to design goalie drills that also use field players or a field drill that actively incorporates a goalie. These type of drills work well for any number of players, can be ideal when maybe only 1 or 2 coaches are present and add to team cohesion by increasing the trust between field players and the goalies.
Today we use this field player-goalie formula to train angles. Specifically, we will be concerned with helping our keepers learn to identify where to place themselves when a player is both coming into and shooting from the penalty box. We want to look at things like getting the right distance between the ball, the goal and any other players that may be open as well as when and how much to commit to going after the ball.
The drill I offer up today is one I call “The V-Wing” and it offers the
Continue readingBy Jason Stockmann -
Getting players to help each other train while at a practice is an invaluable tool for multiple reasons. First and foremost, from a coaching perspective, it can relieve some of the time-crunch pressures we face by letting some players do their own thing while we focus on other aspects; it also lets us impart a sense of responsibility for personal development on the players themselves. From their perspective, this responsibility looks like a bit of freedom and control over their own soccer destiny…and it is a fun and subtle method to increase team cohesion.
I’m a firm believer that this player-to-player training is especially helpful when it is done with goalkeepers. Whether at a practice or during pre-game warmups, two goalies working with each other not only potentially frees up coaching resources, but
Continue readingBy Jason Stockmann -
Too often it seems that when coaching younger ages and planning practices we forget a major element of the game – goalies. Sure, we send them to goalie-specific training when offered and we have good intentions by not pigeon-holing a kid as only a goalie at that young of an age, but we all still have those couple of kids that tend to be our main goalies. We train the team in defense, offense, set pieces, etc. – so why do we not work more with the keepers as well?
In all honesty, this is most likely due to lack of time, skill and/or extra help at practices. But I refuse to take that as the answer and just let the goalies flounder on their own – they need help from us and they need to work with their teams. Working with the team on drills helps out in two solid ways by letting the keepers show off their own skills (building confidence) and lets the field players see that they can trust their keepers. This keeper-field player trust is a huge aspect of the
Continue readingBy Tony Englund -
Goalkeeping warm-ups typically feature isolated handling and footwork exercises, and one of our points of emphasis in our club setting is to roll these two elements together in the warm-up to create more efficient and realistic training. This article features a trio of simple, favorite means of mixing these critical elements in the warm-up.
#1: Zig-Zag and Save
The goalkeeper does footwork through the
Continue readingBy Tony Englund -
When I give goalkeeper training sessions to coaches, many ask about teaching their goalkeepers to deal with break-aways. In the first of a two-part article on the subject, we looked at building the goalkeeper’s confidence in blocking and closing down. In this second portion, tips for dealing with the break-away situation in match-like situations will be shared.
Break-Aways – Straight On The attacker starts his run from 25 yards before goal. To begin with, all break-ways are straight on to
Continue readingBy Chris Kouns These activities utilize working with the team as a method of creating scenarios for goalkeepers to train in an environment that provides multiple repetitions of technical or tactical skills Activity 1 Set up involves a grid roughly the width of the box (determined by the total number of players you have available
Continue readingBy Tony Englund -
When I give goalkeeper training sessions to coaches, many ask about teaching their goalkeepers to deal with break-aways. In the first of a two-part article on the subject, we’ll look at building the goalkeeper’s confidence in blocking and closing down. In the second portion, tips for dealing with the break-away situation in match-like situations will be shared.
It is useful to invert the break-way situation as a teaching model, looking at the final, blocking save as a start point. Young goalkeepers in particular often hesitant to get into the feet of the attacker, though this gives them the
Continue readingBy Tony Englund -
Experienced, advanced goalkeepers sometimes fail to train on their edge if they are continually subjected to the same, rote technical training exercises. An engaging, challenging method of combating this complacency is to put the goalkeeper in an environment where they are forced to make multiple saves in tight, particularly where there is a recovery save involved. This article and the next in the series will offer a pair of scenarios where goalkeepers can be compelled to work on their edge and make multiple difficult, if confidence-building saves.
Meat Grinder: Multiple Save, Reaction Training
The base set up for this exercise requires a
Continue readingBy Tony Englund -
Among the more challenging tactical teaching topics for goalkeepers is helping them to control their area. There are numerous moments in the game when the goalkeeper’s ability or inability to eat up loose balls in the area can swing control of the game to one team or another. Crosses, through-balls and balls that fall loose to the ground in the area when the opponent is attacking all present challenges, as do back-passes when the ‘keeper’s own team is in possession. In article #1, key teaching cues for teaching the goalkeeper to deal with crosses were discussed. This article will take a look at the importance of through-balls and back-passes for the goalkeeper and the back line.
Technical Training for Dealing with Back-Passes
When we teach goalkeepers to deal with
Continue readingBy Tony Englund -
Among the more challenging tactical teaching topics for goalkeepers is helping them to control their area. There are numerous moments in the game when the goalkeeper’s ability or inability to eat up loose balls in the area can swing control of the game to one team or another. Crosses, through-balls and balls that fall loose to the ground in the area when the opponent is attacking all present challenges, as do back-passes when the ‘keeper’s own team is in possession. This article will take a look at the crossing and covering topics, and the next article (#2) will examine back-passes.
Dealing with Crosses
Because of the number of variables in any crossing situation (location of crosser; type and location of cross; number, angles and distance of potential defenders and finishers; weather (i.e. wind, rain) and the
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