the triangle drill - develops goalkeeper agility, positional sense and shot stopping ability. It is also good for practicing other players' shooting techniques.

from the Eteamz collection of games and drills

Set up

A three-goal triangle of normal full-size goal dimensions is set up on a good diving area.

Three cones are positioned about 15-20 yards away facing the centre of the goals.

One player stands at each cone, with at least two balls, while three retrievers stand around the area to get the balls back quickly to those at the cones.

triangle drill

Organisation of the Triangle Drill

The drill starts with each player firing a shot at goal in strict rotation. The goalkeeper moves quickly from goal to goal to reposition himself for each shot.

The coach should signal to players when they should shoot so that the goalkeeper is kept working hard to save shots. A reasonable time period for the goalkeeper is about 30-60 seconds, which the coach should monitor since the work is very strenuous.

Progression of the Triangle Drill

Create a competition among the goalkeepers to see who can lose the least number of goals in given time periods.

Some of the players shooting the ball can be asked to play a certain type of shot, to give the goalkeeper practice in that situation, e.g. a player may attempt to chip the ball over the goalkeeper's head.

The coach can increase the tempo of the practice whereby each player shoots just as the goalkeeper recovers from the last shot, thus putting him under greater pressure.

Add a cone at the centre of the triangle. The keeper has to make his save, run around the cone and make another save at the next “window”.

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