Goalkeeping
Pressure Goalkeeper Handling Ladder
Build clean, repeatable handling
Goalkeeping
Speed & Agility
Pressure Goalkeeper Handling Ladder is a 14-minute goalkeeping drill for 1-6 players, suitable for Under 9 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.
Back to drill libraryGoalkeeping
Speed & Agility
Technical Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Small Group
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Goals Needed
Under Pressure
Duration
14 min
Players
1-6
Pitch size
16 x 10 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Pressure Goalkeeper Handling Ladder — Goalkeeping set-up — serve, save, reset · 16 x 10 yards
Step 1 of 5Server works through low, waist-height and high service in turn.
- 1. Server works through low, waist-height and high service in turn.
- 2. The keeper resets to the middle of the goal after every save.
- 3. Ten saves per set with a short rest between sets.
- 4. The defender is released the moment the ball leaves the server's foot.
- 5. The working player scores by completing the action before pressure arrives; the defender scores by blocking it.
- 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
- -Build clean, repeatable handling
- -Set the feet before every save
- -Work through low, mid and high service
Setup
- 1A goal with three service cones in an arc in front of it in a 16 x 10 yards area.
- 2Position a recovering defender behind each working player, starting two yards back.
- 3A supply of balls at each service cone.
Coaching instructions
- 1Server works through low, waist-height and high service in turn.
- 2The keeper resets to the middle of the goal after every save.
- 3Ten saves per set with a short rest between sets.
- 4The defender is released the moment the ball leaves the server's foot.
- 5The working player scores by completing the action before pressure arrives; the defender scores by blocking it.
Coaching points
- -Hands early, thumbs behind the ball
- -Set before the strike
- -Attack the ball, don't wait
- -Feel the pressure with your body, take the touch away from the defender
Common mistakes
- -Handling with the arms out straight
- -Moving as the ball is struck
- -Facing your own goal and getting trapped by the press
Where this drill fits
- More football goalkeeping drills
- More football speed & agility drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme