More Drills and games

These sessions are based on actual one-and-a-half hour sessions run with youth goalkeepers, boys and girls. They include warm-ups, teaching progressions and exercises and games used. I've geared these sessions to an "intermediate" level; U13 or so boys or girls with some goalkeeping experience. For younger keepers, you would want to spend more time on the basics, perhaps splitting what is in one session here into two. For older keepers, you could use the majority of the session given here as review or warm-up, and progress quickly to more advanced exercises and game situations with the full team.

I assume here that for goalkeeper training you have access to at least one full-size goal frame. If not, you can improvise using cones, corner flags or coaching sticks, and it's better to train with makeshift equipment than not train at all. But after all... what good is a goalkeeper without a goal? Many of the exercises do not require a goal, but try to provide an opportunity for your keepers to practice with a real goal at least occasionally. One frame can provide a decent amount of repetitions for 5-6 goalkeepers on a rotating basis.

Many exercises also require from two to five or six players in addition to the goalkeeper. These players need not always be other goalkeepers; you can use field players to serve balls.

The times given for each activity in a session are just guidelines. You will want to adjust how much time you spend on each based on the age, ability level and interest of the players, your training focus, and how much fun they are having!