In this drill we work on speedy recovery from the ground, facing away on your knees. Once up and having touched the 6 yard line, the keeper needs to cover the goal ready for coach to shoot the ball.

Every keeper loves diving – but the downside is the recovery. On your feet you are more able to make the save, adapt position, feet, body shape, etc. On the ground, you’re typically in a tangle, possibly facing the wrong way, and unable to move swiftly to capture a loose ball.

This drill is designed for an individual keeper. It can be adapted for a “team of 3-4 keepers as we do here.

Details of the drill

Have the keeper line up on the goal-line, kneeling and facing away from the coach, who is on the edge of the box, ready to shoot the ball.

The coach shouts “TURN” and the keeper stands up and turn to face the coach.

Then they move towards the 6 yard line as fast as they can and touch the line.

Once they’ve touch the line, the keeper has to decide which part of the goal they will “protect” ready for the shot. They can retreat to the goal-line, or come out towards the coach to narrow the angle (making themselves “big”).

In the image below, the keeper’s initial positions are in shadow with red arrows showing where they subsequently went.

In the below image the coach has lobbed a high ball into the top right corner of the goal, but the keeper is in position to catch the shot.

But this drill works on speedy recovery and positioning of the individual keeper working alone.

To better capture the instinctive teamwork thats required in a crowded box, you can add some defenders, or use multiple keepers as we do here.

Each will take up a certain position as the ball bobbles around. The keeper, having punched or dived, could be on their knees facing the wrong way.

They need to get up quickly and attack the ball, or find the optimal position to save a shot towards goal.

This addition to the drill will allow keepers to learn to deal with others around the box, while thinking and acting quickly.

Tips for coaches – Confidence Cohesion Technique

Any coach can utilize these drills with their keeper. The objectives are the same – recover from the ground quickly and find the ball.

A coach can use any one of the drills independently, and involve multiple players, especially attackers, to sharpen their skills too.

Try to encourage the keeper to use these skills – their footwork, their eyes and reflexes, and be brave to make the judgement calls and decisions that will come up regularly in games.