Goalkeeping Edition 110

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter. Today's newsletter will introduce a new training activity that works on smothering balls as well as quick reactions.

This exercise requires one keeper (minimum), a server and four soccer balls. Line the four balls up two yards apart from each other parallel to the "goal line" the keeper is standing on. This line of balls is only 6 yards from the goal line. The server starts 6 yards back from the line of balls (12 yards from the goal line). See diagram below for the basic setup.

The keeper starts in a ready position and as soon as the server starts going to a ball, the keeper will try to beat the server to the ball and smother it BEFORE the server can play the ball. In the beginning, the rules are that once the server starts toward one ball, she may NOT change directions to go to a different ball. If there are two keepers and one server, the keeper who is resting should reset the balls in the proper place because you would do this 10 times in a row and then switch roles.

Next, the server starts by moving side to side on a parallel line 6 yards back from the ball. The keeper may either shadow this movement or not, it's their choice. Whenever the server decides to go forward, she would go straight to a ball and the keeper tries to beat her to the ball and smother it first. If the server gets to the ball first, she tries to push the ball past the keeper (as would happen in a breakaway situation).

The next step in this activity is to allow the server to change directions after going forward and make the keeper react properly and still get to the ball first.

The last step in this progression is to have two servers (this could really be a server and a resting keeper). They start at different spots on this line 6 yards back from the ball and either of the two servers can start forward and go to a ball. The keeper must react accordingly. It's important that the two servers know which is going to go forward because it doesn't help anyone if they both go forward at the same time.

This exercise works on quick reactions, smothering the ball, conditioning, footwork and proper stance. Give this a try and let me know what you think.

Any questions, comments or suggestions should be sent to comments@finesoccer.com or posted to the FineSoccer Forum at http://finesoccer.com/forum.htm

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Have a great day!

Lawrence