Goalkeeping
Breakaway Situations: Set Position Check
Handle 1v1 breakaways
Goalkeeping
Finishing
Defending
Premium
Breakaway Situations: Set Position Check is a 15-minute goalkeeping drill for 2-10 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
Finishing
Defending
Skill Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Goals Needed
Shot Stopping
Technique
Duration
15 min
Players
2-10
Pitch size
35 x 25 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Breakaway Situations: Set Position Check — Goalkeeping set-up — serve, save, reset · 35 x 25 yards
Step 1 of 4Attacker drives at goal, keeper reacts and defends the breakaway.
- 1. Attacker drives at goal, keeper reacts and defends the breakaway.
- 2. Alternate central and wide starts.
- 3. Eight repetitions with rest.
- 4. The keeper must be fully set — feet split, hands ready — before every strike.
- 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 1v1 breakaways
- -Time the decision to close or hold
- -Stay big for as long as possible
Setup
- 1Attacker starting cone thirty yards from goal.
- 2Keeper on the line, balls at the start cone.
- 3Cones marking the closing zone.
Coaching instructions
- 1Attacker drives at goal, keeper reacts and defends the breakaway.
- 2Alternate central and wide starts.
- 3Eight repetitions with rest.
- 4The keeper must be fully set — feet split, hands ready — before every strike.
Coaching points
- -Close the ground while the ball is travelling
- -Slow down and set as the attacker gets close
- -Stay tall and patient, force them to decide
- -Small adjusting steps, then set
- -Weight on the balls of the feet, hands in front
Common mistakes
- -Diving in too early
- -Staying rooted to the line
- -Going to ground on the first touch