The model we follow is based on the premise of “we work on all the sessions with the goalkeepers“. And I would add “impacting as little as possible the sessions with the whole team”. Let’s see how we apply this in practice.
– Working on the court with the whole team –
We use the warm-ups on the court to do technical work and tactical work. When the goalkeeping coach is present we spend 15 minutes and when he is not, 10 minutes. The difference in the work is that we add ball recovery and long pass work (once a week).
A first exercise with guided throws to work on technique with a tactical component. We usually combine two throwing zones, although it is not compulsory (depending on the number of players)
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- Wings – 6 metres
- 6 metres – 9 metres
- 9 metres – wings
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A second exercise, on the tactical objectives that are planned for that session. We divide the work each day according to the throwing zones (one day wings, another day 6 metres and another day 9 metres).The throwers have two throwing options that change according to the schedule (e.g. half-height arming – half-height throw and hall-fall arming, overhead throwing to the opposite side).
A third quick ball recovery and long pass exercise. A drill very similar to the previous one (to avoid wasting excessive time explaining a new exercise) involving quick recovery of the ball and a long pass from the goalkeeper to a running team-mate (fast-break).
– Working with the goalkeeping coach –
During the course of the rest of the session, we work with the goalkeepers on technical improvement. While there is one goalkeeper in goal, the other will work with the goalkeeping coach. Depending on the shooting area of the day, we perform the specific technical gestures for their category and area.
The technical work must be accompanied by a tactical component (for example, observing the arm position) and it is advisable to have a part on positioning beforehand. It is also necessary that the throws that we make are not always made from the central area, in order to also work on the concept of ” saving in the line “, related to the orientation of the body.
– Working before the session –
Before the sessions we suggest a warm-up in addition to the rest of the team. We focus on the real needs of the goalkeeper, which are quite different from those of the rest of the team.
The work that is planned should be done in a moderate amount of time, around 3 minutes, so as not to interfere with the rest of the training. The goalkeepers can even be asked to arrive a little earlier to warm up.
This work is very important, since if it is done consistently, we achieve a spectacular improvement in the goalkeepers’ flexibility.
– Working during the session –
If the goalkeeping coach is not available during the session, or if the Club does not have a goalkeeping coach, we should plan a workout for them to do on the sidelines. If our team has 3 goalkeepers, we cannot allow them to waste that valuable time, we must give them a job to do.
The work we propose is divided into four exercises:
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- Generic strength work
- Coordination or endurance
- Specific strength work (for technical performance)
- Technical work
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Each day of the week, different exercises are performed, trying to associate them with the court work that has been done that day (for example, if we have worked on wings that day, the technical work is focused on the block stop). The exercises change every two months.
In this way, we give them a series of tools to improve both strength and technique. And we prevent them from losing time during the session.
– Working during matches –
During matches, we can also take advantage of the opportunity to continue working with the goalkeepers. The individual warm-up should be continued. The same type of warm-up can also be carried out on the court, including some guided throwing work to warm up.
– Psychological work –
We must not forget the importance of the goalkeeper’s psychology. Our specific position has many particularities that make special considerations necessary. These should be worked on during the sessions with small routines and even during matches.