GK Wall Reactions
Throw against a wall and catch the rebound from a set position, closer and quicker each round, so the hands react before the head has time to think.
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 solid wall or a rebounder with a line marked about four big steps from it, and nothing breakable either side. Outdoors, a garage wall or a fence board works; indoors only with a soft ball.
What you need
- 1 soccer ball
- A wall or rebounder
The ground: 20 × 12 ft (about 6 × 4 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. A solid wall, a line about four big steps from it, and nothing breakable either side.
- Underarm. Throw underarm against the wall at chest height, set, and catch the return in a W with thumbs together. Ten.
- Low. Throw so it comes back low. Scoop it with the little fingers together, the body behind the hands. Ten.
- One step in. Move a step closer to the wall. The ball comes back quicker. Ten mixed catches.
- Side to side. Throw a little left or right of centre and shuffle to get the body behind the ball before catching. Ten.
- Count it. Back to the line. Sixty seconds of throws and catches, counting clean ones with no fumble.
Coaching points
- Set between the throw and the catch: feet apart, knees soft, hands up.
- Catch in front of the body with soft elbows, then pull the ball in.
- Move the feet to the ball before reaching with the hands.
What to watch: A keeper who throws and is still moving when the ball comes back. The set position comes between the throw and the catch, every time.
Common mistakes
- Still moving at the moment of the catch
- Letting the ball come in to the chest instead of catching in front
- Reaching with the hands before moving the feet
- Stiff elbows that bounce the ball out
- Throwing so hard that the rebound is out of reach
What good looks like
A good target: 25 clean catches in 60 seconds from the line, with no fumble.
Progressions and variations
Making it harder
- Level 1: Underarm throws to the chest only
- Level 2: Low throws and the scoop added
- Level 3: One step closer to the wall
- Level 4: Throws to either side with a shuffle
- Level 5: A sibling throws past the keeper so the rebound is unseen
- Level 6: Thirty clean catches in a minute
Alone, with a sibling, or in a group
- Solo: throw and catch off the wall, counting clean catches in sixty seconds.
- Sibling: one stands behind the keeper and throws past them at the wall, so the rebound is a surprise.
- Co-op: keepers take turns at a wall, one minute each, with the next keeper counting.
Adjusting it by age
- U14: Start well back from the wall with gentle throws and count catches without the clock until the W grip is automatic.
- U18: Two steps closer, throws to the corners, and the sibling variation so the keeper reacts to a ball they did not throw.
For the parent running it
- Find a solid wall and mark a line about four big steps from it. Watch that the keeper is set and still as the ball comes back, and catches it in front of the body rather than letting it in to the chest.
On their own: The drill is built to be done alone: throw, set, catch the rebound. Count clean catches in sixty seconds.
Safety
- A solid wall only, with nothing breakable nearby
- A soft ball indoors
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.