Smother the shot

 

What this session is about

1. Saving shots.
2. Improving a goalkeeper’s effectiveness in 1v1 situations.

 

What to think about

Goalkeepers must:

• Start from slightly in front of the goal line.
• Be between the near post and an imaginary line running between the ball and the centre of the goal.
• Be balanced, on the toes, with the feet apart, knees bent and in a low position.
• Keep the hands in front and low. Quickly close down the gap but don’t meet pace with pace.
• Become a long barrier if you go to ground.

 

Set-up

Warm up	Session	Development	Game Situation	Warm Down
10 minutes	10 minutes	15 minutes	15 minutes	10 minutes

 

What you get your players to do

Mark out several 10-yard squares and use one keeper against one attacker in each. Starting from anywhere within the playing area, the attacker attempts to dribble up to and past the keeper repeatedly.

If the ball goes out of play, the attacker starts from the spot where the ball left the pitch. If the goalkeeper wins the ball, he immediately hands back possession and gets back to his feet.

This is continuous practice so players should switch roles regularly.

To progress, extend the playing area to 15x10 yards – split into two halves - with a couple of cones the width of a goal apart on the halfway line. The attacker and goalkeeper start at opposite ends. The attacker tries to dribble through the “goal”. The keeper must stop him (let the keeper start a bit closer to the goal to make the drill a bit simpler if necessary).