It is the most important position on the pitch, yet goalkeepers often feel overlooked in their grassroots training sessions – learning how to train a goalkeeper not only pushes them but also pushes your team to the next level.
Due to time constraints, with only an hour a week, lack of coaches and knowledge of the position, goalkeepers are asked to stand in the net as balls are booted in their direction.
Unsurprisingly, this does little to train a goalkeeper and can have an adverse effect as they spend half their time picking the ball out of the net. A real confidence killer that won’t have them feeling great going into matchday, a long way from the feeling of winning football trophies.
It is a dilemma faced by many grassroots coaches, who struggle to tailor sessions for goalkeepers. After all, they have 10 to 15 other players in the squad, and they can’t dedicate one-on-one time to their goalkeeper…and they simply don’t know the position.
Involving Goalkeepers in Training
Coaches are encouraged to include goalkeepers in training, and not just to boot balls at them. The modern-day goalkeeper is expected to be able to play with the ball at their feet, especially if playing futsal, recognising that their distribution is every bit as important as their ability to make eye-catching saves.
This means including your goalkeepers in passing drills with the rest of their team. You may be reading this thinking “I already do that, and the goalkeeper (or parent) isn’t happy”. This is where you need to make the exercise relative to their position – explain the situations in a match they are training for.
For example, the goalkeeper is expected to be able to come forward and present themselves as a passing option for their defence, who may be facing a pressing forward player. When receiving the ball from a full-back position, the goalkeeper should be able to open up their body to control the ball and touch the ball in the opposite direction (to evade the press), getting it out from between their feet. If they are then able to switch the play to the opposite full-back/wide player, not only has your goalkeeper gotten your side out of pressure, but they can be the starting point for a new attacking movement.
Recreating these scenarios in training, making the session match realistic, will go some way to helping your goalkeeper feel more included. As well as working on their ability with the ball at their feet, this also improves communication and teamwork with their outfield teammates.
Technical Goalkeeper Training
This is where many grassroots teams and coaches struggle. Goalkeeping is unique; to be able to progress and develop to the best of their ability, a goalkeeper requires technical training.
As well as attending their team’s training sessions, many goalkeepers will also attend specialised sessions with a goalkeeper coach – either in groups or one-on-one. This means that they can work with a coach who not only understands the position but is experienced in working with goalkeepers.
Some grassroots clubs will recommend a local goalkeeper coach to their goalkeepers for them to work with. It may even be that a club has a partnership with a goalkeeper coach who can come in and put on a session for the club’s goalkeepers, offering them position-centric coaching simply not possible in the usual team training sessions.
Solo Goalkeeper Training
There are many exercises that goalkeepers can perform on their own to improve their technique. While we would not encourage coaches to send goalkeepers away on their own from the rest of the squad, you can suggest some of the exercises for their own time.
Some home goalkeeper training exercises include:
- Footwork – setting out a set of cones, working through them with shuffles, quick feet, cross-stepping and weaving.
- Diving – goalkeepers do not need a server to work on their diving technique. This can be achieved by placing a football on the floor, standing two to three steps to the side of it and performing a low dive to smother the ball. Goalkeepers can practice stepping into the dive and projecting themselves at the ball – increasing the difficulty by incrementally increasing the starting distance from the ball.
- Distribution – goalkeepers can easily practice their goal kicks on a field or empty pitch…albeit they will have to run to collect the ball afterwards! Equally, goalkeepers can also practice throwing and rolling the ball by aiming for a target (suggest using a set of cones to create a goal).
The video below provides additional examples of drills that goalkeepers can practice on their own.
We are confident that you will find the above advice beneficial to help you learn how to train a goalkeeper. By involving your goalkeepers in team training, seeking out specialised sessions delivered by a goalkeeper coach, and providing exercises they can perform at home, you will be helping them on their way to becoming the best they can be.
