soccer coaching practice plan - goalkeeper distribution (kicking) 

courtesy of jbgoalkeeping.com

goalkeeper distribution

goalkeeper throwing practice plan

Long distribution kicks often become 50/50 balls, but a goalkeeper who can punt or drop kick the ball both far and accurately is a great asset to the team, and can even contribute the occasional assist on a goal!

• Warm-Up (10 min)
  Run, do some footwork exercises and stretch, making sure to especially warm up the hip flexors and quads with large movements.
  It's important to be fully warmed and ready before starting to punt the ball.

• Punts and Drop Kicks Into a Net (10 min)
  The easiest way to get lots of repetition on punts and drop kicks without having to chase balls is to kick into a goal with a net. Review basic technique and carefully watch -- and listen! -- to the keepers' form. Not only can you see good technique or mistakes, but you can hear them. A good kick has a definite "solid" sound.
  Make sure they've got the basics: starting with two hands, dropping (not tossing) the ball, keeping everything in a straight line, and following through. This activity can be shortened or lengthened depending on the amount of technical correction the players need.

• Kicking for Accuracy (10 min)
  Keepers work in pairs (or with a coach). Starting 20-30 yards apart, keepers punt and/or drop kick back and forth, with emphasis on accuracy and putting the ball right in the hands of their partner. As the activity goes along, gradually increase the distance, ending up near the limits of the keepers' range.
  If the technique is sound, a keeper will get good distance simply by letting their technique do the work. Focus on accuracy, and let the kick be smooth and easy.

• Target Kicking (10 min)
  Add some "pressure" by having the goalkeeper serve several long balls one after the other, trying to hit targets at varying distances and locations. Coach should serve a ball to the keeper who kicks to the specified target; as soon as the ball leaves the keeper's foot serve them another one. You can use other players as targets (they can also chase the balls), areas marked with cones (vary the size of the target based on ability and distance), or even goal frames (if they have nets, on-target shots won't have to be chased). You can make this a competition by awarding points for targets hit (and perhaps fewer points for getting close, or for kicks that fall short but roll or bounce into the target area).
  Although we are trying to go quickly, make sure the keeper doesn't rush. This is a matter of "going as fast as you can, not as fast as you can't". Punts and drop kicks need to be consistent; rushing will throw off the timing.

• Save & Serve (10 min)
  Just like Target Kicking above, but this time the distribution to the target comes after making a save of a shot on goal. Targets should be near (or beyond) midfield, depending on the ability of the keeper; after making the save, the keeper should sprint up to the edge of the penalty area and distribute to the target called by the coach, then back-pedal to the goal line to make another save and distribute again. You can make this a competition as well, adding points for the initial save. You can also add an "attacker" or two just outside the penalty area to get in the way and make things more realistic and game-like.
  Technique suffers when players are tired. After three or four sequences of save, sprint, & serve, the keepers will tire. Don't let the technique start to slide, and make sure they still don't rush. This would be a good time to go over the six-second rule, perhaps even counting the six seconds aloud so the keeper gets a good idea of how long they have to distribute the ball.

• Game-Like Service (20 min)
  This game requires 8-12 field players and two keepers on a full size field (perhaps a bit smaller for young players). Players are divided into two teams; half of each team is stationed on one half of the field, the remaining players on the other half (so if you had 8 players, 4 red and 4 blue, you'd have 2 red and 2 blue in each half of the field). One keeper starts with the ball, and as the field players move for position, the goalkeeper punts or drop kicks it, trying to pick out a player from their team in the opposite end of the field. If the keeper's team wins the ball, they can turn and attack the opposing goal, trying to score (other team defends). If the opponents win the ball, they simply pass the ball back to their own keeper, who will then attempt to distribute to the players in the other half of the field. (Players who are in the same end of the field as the keeper who is distributing simply rest.) Points scored for a successful distribution, and for goals scored off a distribution.
  The goalkeeper will now have to pick out moving targets and targets who have opposition.

• Soccer Golf, with Kicks (20 min)
  Set up a "golf course" like the throwing version of soccer golf but lengthen the holes to 100 to 300 yards. "Tee shots" on these long holes should be punts or drop kicks; keepers should then use throwing distributions when they get close to the "holes".
  It's probably better to be accurate and a little short than have the ball land off in a tree, lake or yard. Players will tend to over-kick the ball to get distance on long holes; they should relax and let the technique work for them to get the distance they want.

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