When the keeper has the ball in their hands, they can be an effective method of starting an attack. in this drill, we practice making swift delivery of the ball to our teammates.

When the keeper has the ball in their hands, the temptation is to distribute it quickly – perhaps too quickly. Rushing this opportunity to distribute the ball safely, and begin a transition to attack, is a waste. Instead, work on the principle that the main opportunity to distribute the ball quickly (immediately) is when we have it at our feet, and can pass the ball to a teammate safely, switching play.

The Drill

Each keeper starts at the edge of the area, facing away from the coach, who shouts “turn” and throws a ball to the keeper.

The keeper sprints towards the goal line, then pauses, stopping for a second, then throws of punts the ball into the net.

A variation has the coach shout “left” or “right” just as the keeper gets to the line, telling the keeper where to throw/punt the ball (left or right corner of net). If the coach doesn’t shout a direction the keeper throws/punts into the centre of the goal.

If the keeper needs to practice the throw of punt, they should get a couple of balls, stand in front of the goal, and practice punting into the goal. The net will prevent spending hours retrieving the ball.

While this drill is the opposite of what you’ll do in a game, the distances are the same and you use the net to help retrieval of the ball.

Once the keeper(s) are confident, switch it around to the normal approach – from goalie to the edge of the area and throw/punt into the field as in a normal game. Have keepers or coaches ready to receive.

There are more tips on technique here and here

Tips for coaches – Confidence Cohesion Technique

Any coach can utilize these drills with their keeper. The objectives are the same – enhance footwork, follow the ball better with the eyes, and judge the flight of 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.