GK Angles: Stand on the Line
Where to stand: on the line from the ball to the middle of the goal, a step off the goal line, so the shooter sees as little goal as possible. Learned with cones and a ball moved round the box.
Hear the coach on this drill
Every line the Audio Coach says in this drill, played back to back; the time beside each is when it comes in the 10-minute drill. No account needed.
Set-up
Two cones about eight big steps apart for a goal, one cone in its middle on the goal line, and two cones marking the corners of a box in front. One ball the parent moves to new spots.
What you need
- 1 soccer ball
- 5 cones or markers
The ground: 30 × 25 ft (about 9 × 8 m). One child can run it alone in a backyard. The space and equipment check lists every drill that fits the ground you have.
How to run it
- Set up. Two cones for a goal about eight big steps wide, one cone in its middle, and two more marking a box in front.
- The line. Place the ball anywhere in front. The keeper finds the imaginary line from the ball to the middle cone.
- Step up. They stand on that line, one or two steps off the goal line, and set.
- Check. Look from behind the ball. The keeper should block the middle cone from view.
- Move it. Move the ball to a new spot, wide, central, close and far. The keeper steps across and sets again.
- Count it. Ten spots. Count the ones where they were on the line and set before you said go.
Coaching points
- Stand on the line from the ball to the middle of the goal.
- Move with small shuffles along an arc, never with crossed feet.
- Set, still and balanced, before the ball is struck.
What to watch: A keeper standing in the middle of the goal whatever happens. They should move with the ball, along the line from ball to middle.
Common mistakes
- Staying in the middle of the goal wherever the ball is
- Standing on the goal line itself rather than a step off it
- Crossing the feet when moving across
- Still moving when the ball is struck
- Coming so far off the line that a chip would score
What good looks like
A good target: 8 of 10 spots on the line and set within 3 seconds of the ball moving.
Progressions and variations
Making it harder
- Level 1: Placed ball, no clock, checked from behind the ball each time
- Level 2: Set within five seconds of the ball moving
- Level 3: Set within three seconds
- Level 4: A sibling dribbles the ball to a new spot instead of placing it
- Level 5: A gentle shot along the ground once the keeper is set
- Level 6: Ten of ten on the line within three seconds
Alone, with a sibling, or in a group
- Solo: place the ball at five spots, step to the line, set, and check from behind the ball.
- Sibling: one moves the ball round the box and shoots gently along the ground once the keeper is set.
- Co-op: a parent moves the ball and calls 'set' after three seconds; keepers take turns in goal.
Adjusting it by age
- U14: Placed balls and the check from behind the ball every time, so the keeper sees the angle for themselves.
- U18: The ball dribbled to new spots and a shot once set, with the keeper deciding how far off the line to stand.
For the parent running it
- Mark a goal with two cones and a cone for its middle. Place the ball in a new spot each time. Watch whether the keeper moves to stand on the line between the ball and the middle cone, then sets.
On their own: Place the ball yourself at five spots round the goal. Before each, guess where to stand, step there and set, then look back from the ball to check you covered the middle cone.
Safety
- Shots stay gentle and along the ground
- Cones, not poles, for the goal so nobody runs into a post
More on training safely at home: Safety at Home.
Related drills
GK Handling
Basic shot-stopping: set position, W-grip, collapse dive.
Catch and Throw in Four
Catch a ball and throw it out to a teammate breaking wide inside four seconds: the futsal goalkeeper's job of turning a save into a counter-attack before the other team can recover.
GK Footwork: Shuffle and Set
Side-step across a goal-width line of cones, stop in a set position, and catch a dropped ball cleanly before shuffling on.
GK Distribution: Roll and Throw
A keeper starts the attack with the hands: bowl the ball along the ground through a near gate, then throw overarm into a far target zone.
Run it with the Audio Coach
In Spatrian the Audio Coach talks your player through this drill while they play it, and each run goes on their own training record, which their coach or personal trainer can read and, for a homeschool family, counts as PE time. The beta is opening to a small first group of players and families.