foot

C h a p t e r 4
Teaching Soccer Technique
goal-line to cover a large area, but not so far as to be vulnerable to a shot chipped overhead.
Teach your goalkeeper to attack the ball. The goalkeeper should catch the ball
at the peak of the jump. The goalkeeper should jump using a single-leg takeoff, and
thrust the non-jumping knee up toward the ball. The drive of the knee will propel the
goalkeeper upward. Teach your goalkeeper to thrust the knee that is closest to an opponent
when jumping. This will help protect your goalkeeper in a crowded penalty area.
The decision to come off the goal-line to save must be made as early as possible to give
defenders time to react. Therefore, your goalkeeper must yell keeper loudly once the
decision has been made to come out and save a cross-ball. This lets defenders know
that the goalkeeper is coming and that they should cover the space behind the keeper.
If the decision is made not to come out, the goalkeeper should shout away or clear to
inform defenders to clear the ball out of the penalty area.
Cross-Ball Drills
With the goalkeeper in the goal, the server/coach is on the side of the 6-yard box with
a ball. The ball is tossed high in the air or thrown on a line to either the near post or far
post. The goalkeeper must read the situation and react accordingly. This drill allows the
goalkeeper to become comfortable with correct footwork. Teach your goalkeeper that the
first step should be in the direction in which the catch will be made. For example, if the
goalkeeper’s first step is toward a high-lofted ball, the ball will go over his or her head.
Instead, the goalkeeper should step back into the space where the ball can be caught.
A server placed wide on the flank lofts the ball into the penalty area. The goalkeeper must
jump and catch the ball at the highest point. Add one attacking player to apply pressure
X1
X2
X3
GK
A
D
A
X8
X7
X6
X4
X5
Fig. 4-50.
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