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Goalkeeping

Goalkeeper Handling & Distribution

Handle shots and crosses safely

Goalkeeping
Playing Out From The Back

Goalkeeper Handling & Distribution is a 18-minute goalkeeping drill for 2-8 players, suitable for Under 8 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, full goals. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.

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Goalkeeping
Playing Out From The Back
Technical Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Small Group
Foundation Phase
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Goals Needed

Duration

18 min

Players

2-8

Pitch size

Penalty area

Ability levels

Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced

Pitch diagram

Pitch set-up: Goalkeeper Handling & DistributionGKCS123Penalty area

Goalkeeper Handling & Distribution — Goalkeeping set-up — serve, save, reset · Penalty area

Step 1 of 3Servers alternate shots low, central and high.

  1. 1. Servers alternate shots low, central and high.
  2. 2. Keeper handles, gets up quickly and distributes to a target.
  3. 3. Sets of eight with a short rest between.
  • Cones mark the area
  • Full goal
  • GK = goalkeeper
  • C = coach serving, S = second server
  • Ball
  • Cones mark the keeper's starting positions
  • Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
  • Keeper distributes back to the server
  • Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble

Objectives

  • -Handle shots and crosses safely
  • -Set correctly before every shot
  • -Distribute accurately with hands and feet

Setup

  1. 1Keeper in a full goal with servers at 12 and 18 yards.
  2. 2Target cones or players for distribution.
  3. 3Plenty of balls behind each server.

Coaching instructions

  1. 1Servers alternate shots low, central and high.
  2. 2Keeper handles, gets up quickly and distributes to a target.
  3. 3Sets of eight with a short rest between.

Coaching points

  • -Set feet before contact, weight forward
  • -Hands in the W behind the ball
  • -Collapse safely to smother low shots
  • -Scan for the free target before releasing

Common mistakes

  • -Moving while the shot is struck
  • -Parrying into danger instead of away
  • -Slow, aimless distribution

Where this drill fits

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