GK Throws to Targets
Start the attack with the hands: a bowled roll along the ground and an overarm throw, each through a cone gate at a distance, so a save becomes a pass.
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
A start cone and three gates of two cones each, about two steps wide, at roughly five, ten and fifteen big steps away. One ball; a second saves fetching.
What you need
- 1 soccer ball
- 6 cones or markers
The ground: 40 × 20 ft (about 12 × 6 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. Three gates two steps wide, at about five, ten and fifteen big steps from a start cone.
- Bowl. Step forward, bend the front knee down and roll the ball through the near gate along the ground like a bowl. Five.
- Farther. Bowl through the middle gate. Five.
- Overarm. Ball in one hand, arm straight, step and throw over the shoulder through the far gate. Five.
- Pick it. You call 'near', 'middle' or 'far' and they choose the roll or the throw to match.
- Count it. Fifteen called gates. Count the ones the ball went through at the right height.
Coaching points
- Bowl with the front knee down so the ball leaves along the grass.
- Overarm: the arm straight, released over the shoulder, the opposite foot stepping forward.
- Look at the target before letting go.
What to watch: A bowled ball that bounces, or an overarm throw slung from the side. The roll is low with the knee down; the throw comes over the top.
Common mistakes
- A bowled ball that bounces because the knee did not go down
- Slinging the overarm throw from the side
- Stepping with the same foot as the throwing arm
- Not looking at the target before release
- Throwing overarm to the near gate where a roll is safer
What good looks like
A good target: 11 of 15 called gates hit, the roll with no bounce.
Progressions and variations
Making it harder
- Level 1: Bowls through the near gate
- Level 2: Bowls through the middle gate
- Level 3: Overarm throws through the far gate
- Level 4: Called gates with the keeper choosing the throw
- Level 5: Narrower gates
- Level 6: A receiver in the gate who must not move their feet
Alone, with a sibling, or in a group
- Solo: roll and throw through the gates, fifteen in all, fetching each ball.
- Sibling: the sibling stands in a gate and must receive the ball without moving their feet.
- Co-op: keepers distribute to outfield players running into the gates, as in a counterattack.
Adjusting it by age
- U14: The near and middle gates and the bowl only, until the roll stays on the ground every time.
- U18: The far gate moved back, narrower gates, and a receiver running into a gate to be found in stride.
For the parent running it
- Set out three cone gates, near, middle and far. Watch that the roll stays on the ground with no bounce, and that the overarm throw is released over the shoulder with the arm straight.
On their own: The drill works alone: roll and throw through the gates, fetch the ball and go again. Count gates hit out of fifteen.
Safety
- Nobody stands beyond the far gate in the line of an overarm throw
- Warm the throwing shoulder with a few gentle throws first
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.