Quick shooting keeps your goalkeeper on his toes

By David Clarke

Unfortunately, goalkeepers sometimes have to stand around for whole matches with very little to do. But, even if they are feeling underworked they have got to put the effort in during your training sessions so they are ready for that one important save they may need to make during a match.

Of course, there are games where the goalkeeper is constantly having to save his team, and that is when all the hard work you put in during the season pays off.

I like this exercise because it's easy to set up so you can use it to warm-up the goalkeeper before matches or before your coaching sessions. It also helps your strikers practice low shots.

You can vary the width of the goal by moving the cones. Start with a relatively small goal and move the cones further apart at intervals.

The first player takes a shot at the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper tries to save, immediately gets up and turns around ready for the other player to shoot.

Setting this one up is easy. Use a small area with two cones for goal posts. You can vary the width of the goal to test shooters and goalkeeper. You need lots of balls and someone to retrieve the wayward ones! Pick two good attackers and your goalkeeper.

Make it more difficult for your goalkeeper by making him stand next to a post before each shot, or add a player to follow shots in and put pressure on keeper.

Key coaching tips:

• Tell your attackers to shoot often and shoot quickly so that they really make the keeper work hard.
• Get them to shoot hard and low near the goalkeeper’s body and into the corners to force him to adapt.
• Tell your goalkeeper to be on his toes.