Goal Keeper – Tactical Training

by Tim Mulqueen with Mike Woitalla

originally published in The Complete Soccer GoalKeeper, a Human Kinetics book

Tactical Training

The following components should be addressed during tactical training that simulates game play:

• Stay or come decisions: Make good decisions on when to come off the line and when to hold, which starts with taking proper starting spots. Learn to read and intercept through-balls.
• Reading the game: Master reading through-balls and reacting accordingly. Control two-thirds of the space behind the backs, which starts with taking proper starting spots. Make proper decisions on which crosses to claim and when to hold the line to make a save.
• Organization of backs: Use clear and concise language, including proper terminology: "away, push out, man on, mark up, pressure, and tackle." No cheerleading.
• Organization of set pieces: Direct the setup of a wall (numbers in wall) and organization of defending corners (ensure correct match- ups and zonal responsibilities).
• Organization of team: Take on a larger role as coach on the field. Give clear, composed, and concise directions to the entire team when necessary.

Anticipate the counterattack: Recognize potential counterattack opportunities for the opponent while the team is still in possession, and organize players to prevent the threat.

WELL-ROUNDED TRAINING:
TECHNICAL, TACTICAL, AND FUNCTIONAL

Exercises that test technique while putting keepers into realistic game conditions with teammates help them improve their game-reading acumen. Here are examples of training exercises that test a keeper's technical, tactical, and functional capabilities, all of which involve attacks on the goal. (The numbers for team size refer to field players. Attackers are listed first.) Table 11.1 [bottom of this page] includes early season, midseason, and late season sample practice plans for high school age keepers.

• Breakaway and save. Exercises in which keepers work with a teammate against one or two attackers develop a keeper's technical ability to stop shots and thwart breakaways. Tactically, they make the keeper the second defender and demand clear communication. They also repeatedly require the goalkeeper to decide when to come off the line.
• Defensive cohesion: 6v4, 7v5, 8v6. Small-group exercises in which the keeper and four defenders, four defenders and a central midfielder, or four defenders and two central midfielders face a slightly larger set of attackers callfor the keeper to read the game and manage the key defenders in high-pressure situations. It can include goalkeeper distribution.
• Wing channel play. This exercise, in which attacking players are sent down the wings, works on the field players' ability to cross balls, make runs in the box, and finish–all while testing the defenders and the keeper. The keeper must handle crosses and save shots, thus honing technical skills. Tactically, the keeper sharpens decision making, communication, and organizational skills.

General Training Guidelines (U16 and U18)

• The keeper needs 30 to 40 minutes of specialized training per session. This training should primarily consist of technical development.
• The exercises for the technical development of the keeper must be match related. They must simulate the actual techniques required in a match.
• The number of repetitions per exercise should be 8 to 10, never exceeding 10. Doing more than 10 repetitions turns the exercise into fitness training and causes a breakdown in technique.
• Use of video to show proper technique and decision making is recommended. Video can come from the keepers' own matches or from a high-level match.
• The tactical development should come from small-sided and 11v11 games with the team.