The goal
A full goal is 7.32 m wide and 2.44 m high, against roughly 5 m by 2 m in 9-a-side.
One stride no longer covers a mistake. Starting position now decides more saves than reach does.
Goalkeepers moving into 11-a-side football
The Step Up: 11-a-side and the full-size pitch
Match craft for the young goalkeeper moving to a full goal, a full pitch and a full defensive line
This section is knowledge and match craft rather than a home training block. It explains the detail that decides set pieces, restarts and game control in 11-a-side football, so the player can transition into U13 football already understanding the shifts required. The final organisation on match day always belongs to the team coach.
How to use this section
- Read one topic a week rather than all six at once.
- Take one detail from each topic to the next team training and tell your coach what you are working on.
- Rehearse the routines, the scanning and the calls at home. Rehearse the contact, the traffic and the contested aerial work at team training.
- Use the same quality gate as the rest of the programme. A repetition counts only when it is balanced, controlled and technically safe.
What actually changes
The pitch
A full field is about 100 m to 110 m long and 64 m to 75 m wide.
There is real space behind the defensive line. The keeper defends an area as well as a goal.
The penalty area
The penalty area is 16.5 m deep and 40.32 m wide, with the penalty mark 11 m from the goal line.
The box is too large to control by instinct. Crosses, corners and second balls all have to be organised out loud.
The ball
Most associations move from a size 4 to a size 5 ball at the same time as the move to 11-a-side.
Catching, boxing and kicking all need recalibrating. Expect several weeks of adjustment and do not chase distance in that period.
Set pieces
Opponents must retreat 9.15 m at a free kick, and a corner is now delivered from 13.84 m outside the penalty area.
Walls, corner organisation and the keeper's own start position become weekly work rather than an afterthought.
The defensive line
A back four plays an offside line the keeper can see, and can influence with a single word.
The keeper sets the height of the team. Silence costs goals over the top.
Match length and rhythm
Halves lengthen as the player moves up the age groups, and there are longer periods without a touch.
Concentration between actions becomes a trained habit rather than an accident.
Numbers worth knowing by heart
| Marking | Measurement | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | 7.32 m wide, 2.44 m high | A single stride covers roughly a fifth of the goal. Angles do the work that reach used to do. |
| Penalty area | 16.5 m deep, 40.32 m wide | The area the keeper claims has to be agreed in advance and called out loud. |
| Goal area, the six-yard box | 5.5 m deep, 18.32 m wide | The honest catching zone at corners starts here, and a goal kick may be placed anywhere inside it. |
| Penalty mark | 11 m from the goal line | A useful permanent reference for the mid-depth starting position. |
| Wall distance and centre circle radius | 9.15 m | The same number twice. Use the centre circle at training as a ready-made distance reference. |
| Hand control limit | 8 seconds | Under the current Laws the restart for holding the ball too long is a corner to the opposition, so releases have to be planned early. |
Setting up the defensive wall
Position first, wall second. The goal you cannot afford is the one scored while you are still pointing.
The job
Build a wall that protects the near half of the goal inside 5 seconds, so the keeper defends the rest of it from a set, balanced position with a clear view of the ball.
Why it changes at 11-a-side
In 9-a-side most free kicks near the box are struck, saved and forgotten. On a full-size pitch, in front of a 7.32 m goal, a free kick between 16 m and 25 m becomes one of the highest-scoring moments in the match. It is also the only defensive moment the keeper controls completely before the ball moves.
The routine, in order
- Take your own position first. Before organising anybody, stand where you could save a shot taken right now. A quick free kick against an unset keeper is the most common set piece goal in youth football.
- Send the wall out and count it. Call the number and then the names, in the same order every week, so the players move without thinking. The wall jogs out together rather than drifting out one at a time.
- Line the wall on the near post. Sight from the ball to the inside of your near post. The outside shoulder of the end wall player sits on that line. Against a taker who bends the ball, move that player a half body width further outside the post.
- Set the distance. The wall stands 9.15 m from the ball. Ask the referee for the distance rather than arguing with the opposition about it.
- Return, check once, then set your feet. Get back to your position, take one look at the wall, then put your eyes on the ball. Feet still and weight forward as the taker starts the run up.
- Call the second phase before the ball is struck. Press on contact, or hold. Nobody should have to think after the strike. The rebound, the flick and the follow up are all part of the same set piece.
The detail that decides it
- Never stand behind your own wall
- Stand on the open side, roughly in the middle of the part of the goal the wall does not protect, a stride off your line. Losing sight of the ball beats you far more often than lacking reach.
- Trust the wall and do not cheat towards it
- Almost every free kick a young keeper concedes to the open side happens because the keeper leaned towards the wall side first. The wall owns the near post. You own everything else.
- Read the taker's foot before you finish the wall
- A right-footed taker on your left will most often bend the ball away from the wall and across you, towards your right-hand post. A left-footed taker from the same position will most often whip it over the wall and back towards the near post. Mirror both of those when the kick is on your right.
- Set the number by the zone, not by the fear
- Every extra body in the wall is a body not marking a runner. Agree the numbers with your coach.
- The wall does not jump
- A wall that jumps opens a gap underneath it, and the ball drilled under a jumping wall is the easiest free kick goal at this age. Big, still and together. Hands protecting, chin up, eyes on the ball, nobody turns their back.
- Deal with the opponent standing on the end of the wall
- Attackers stand beside or in front of a wall to block the keeper's view and to duck at the strike. Send one defender to stand outside them so your sightline never runs through a stranger.
- Expect the rehearsed short one
- Routines usually start with a sideways pass to change the angle. Call it early and name the presser before the whistle, so the wall does not stand still and watch.
- An indirect free kick inside your box is a different job
- Defenders may stand on their own goal line, so fill the line, keep one clear gap where you can see and move, and everybody attacks the ball the moment the first touch is taken.
Quick reference
| Where the ball is | In the wall | The keeper's job |
|---|---|---|
| Central, 16 m to 20 m out | Four or five | Cover the open side one stride off the line, and expect the ball over the wall. |
| Central, 20 m to 25 m out | Three or four | Start slightly deeper. There is more time to see it, and still no reason to cheat towards the wall. |
| Diagonal, in the half space | Three | The wall protects the near post line. Defend the far half of the goal yourself. |
| Wide, level with the penalty area | One or two, or none | Treat it as a cross. Take a crossing position and organise the marking before the wall. |
| Wide and deep in your own half | None | No wall. Mark up, set the line and start on the front half of your goal. |
Say it like this
- “Wall! Four! Sam, Ollie, Jack, Ben!”
- “Left, left, stop. Hold there.”
- “Ten yards, referee.”
- “Nobody jumps.”
- “Short! Jack presses!”
- “Set. Eyes on the ball.”
- “Away and press!”
Where it goes wrong
- Organising the wall before taking a position that could save a quick free kick.
- Standing centrally behind the wall and picking the flight up late.
- Leaning or stepping towards the wall side before the ball is struck.
- A wall that jumps, turns away or breaks early.
- Arguing about the distance instead of asking the referee for it.
- Treating the set piece as finished the moment the first ball is cleared.
What you can rehearse at home
All of this can be rehearsed without a shot. Mark a goal with two cones, walk the ball to different zones and run the routine: position first, call the number, sight the near post line, return and set. Add a 5 second count so the routine becomes fast under pressure. Shot stopping from free kicks belongs at team training with a qualified coach.
Defending corners
Decide where your zone ends before the ball is kicked, then commit or stay. The half decision is what costs goals.
The job
Start in a position that allows the keeper to attack the ball forwards, organise the box out loud and make one clear decision on the delivery.
Why it changes at 11-a-side
A corner delivered into a 40 m wide box, with a size 5 ball, by a player who can reach the back post, is a different event from a 9-a-side corner. The keeper now defends a goal they cannot span, through a crowd, against a ball that may swing towards them or away from them.
The routine, in order
- Set your start position from a fixed reference. Between the middle of the goal and the back post, one to two steps off the line. Use the six-yard box and the goal markings so the start is identical every time instead of a guess.
- Open your body. Front foot and hips half turned towards the taker, so the ball and the box sit in one picture. A square keeper has to turn before moving, and the turn is the goal.
- Read the swing. An inswinger is coming to you, so start slightly deeper and nearer the middle and expect the near post flick. An outswinger is moving away, so you can start a touch further forward and the strike from the edge becomes the danger.
- Organise, then take the last look. Posts, near post zone, six-yard line, named markers, the edge of the box, and whoever is standing on you. Finish with one look at the back post, then eyes back to the ball.
- Set your feet as the taker strikes. Still and balanced at contact. Movement before the strike is guessing, and guessing early is why the ball goes over a keeper's head.
- One decision, one word, then go. Keeper means you are coming and everybody clears out. Away means the defender attacks it and you hold. Say it early and loudly enough that the back post hears it.
- Reorganise immediately. Call the reset the moment the first ball is cleared. Corners are won and lost on the second and third phase.
The detail that decides it
- The ball behind you is the one that beats you
- Moving forward into a ball is easy and backpedalling is not. Every centimetre of extra starting position towards the front of the goal has to be earned.
- Own your zone in metres, not in feelings
- For most young keepers on a full goal the honest zone is the ball in front of you, inside the six-yard box, with a clear path to it. Outside that, set your feet and save the shot instead.
- The worst outcome is the half decision
- Starting to come and then stopping leaves the keeper out of position and the defender unsure. Commit or stay, and make it obvious which one it is.
- Never let an attacker stand in front of you unchallenged
- Hold your ground with a forearm, keep your eyes past them and step around at the moment of delivery. Fighting from behind a body is a lost fight. If a marker is needed, name them before the kick.
- Take off from one foot with the knee up
- The lead knee protects you in traffic and gets you higher than a two-footed jump. Hands high and early, catch at the top of the reach, land with the ball secured.
- When you cannot catch it, box it properly
- Two fists, through the bottom half of the ball, aiming for height, distance and width. Never punch square across your own goal, and never paw at it with one hand out of hope.
- The weather makes the decision for you
- A wet, greasy ball or a strong wind can turn a catch into a punch. Say so to your defenders in the warm up so nobody is surprised by it later.
- Recognise the short corner in the first second
- A short corner changes the angle and usually makes the delivery flatter and later. Call it, send the presser, and step across so you keep your depth rather than losing it.
- Players on the post, stay on the post!
- If you use players on the posts, they stay until the ball has passed them or you call them out.
Quick reference
| Role | Players | The job |
|---|---|---|
| Near post | 1 | Attack anything in front of the near post before the first attacker can flick it on. |
| Posts | 1 or 2 | Stand on the inside of the post and hold until the ball has passed or the keeper calls them out. |
| Six-yard line zone | 2 | Protect the space in front of the keeper. Attack the ball rather than watching it. |
| Named markers | 3 or 4 | Goal side and touch tight on the most dangerous attackers, named out loud before the kick. |
| Edge of the box | 1 | The second ball and the strike from range. |
| Out | 1 | Stay high to hold their remaining players back and to start the counter attack. |
Say it like this
- “Set! Posts in!”
- “Who has number nine?”
- “Watch the short one!”
- “Keeper!” or “Away!”, chosen early and said once.
- “Get out!”
- “Second ball!”
Where it goes wrong
- Starting too far forward and being beaten by the delivery to the back post.
- Standing square instead of open, so the first movement is a turn.
- Beginning to come and then stopping.
- Calling for the ball quietly, or calling and not going.
- Watching the ball and losing the runner arriving behind.
- Relaxing the moment the first ball is cleared.
What you can rehearse at home
Corner organisation is a looking and talking skill before it is a catching skill. Rehearse the sequence with a parent standing at a corner cone: open the body, take the last look, set the feet on the strike and make one loud call. Practise catching at full height only from a gentle, high, underarm feed on soft, dry, level grass. Contested crossing and traffic belong at team training.
Managing the game
The keeper who talks early makes fewer saves. That is the point.
The job
Control the parts of the match that do not depend on making a save: information, depth, restarts, tempo and the sixty seconds after conceding.
Why it changes at 11-a-side
In 11-a-side the keeper is the only player who can see all twenty-one others. Managing the game becomes a larger part of the job than shot stopping, and it is the part that improves fastest at this age.
The routine, in order
- Before kick off. Walk your goal. Check the surface in the six-yard box, the wind, the sun, which end you defend first and the state of the ground behind your defensive line.
- The first five minutes. Get an early touch. Take a simple catch, a routine pass and a controlled first goal kick rather than your longest one. Set the tone before you need it.
- When your team has the ball. Scan while the ball is out of play, decide the restart before you receive it, count the press and give the receiving player time or a solution.
- When the opposition has the ball. Set your depth from the ball, set the line height with your voice and stay connected to the last defender.
- After conceding. Reset physically, give one instruction, then focus on the next ball. Never single out a player after a goal.
- Closing the game out. Play fast when you are on top and slow it down inside the Laws when the game needs settling. Keep every restart legal and keep the eight second count in mind.
The detail that decides it
- Name first, message second, solution third
- Sam, man on, inside. Information that arrives after the event is noise, and information without a solution is panic.
- Six words your defence needs, used the same way every week
- Keeper, away, time, man on, push out and drop. Agree them with your team so nobody has to translate anything mid-match.
- Your depth is set by the ball, not by the goal
- As the ball travels away from your goal you move out. As it comes towards your goal you drop and set. Sitting on your line while the defence is on halfway hands the opposition every ball over the top.
- Be set, not travelling, when the ball is struck
- Almost every young keeper is still moving as the shot comes. Get to the position early and stop. Set feet beat extra reach.
- Eight seconds is now a corner
- Under the current Laws of the Game the keeper may control the ball with the hands for up to eight seconds. The referee counts the last five down with a raised hand, and the restart for holding it too long is a corner to the opposition rather than an indirect free kick. Competition rules vary, so check what your association is running.
- Every restart is an attack
- A goal kick, a free kick and a throw from your hands are all first passes. Choose the target while the ball is still out of play, not once it is at your feet.
- What you say after a goal decides the next ten minutes
- Blame changes nothing about the goal and changes everything about how your defenders play afterwards. One calm instruction, then move on.
- Manage yourself between actions
- Long quiet periods are part of 11-a-side. Use a routine: check the ball, check your line, check the space behind, breathe out. Concentration is a habit rather than a mood.
Quick reference
| Phase of play | What the keeper is watching | The call |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition building from their own goal kick | Your line height and the space behind it | “Push out, halfway!” |
| Ball travelling towards your box | The runner beyond the last defender | “Drop! Watch the runner!” |
| Cross coming in | The flight, the near post and your own path to the ball | “Keeper!” or “Away!” |
| Your team in possession in your half | The press and the free player | “Time!” or “Man on, inside!” |
| Set piece against you | Numbers, named markers and the second ball | “Set! Who has ten?” |
| You have just caught the ball | The counter attack and the clock | “Go! Wide!”, released inside eight seconds |
Say it like this
- “Sam, man on, inside!”
- “Time! Turn!”
- “Push out, halfway!”
- “Drop! Watch the runner!”
- “Keeper!” or “Away!”
- “Go! Wide!” within eight seconds of catching it.
Where it goes wrong
- Talking loudly but late.
- Shouting instructions with no name attached to them.
- Sitting on the goal line while the team is pushed up the pitch.
- Still moving when the shot is struck.
- Holding the ball too long and giving away a corner.
- Coaching angrily straight after conceding.
What you can rehearse at home
Game management is trained by watching and speaking rather than by extra volume. Watch fifteen minutes of an 11-a-side match with a parent and say out loud what you would call and when. Rehearse the six words until they are automatic. Add a stopwatch and practise releasing the ball inside eight seconds of catching it.
Adding distance to the goal kick
Distance comes from contact quality, a locked ankle and a long swing. It does not come from swinging harder.
The job
Add real distance to the goal kick without losing accuracy, and without loading a growing body with maximum effort kicking.
Why it changes at 11-a-side
A full-size pitch is 100 m or more, and most players change to a heavier size 5 ball in the same season. A goal kick that used to clear the halfway line suddenly lands short, and the opposition line up on the drop zone.
The routine, in order
- Place the ball with intent. The ball may be placed anywhere inside the goal area. Choose flat, firm ground and set it on the highest small tuft you can find. On a hard, dry pitch that alone is worth metres.
- Take an angled approach. Three or four steps at roughly 30 to 45 degrees, building speed into the last two. A straight approach shortens the arc the kicking leg can travel through.
- Plant the foot alongside the ball. About a boot's width to the side, toes pointing at the target, knee flexed. Level with the ball or a fraction behind it for height and carry, ahead of it for a lower, faster ball.
- Lock the ankle and strike the bottom third. Toe down, ankle rigid, contact with the laces on the bottom third of the ball. A loose ankle absorbs the energy the swing just generated. This is the single biggest distance gain for most young keepers.
- Swing the opposite arm. The opposite arm swinging across and back is the counterweight that lets the hips rotate. Still arms means a leg swing with no body behind it.
- Follow through and land on the kicking foot. The body travels towards the target and finishes a step forward. Landing back where you started means the leg swung and the body did not.
The detail that decides it
- Launch angle beats leg speed
- A launch of around 40 degrees carries furthest. A very high kick hangs and gives both teams time to arrive. A low, driven kick arrives quickly but is harder for a teammate to attack. Learn both and choose on purpose.
- Measure it, then change one thing
- Kick ten balls, mark the average landing spot with a cone and record it. Then change one lever only: the plant foot, the ankle, the approach angle or the arm swing. Changing everything at once teaches nothing.
- Accuracy sets the range, not ambition
- Your usable range is the furthest distance at which you still find the target area. Eight from ten into the zone at 45 m beats three from ten at 55 m, so your goal kick is 45 m until the accuracy moves.
- Wind and ball pressure change the answer
- With the wind, flatten it and let it run. Into the wind, take metres off and drive it lower rather than trying to out-muscle it. Check the ball pressure before kick off, because a soft ball costs distance.
- The longest kick is often the wrong kick
- The ball is in play as soon as it is kicked and opponents must be outside the penalty area, so a short goal kick to a defender inside the box is a legitimate first choice. Distance is an option worth owning rather than an obligation to use.
- Build both feet from the start
- The weaker foot decides which side of the pitch your team can use. Build it at half effort while the stronger foot builds distance.
- Load it like sprinting, not like a gym set
- Maximum effort kicking is a high load action for growing hips, knees and backs. Warm up properly, keep maximum effort kicks to roughly twenty or thirty in a session, avoid them on consecutive days and stop at any groin, hip or lower back discomfort.
- At this age technique comes before strength
- Almost all the distance a young keeper can add this season is technical and elastic. Improve the contact and the approach long before anybody talks about extra strength work.
Quick reference
| Week | Focus | Dose | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contact only. Ankle locked, bottom third, half effort. | 3 sets of 6 kicks at half effort. | Clean, quiet contact and a repeatable flight. Distance is ignored completely. |
| 2 | Plant foot and approach angle. | 3 sets of 6 kicks at three quarter effort. | The ball leaves straight at the target and the follow through finishes forward. |
| 3 | Arm swing and full follow through. Record the baseline. | 2 sets of 6 measured kicks, then 6 at full effort. | Landing on the kicking foot every time, and a recorded baseline distance. |
| 4 | Range with accuracy, both feet. | 2 sets of 6 with the stronger foot, 1 set of 6 with the weaker foot at half effort. | Eight from ten landing in the target zone at the new distance. |
Cue yourself like this
- “Highest tuft.”
- “Three steps, angled.”
- “Toe down, ankle locked.”
- “Bottom third.”
- “Arm across.”
- “Finish forward.”
Where it goes wrong
- Toes up or a loose ankle at contact.
- A plant foot too close to the ball, which cramps the swing.
- Striking the middle of the ball, which sends it low and short.
- A straight run up, which shortens the arc of the leg swing.
- Still arms through the strike.
- Cutting the follow through, so the body never travels through the ball.
- Adding effort before the contact is clean.
What you can rehearse at home
Goal kick work needs open grass, a long clear run of space and a parent supervising the direction of every kick. Use the programme quality gate: a repetition counts only when the contact is clean and the ball finishes in the target zone. Record distance as a Level Up metric, and never chase it at the cost of technique or of the weekly load rules.
Starting position and the space behind
On a full pitch the keeper defends a goal and an area. Most young keepers defend only the goal.
The job
Hold a starting position that matches the ball, the line and the threat, so the keeper can defend the shot and the space behind the defence.
Why it changes at 11-a-side
A full pitch leaves 40 m or more between a high defensive line and the goal. Every ball played over the top becomes a race, and the keeper is the only player already facing the right way.
The routine, in order
- Take your angle from the goal, not from the crowd. Work off the line from the middle of the goal to the ball, using small adjustment steps with the chest to the ball, always able to reach the far post with a recovery step and a dive.
- Set your depth from the ball. Ball in their half with your team pressing: on or near the edge of the box. Ball entering your half: around the penalty spot. Shot likely: two or three steps off the line and set.
- Stay connected to the last defender. Move when they move. The gap between the keeper and the last defender is exactly the space the opposition are aiming for.
- Decide early on the ball over the top. Go or stay, decided as the pass is struck rather than when the striker touches it. If you go, go fast, and clear it long, high and wide with the side of the foot whenever there is any doubt.
- Get set before every shot. Stop moving, feet a little wider than the shoulders, weight forward, hands ready in front. Set beats reach.
The detail that decides it
- Height is a decision, not a personality
- A keeper who is always high concedes lobs and a keeper who is always deep concedes balls in behind. Read the pressure on the ball: under real pressure, the pass over the top rarely comes.
- Protect the near post first
- The angle you give away nearest to you is the one you cannot recover. Take a position where the near post is covered and the far side is still reachable with a step and a dive.
- Move while the ball moves
- Adjust during the pass, not after it arrives. Being on the move as the shot is struck is the most common cause of the goal that goes underneath a young keeper.
- Most sweeping is done with the feet
- Actions outside the box have to be cleared with the feet. Practise both feet, side of the foot, height and width before distance, and take the safe option every time.
- Know the back-pass Law before you need it
- A ball deliberately kicked to you by a teammate cannot be handled. Open your body before it arrives, take the first touch across your body and know the out ball in advance.
- A full pitch punishes a keeper who watches
- The step up is less about the shots faced and more about the metres covered. Your feet should be moving on every switch of play, not only when the ball is near you.
Quick reference
| Where the ball is | Your depth | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Their goal area, your team pressing high | Near the edge of your penalty area | You are defending the space behind the line. A shot from there is not the threat. |
| Their half, under real pressure | Around the penalty spot | Ready to sweep, and still able to recover to the line. |
| Their half, unpressed and facing forward | One or two steps deeper | The ball over the top is on. Give yourself the head start. |
| Your half, wide | Front half of the goal, near post protected | The cross and the near post shot are both live. |
| Inside your box, shot likely | Two or three steps off the line and set | Set feet beat extra reach at a 7.32 m goal. |
Say it like this
- “Push out! Push out!”
- “Drop, drop!”
- “Keeper! Away!”
- “Hold the line!”
- “Watch the runner in behind!”
- “Turn him! Show him wide!”
Where it goes wrong
- Standing on the line while the team defends on halfway.
- Taking the angle from the crowd instead of from the goal.
- Deciding on the ball over the top only once the striker has touched it.
- Sweeping with the hands outside the penalty area.
- Being square and flat footed at the moment of the strike.
What you can rehearse at home
Depth and angle can be trained at home with no shot at all. Set two cones as a goal, have a parent move the ball around a marked arc and take a new position for every new ball position. This is the same skill as the scan, step and arrive practice in Week 1, on a larger scale.
Crosses in a full-size box
The decision is made when the crosser plants their foot, not when the ball arrives.
The job
Take a genuine crossing position, judge the flight early and finish every action with the ball either secured or cleared beyond the danger.
Why it changes at 11-a-side
A 40 m wide box and a heavier ball mean crosses arrive from angles and distances that did not exist in 9-a-side, and the delivery is now often behind the defensive line rather than in front of it.
The routine, in order
- Take a crossing position as the ball travels wide. Move off your line towards the middle and slightly towards the back half of the goal, chest open to the ball with the box in your peripheral view.
- Read the crosser. Watch the hips, the plant foot and the body angle. An open body sends the ball across you. A closed body whips it in towards the near post.
- Set your feet as they strike. Stop and be balanced at contact, then judge the height, the pace and the spin in the first metre of flight.
- Attack the ball on a diagonal. Move forward and across into the ball. Never travel sideways along your own goal line, because that path arrives late and leaves the goal open behind you.
- Take off from one foot with the knee up and the hands high. Catch at the top of the reach with the ball in front of the face, or box it with two fists for height, distance and width.
- Finish the action. Land, secure, get up and reorganise. If you cleared it, get set again immediately for the second ball.
The detail that decides it
- The near post ball is the one that hurts you
- Protect the near post first, then the space in front of you. The back post ball takes longer to arrive and gives you time to travel.
- Do not defend a wide cross from your line
- Standing deep makes every delivery both above you and behind you. One or two steps forward and towards the middle turns the same ball into a catch.
- Judge it in the first metre
- A ball struck with backspin holds up in the air. A ball with topspin dips and arrives sooner than it looks. Call it the moment you know, not once it is halfway.
- The one-footed take-off is a safety skill
- The lead knee creates height and protects you in a crowd. Learn the take-off, the hand shape and the landing from a static, gentle, high feed long before it happens in traffic.
- Catch it or box it, never paw at it
- Half hearted contact drops the ball back into the danger zone. Commit two fists through the ball and send it high, long and wide.
- Your defenders need the plan before the ball goes wide
- Agree in the warm up whether you claim your box or stay in front, then repeat it during the match so nobody has to guess.
Say it like this
- “Keeper!”, once and early.
- “Away!” when the defender is attacking it.
- “Front post!”
- “Man on the back post!”
- “Squeeze out, second ball!”
Where it goes wrong
- Waiting on the goal line for a cross from wide.
- Travelling sideways along the goal line instead of forward on a diagonal.
- Jumping off two feet in a crowd.
- Reaching with one hand when two would do.
- Punching square across the face of the goal.
- Watching the ball land after the clearance instead of resetting.
What you can rehearse at home
High ball handling at home means a gentle, high, underarm feed on soft, dry, level grass with a parent supervising. Never practise contested crossing or heading at home. The take-off mechanics, hand shape and landing can all be rehearsed with no contact and no traffic at all.
The match day routine
The day before
- A light session or none at all, and no maximum effort kicking.
- Check gloves, boots, tape, water and a spare pair of gloves.
- Sleep is the biggest single performance factor at this age.
On arrival
- Walk the pitch and both goals.
- Check the surface in the six-yard box, the wind direction and the position of the sun.
- Ask which end you defend first.
Warm up
- Move first, handle second, low saves third, distribution last.
- Take at least six goal kicks at building effort, using both feet.
- Finish on three clean catches so the last memory before kick off is a good one.
Kick off
- Set your depth from the very first pass.
- Talk inside the first thirty seconds so your voice is already part of the game.
Half time
- Say two things, not ten. One for the defence and one for yourself.
- Change wet gloves and drink.
Full time
- Shake hands, then review with one question: what would I do differently at each goal?
- Write down one thing to take to the next training session.
Five questions for your goalkeeper coach
Match craft is agreed with the people you play alongside. Take these to your next session.
- How far from my line do you want me when we press high?
- What is my zone at corners, described in metres rather than in feelings?
- How many players do you want in the wall from each zone of the pitch?
- Who is named for the wall, the posts and the markers this season?
- Is our first choice from a goal kick short or long, and what is the trigger to change it?
What this section is not
- Formats, pitch size, goal size and ball size vary between associations and age groups. Confirm yours before pre-season.
- The Laws of the Game are updated every season and competitions may add their own rules. Check the current Laws rather than relying on last season's habits.
- Walls under a real strike, contested crossing and corner traffic can only be trained properly at team or Goalkeeper training.