Goalkeeping Drills Develop Quickness and Agility

Goalkeeping drills are a great way to allow your keeper to develop his or her skills outside of an actual soccer game. They are a way of being able to control the situation in away that is not possible in a game or a scrimmage.

These goalkeeping drills focus specifically on getting your keeper used to stopping the soccer ball coming in from many different directions. They are also excellent for building reaction speed and quickness.

Second Shot

To set up this goalkeeping drill you only need 2 cones a keeper and 2 players. Set the cones wide enough apart to simulate a soccer goal. Have Player A stand facing the goal, about 10 yards out from the first cone. Player B would stand facing the goal on the opposite side, about 10 yards out from the center of the goal. Both players will need to have a ball for this drill.

The goalkeeper will stand by the first cone facing Player A. Player A tosses the ball to the keeper, who catches it and throws it back. As soon as the keeper throws the ball back to player A, Player B will take a shot on goal, keeping the ball on the ground. The goalkeeper must quickly spin and make a diving stop to prevent the goal.

Jump and Dive

The second goalkeeping drill is called Jump and Dive. All that is required for this drill is a ball bag or some other obstacle, one player, and a goalkeeper.

The drill starts with the keeper sitting with his or her back to the ball bag. When the player with the ball shouts "Go" they will roll the ball to one side or the other of the ball bag. The keeper must quickly jump to his feet, then make a diving stop.

Continuous Shots

One of the challenges a keeper faces is deflecting a shot, and then having to recover to make a save on a second shot. This drill is designed to help your goalkeeper get used to saving a rapid succession of shots on goal.

Set the drill up with 2 cones, one about 10 yards from the goal, and the second cone about 20 yards out. Have your keeper stand by one post of the goal with the other players on the team facing the goal at the 20 yard cone. The drill starts by having the first player dribble to the 10 yard cone and shoot the ball on goal. The keeper must attempt to stop the shot.

As soon as the first player shoots the ball, the second player starts their attack, shooting from the 10 yard cone. The keeper must stop the shot, the run to the opposite goal post and recover to stop the next shot. The drill continues until every player has had an opportunity to shoot on goal

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