Ep. 2: How To Train Young Goalkeepers & Guidelines for Developing Youth Soccer Talent

Between The Posts Podcast: Keepers | Coaches | Parents | Soccer

In today's episode, we discuss the do's and don'ts of developing young goalkeepers. We always hear from coaches that they struggle with not only incorporating young players into the goalie role but also how best to develop young players. I will take you through some key things to do, and not do, as well as some issues I've faced when working with younger keepers during our training sessions. Check out the show notes below and we hope you enjoy this episode of Between The Posts!

Episode Intro:

• Tyler describes his take on young goalkeepers and how it shaped him as a coach
• First, we must define the age group we’re discussing

What to teach:

• Basic Rules of Goalkeeping
• Proper Catching Technique
• Diving...not so much at U9 and below
• U10 start to work on positioning

U10 players:

• Stress the importance of protecting the near post
• Cutting Down the angles as the ball travels
• Getting off their line for free balls in the area

Then spend time to work on what they should do after they get the ball in their hands:

• Don’t panic, take a deep breath, let the traffic clear and then distribute the ball
• U8 and below you probably just want them getting the ball up field to restart play
• U9 and up you should start to add other options dependent on the players around them
• If field players have a decent skill level then they can start to work on distribution with their hands, if not emphasize where they should look to punt a ball

For Younger Players:

• On teams that you don’t really need to have an assigned player how do you get them all comfortable in net or better yet how do you find the kid with natural talent?
• Find a fun drill that rotates everyone in and has a shooting element

Three Key Takeaways For Coaches:

• Don’t blame young keepers when they give up a goal.
• The coach must stay calm, to many coaches start to freak out and yell get rid of it which inhibits a players ability to make decisions.
• Remember the younger the player, the shorter the attention span, keep it simple, don’t let this bother you.