Soccer drill to give your goalkeeper the diving basics
Technique is just about the most important thing a young goalkeeper can be taught. He can be agile and have quick reactions but if he hurts himself when he dives I can guarantee he won't be doing it very often. Use the following tips and soccer drills to show him how to do it safely.
It's no good thinking that your goalie has good positional sense and is strong so you don't need to coach him in diving to save a ball. One bad dive and not only is his mom shouting at you, your goalkeeper is crying and he never wants to play in goal again. You're creating problems for yourself.
Teach him now and watch him grow in confidence and save more goals in the process. It's got to be the biggest win-win situation in soccer coaching. The more you give to your goalkeeper, the more your team gets back and the less of a headache on match day for you.
Soccer drill set up
- The goalkeeper stands between two balls.
- Each ball should be slightly in front of the line of the goalkeeper’s feet.
- Get your goalkeeper to stand in the “ready” position.
- On your command of "LEFT" or "RIGHT" the goalkeeper dives into the ball.
- Encourage him to dive diagonally forward into the line of ball – ATTACK THE BALL!
- Encourage the goalkeeper to use both hands to scoop the ball into the body.
- Get him to pull the knees around in front of the body to complete the save.
Develop the soccer drill
The coach or goalkeeper partner can roll the ball to the side of the goalkeeper and he repeats the above drill with the moving ball.
How would I put this soccer drill into a game situation?
With ANY small-sided game or shooting drill, encourage the goalkeeper to use this technique. Repetition is the key soccer coaching tip to acquiring any new skill. You should also encourage the use of this technique when organising the goalkeeper’s pre-match warm-up drills.
Click here for more soccer coaching tips to help goalkeepers with diving saves.
Soccer coaching tips
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