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How does the Modern Soccer Goalkeeper Train? A summary of recent

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Article · July 2020

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 || COACHING–GOALKEEPER
How does the modern soccer goalkeeper train?
A summary of recent research findings
FABIAN OTTE // GOALKEEPER COACH
Training approaches and methods in soccer are constantly
developing. Consequently, it is important for any soccer coach
to regularly evaluate and potentially adopt professional and/or
research-supported trends to coaching and training planning.
With regard to the question “How is modern soccer goalkeeper
training structured?” coaching education has evolved over the
past years and various conceptual approaches toward training
have been proposed.
With the aim of further exploring the topic of goalkeeper
(GK) training, this article summarizes findings from a recently
published research study by Otte, Millar and Klatt (2019a) in
the Journal of Sports Sciences. In order to investigate current
coaching practices of top-level soccer GK coaches across the
world, my colleagues and I recently interviewed a unique sample
of 15 professional GK coaches (n=15). All participating coaches
demonstrate numerous years of elite-level coaching experience
in countries such as Australia (A-League), Belgium (Jupiler Pro
League), England (Premier League), Germany (Bundesliga) and
the United States (MLS).
The research findings presented here describe the microstructure
of single soccer GK training sessions. To explore this microstruc-
ture of soccer GK training, professional GK coaches were openly
asked to describe how they structure a training session with
3-4 GKs of either an elite youth (i.e., U-17 age group) or a senior
professional standard.
Guiding principles of soccer GK training sessions
Findings on the structure of soccer GK training demonstrate how
professional GK coaches apply similar training session structures,
independent of the GK’s skill level or age. Following are some
guiding principles applied by most GK coaches:
» Each GK training session methodically transitions from
“simple” to more “complex” training tasks throughout the
session;
» Each training session focuses on one (technical) topic or
game situation;
» Each training topic is connected to the theme of the overall
team training session (if applicable).
The microstructure of soccer GK training
Regarding the training microstructure, most GK training sessions
consist of five major blocks (see Figure 1); these, in the original
paper, are termed as:
1. Pre-activation
2. Warm-up
3. Technical part
4. Complex part (including Complex 1 and Complex 2)
5. Cool-down
28 | Soccer Journal
1. Pre-activation
The first structural block, pre-activation, can be seen as a training
routine in order to physically prepare GKs for the session.
This training part is usually done prior to on-field GK training
and is mostly performed in the gym under the supervision
of sport scientists. Here, the GKs may go through a range of
body activation, injury-prevention and stabilization exercises.
Additionally, further agility and jumping exercises may form part
of this physical preparation block.
Coach’s quote: “The goalkeepers will start with the
injury-prevention work, so agility, stabilization…and just
pre-activation and injury prevention for the training session.”
2. Warm-up
Building on the pre-activation block, the warm-up encourages
GKs to continue the physical preparation. Executed on the soccer
field, this training part mainly involves tasks such as running,
coordination work, and further stabilization and flexibility
exercises (with the ball). Additionally, the warm-up may include
simple catching and passing exercises, cognitive tasks and
(GK) games. Notably, the latter approach toward gamifying the
warm-up aims to add social elements and “fun” to the start of
the training.
Coach’s quote: “We do a warm-up and then prepare the
goalkeepers for the session in terms of coordination,
conditioning and cognition…with specific exercises to get
into it…so for this warm-up part: athletic, coordinative and
cognitive exercises.”
3. Technical part
The technical training displays a critical part of the GK training
session structure. According to the coaches, this block mostly
includes catching exercises and basic handling drills. Coaches
generally prefer to use drill-based exercises in order to achieve
high numbers of repetitions. Consisting of very little to no techni-
cal-tactical decision-making, this training block may be described
as a more “traditional” approach to (technical) GK training.
Coach’s quote: “I would look at basic techniques like catching
and falling in connection with getting ‘ground familiarization.’
Afterwards, we work on these basic techniques from a regular
set position.”
4. Complex part
The complex training part, along with the previously stated
technical part, can be seen as the second major pillar of a
standard GK training session. Coaches used a variety of terms to
describe this training block: “complex training,” “match-realistic
training,” “situation training,” or “game-phase training.” In
detail, the introduction of game-like scenarios and elements of
decision-making are integrated in various layers throughout this
part of training. Labelled as “layers of advancement” throughout
 GK SESSION PRE- WARM-UP TECHNICAL PART COMPLEX PART COOL-DOWN
BLOCK: ACTIVATION
CONTRAST Gym-based Physical Warm-Up ‘Technical Skills’ Complex 1 | Complex 2 Physical Cool-
(soccer field) Down
» Injury prevention » Basic handling drills/catching Decision-Making Skills
» Leg/Hip/Upper- » Coordination exercises » Running
body activation work – move- » Rather isolated and drill-based » Introduction of decision- » Flexibility
ments – running making components
» Core stabiliza- » Methodical progression exercises
» Core stabilization » Training content related to » Core exercises
tion/tension work
with ball » High numbers of repetitions with match-realistic situations
» Agility work/ predictable/ announced/ known » Roller exercises
jumping » Flexibility ball services and ball service
» Integration of outfield
exercises players to add realism and
» (Cognitive points
complexity (later stages of
activation) » Cognitive » Ground familiarization exercises Complex 2)
exercises
» Roller exercises » Task decomposition/involve-
» Short games ment of limited body parts
» May include cognitive
components

May include technical No to very limited complexity/ First layers may only include
exercises decision-making limited decision-making
(Complex 1)

Figure 1: The microstructure of a soccer goalkeeper training session (adopted from Otte, Millar & Klatt, 2019a)

the session, many coaches divide the complex block into two
sub-parts (i.e., termed as “complex 1” and “complex 2” in the
paper; Figure 1).
Complex 1. Progressing from the technical training part—the
introduction of relevant technical-tactical references and behav-
iors, such as footwork patterns and specific techniques based on
the positioning toward the ball/shooter—is the focus of complex
1. While balls coming toward the GKs are still rather predictable
and controlled, this first part of complex training can be regard-
ed as an extension of the technical training; this is within a more
game-like context and involves limited decision-making.
Coach’s quote: “I would use fairly simple game situations that
include the technique that I want to train—e.g., for 1v1 as the
focus, I would create situations, which would not have real
opponent pressure yet and not much complexity. Just to focus
on the basic techniques again.”
Complex 2. This part represents a progression of the game-
realistic training situation to the highest form of complexity
within GK training. In this training part, coaches aim at fully
replicating game-representative scenarios in GK training. By
increasing the number of relevant contextual and informational
variables and possibly integrating outfield players into the
training session (i.e., “integrative GK training”), this progression
into complex 2 sees an increase in training complexity. The
increase requires the GK to develop game-specific skills and
make complex decisions (i.e., technical, tactical and technical-
tactical decisions) that reflect the GK tasks demanded in
competitive soccer matches.
Coach’s quote: “A replication of match-type scenarios that
the goalkeeper has to solve…problems the goalkeeper has to
solve, like they would have to do in a match, so where they
are challenged and their key principles such as positioning,
readiness, their decision-making.”
running, stretching, core work and roller exercises were men-
tioned by the professional soccer GK coaches.
Coach’s quote: “At the end, you know, we might bring it back
down and do a little bit of core work or…simple catching at the
end to kind of cool us down.”
Conclusion
Summarizing the study results, the microstructure of a regular
soccer GK training session seems to be quite well defined (i.e.,
including the five blocks of: pre-activation, warm-up, technical
part, complex part and cool-down). Despite this, it remains
important to consider the training time split or balance of
training session time spent on each of the five blocks. Dependent
on factors such as the GK’s skill level, age or maturity stage,
individual circumstances or training phase, GK coaches should
carefully evaluate how to divide and manage the available
training session time.
Undoubtedly, both technical and complex training parts are
important for GK development. For example, on the one hand,
some training phases that focus on movement stability and
performance preparation may need to emphasize technical com-
ponents. On the other hand, phases that aim at long-term skill
development and learning should predominantly focus on more
complex and game-representative training environments. While
the former phases would advocate increased training, time spent
on the “technical part,” the latter phases would display a major
training focus on “complex parts” (see Otte, Millar and Klatt
[2019b] for a conceptual approach to structuring and periodizing
skill training for GKs). It is particularly the complex training part
of GK training that plays a critical role for sustainable and holistic
GK development of advanced youth and senior GKs. For GK
training principles in this particular training phase, consider the
article introduced in the Nov/Dec 2019 issue of Soccer Journal.

5. Cool-down In sum, to manage the training session time and to integrate

GK training into the team training session, GK coaches should
Concluding the training session, the cool-down part aims at thoroughly pre-plan the training session and its objectives and
starting the immediate recovery process. Activities such as consider GKs’ individual training phases. n

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