The importance of a soccer goalkeeper can't be overstated. It's hard to overstate the difficulty of the job either. At the professional level, elite attackers can blast the ball at close to 100 mph. You need agility, strength, poise, knowledge and the ability to make decisions in the blink of the eye to keep the opposition at bay. You also are a leader of your club, and your ability to inspire and direct your defensive players is a big part of the job. It is worth noting that the MyYouthSoccer website believes that coaches of youth leagues often neglect the training of goalkeepers, drilling them in a somewhat cavalier manner. Fortunately, there are a myriad of drills for goalkeepers at every level.
Hands, Wrists and Arms
The Elite Soccer Conditioning website recommends a number of drills with a medicine ball to strengthen your hands, wrists and arms. For example, bounce a 5 lb. medicine around a small area to warm up. Then start catching the ball before it reaches the level of your waist. Bounce and catch the ball 100 times. Then move on to bouncing the ball three times. On the last bounce, angle it to your left or right side and then dive at the ball. Rock yourself to your feet without using your hands. Do this drill for 15 minutes. Before a game, throw a 5-lb. medicine ball to a partner with an overhand motion until your shoulders and hands are loose.
Foot Work
"Good footwork is the foundation of solid goalkeeping," writes Jeff Benjamin on his Goalkeeper Coaching website. With good footwork, a keeper can easily catch a ball that a less-agile goalie might have to dive to reach. A basic drill is footwork mirroring. A partner moves back and forth, using good footwork, while varying his speed and direction. The other player mirrors the leader's footwork while remaining in a ready position. To stay in a ready position, you stay light and bouncy on your toes with your knees bent and shoulders square. Another drill is to shoot on goal from 14 to 16 yards out. Keepers must make saves by moving their feet -- no diving allowed.
Balance
A handful of players are outside the goal. The keeper turns his back to the field. The player with the ball yells "Turn!" The goalie turns to block the shot. This drill aims at improving eye-hand coordination and balance quickly. You must be on your to toes and in balance, with your knees flexed, ready to field shots in either direction. After the save, distribute the ball to one of your defenders as you would in a game situation. For an advanced drill, the keeper turns, executes a front roll and gets to his feet in time to make the save.
Positioning
Great physical ability will not make you a great goalie if you position yourself improperly in the goal. Positioning is designed to cut down on the angles available to an attacker. One positioning exercise is known as two-sided saves. The keeper sets up between two cones placed 6 feet apart. The other players are about 8 yards away, one on a line with the cone on the left and the other with the cone on the right. The keeper faces one player and makes a save. While this is occurring, the other player is moving his ball to a different position. The keeper turns to find the ball and makes another save while the first attacker is moving into the position of his choice.
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