Good goalie drills pack a lot of saves into a short session: a low ball then a high one, quick footwork before a shot, dives to both sides, and a bit of competition. The seven below need one keeper, one or two feeders, a few cones and a bag of balls. Most of them work in a backyard as well as on a field.
If your child is young, check one thing first. U.S. Soccer's goalkeeping topics by age (2026) says every player should get a chance in goal up to U11. At U7-U8 it lists the basics (passing, throwing, catching, diving). Explosive diving and deflecting only show up at U11-U12. A 7-year-old doing these drills needs softer, slower serves than a 12-year-old who has picked the position.
What are the 7 best soccer goalkeeper training drills?
They run from a simple two-save rep to a full game between two keepers. Each has a setup, how a rep works, and what it trains.
1. Deflect and Dive
Two saves in a row: low first, then high to the other side. The keeper starts in the middle of the goal line, with two feeders about 10 yards out. Feeder one rolls or throws a low ball toward a post and the keeper gets down to save it. Once the keeper is back on their feet, feeder two throws high toward the opposite corner, and the keeper moves across to catch it or push it wide.
Five or six reps, then swap keepers. With a young player, wait until they're set before the second ball. With an older keeper, send it the moment the first save is made, and later switch from throws to kicks.
Objective: get up and get set again
The first save is the easy part. Getting off the ground and back into position is what happens in a game when a shot is parried back into the box, and it only gets practiced if someone feeds a second ball.
2. Agility Hands
Footwork through cones, then catches at chest height. Lay a short line of cones in front of the goal and two markers 6 or 7 yards apart beyond them, with a feeder about 5 yards in front of each marker. The keeper shuffles through the cones, stops by the first marker, catches a ball served at the chest and throws it back. Then across to the second marker for another catch, and back through the cones to the line.
Ten or twelve catches is a good set. Feeders can serve wider or higher to force a jump or a dive, and you can change the cone pattern between sets so the feet don't go on autopilot.
Objective: body behind the ball
Every catch should finish with the body in line with the ball, so a fumble drops in front of the keeper instead of past them. With no hard diving in it, it doubles as a pre-game warm-up.
3. Three Cone Drill
Set three cones of different colors about 3 yards off the goal line (left, center, right) and put a shooter around 12 yards out. The shooter calls a color. The keeper touches that cone, gets back to the middle, and the shot comes as they arrive. Shorten the gap between call and shot as the keeper gets sharper, and mix high and low.
Objective: quick steps, then set
It trains short changes of direction and being set before the strike, weight forward and on the toes. A keeper still moving when the ball is hit usually gets beaten, and this drill shows it right away.
4. Goalie Wars
Two keepers, two goals, one game. Mark an area roughly 20 by 15 yards with a goal at each end and balls behind each. A cone 5 yards in front of each goal line marks the keeper's zone; every throw, kick and save happens from inside it.
Keeper A throws, kicks or volleys at B's goal. If B saves, B attacks next. If A scores, A goes again. Play to five or for three minutes, then rotate in the next pair.
Objective: shots from every angle
Keepers face throws, half-volleys and kicks from different spots, and because every save becomes an attack they practice distribution too. Kids will play this far longer than a plain shooting drill. That's the honest reason it's on the list.
5. Move with the Ball
A keeper plus about five field players spread around the penalty area, each with balls behind them. They pass among themselves, and after four passes anyone can shoot. The keeper shifts with every pass to stay in line with the ball, then makes the save. Run it five or six times. One-touch passing makes it harder; with only two or three players, spread them wider.
Objective: position before the shot
The keeper adjusts on every pass, which is where most goals are actually decided. Close-range shots also give reps at closing down a player 1v1. Our 1v1 soccer drills work the attacker's side of that moment.
6. One Cone Drill
Put a cone a few yards out from the center of the goal and a server with balls at the corner of the penalty area. The keeper runs out to the cone as if closing down a striker, goes around it, and gets back to cover the server's shot. Move the server between sets and alternate high and low.
Objective: recover after a wrong guess
In games the ball often goes where the keeper didn't expect. This rep trains turning, squaring up again, and getting big to narrow the angle.
7. Low Diving Drill
One shooter near the penalty spot, one keeper in the middle of the line. Low shot to one side, keeper dives to collect, gets up, back to the middle. Next shot goes low to the other side. Keep it going for a set time: 60 seconds for a young keeper, longer for an older one.
Objective: the low dive on both sides
Most keepers have a weaker side, and alternating gives both sides the same number of reps. Start young keepers from their knees or a crouch with a slow rolled ball before moving to standing dives.
Why do goalkeepers need their own drills?
The job is different. Field players spend a game running and passing; a keeper works in bursts of a couple of quick steps, a set position, then a catch, dive or jump. U.S. Soccer's age-group pages follow that, from "different catching positions" at U9-U10 to catching and deflecting, explosive diving, anticipation and support at U11-U12. Keeper-specific physical training doesn't appear until U15-U16 in its goalkeeping guide.
Keepers also use their feet more than most parents expect. Under IFAB Law 12, a keeper can't handle a ball a teammate deliberately kicked back to them, and outside their own penalty area they follow the same handling rules as everyone else. So put some passing into keeper sessions as well as shot-stopping.
What rules do young keepers need to know about punting and holding the ball?
Two catch families out. U.S. Soccer's small-sided standards ban punts and drop kicks by the goalkeeper, as its 2017 explainer on small-sided standards puts it. The same piece describes the build-out line from U9, 14 yards out: when the keeper has the ball in hand or takes a goal kick, opponents wait behind it until the ball is in play. Younger keepers should practice throwing, rolling and passing the ball out first. Your league's rules decide the details.
The other one is time. Law 12 gives the other team a corner kick if a keeper controls the ball with their hands for more than eight seconds. Look, decide, release.
Where punting is allowed, the basic version is simple: ball held out in front, dropped rather than tossed up, struck with the laces before it lands, toes pointed. Our types of kicks guide covers striking with the laces.
What should you look for in goalkeeper gloves?
Fit. Too big and there's loose material at the fingertips, so the ball slips; too tight and the glove is uncomfortable and strains at the seams. Every maker has its own size chart, so measure your child's hand against that brand's chart and have them catch a few balls in the gloves before you keep them. Palms wear with use, which is why we'd keep a newer pair for games and an older one for practice. We don't name glove brands here.
How can you run goalie practice at home?
Short and often. Pick two of the seven, warm up with a few easy catches (our soccer warm-up drills have options), and stop at 20 minutes. Deflect and Dive, the Three Cone Drill and the Low Diving Drill all work with one parent feeding.
Goal size matters. Youth games use smaller goals than the full-size 8 yards wide by 8 feet high set by IFAB Law 1. Below are the maximum goal sizes listed by Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer, a US Youth Soccer state association, next to the closest Open Goaaal® inner goal. The comparison is ours.
| Age group (format) | Max youth goal (W x H) | Closest Open Goaaal inner goal (W x H) |
|---|---|---|
| U6-U8 (4v4) | 6 x 4 ft | Junior, 8 x 4.5 ft |
| U9-U10 (7v7) | 18 ft 6 in x 6 ft 6 in | Standard, 9 x 5 ft (a smaller target) |
| U11-U12 (9v9) | 21 x 7 ft | Large, 16 x 7 ft |
| U13 and up (11v11) | 24 x 8 ft | Regulation, 24 x 8 ft |
The Open Goaaal 3-in-1 Soccer Goal Trainer combines a goal, rebounder and backstop. In keeper practice, a shot that beats the keeper wide or high hits the backstop instead of rolling into the street, so the feeder keeps serving. The Standard's backstop is 10 feet tall and up to 21 feet wide. For a younger keeper or a smaller yard, the Junior has an 8 by 4.5 foot goal and a backstop 8 feet tall and up to 16 feet wide. Both go up on natural grass with no digging; budget about 1.5 hours with two people the first time and follow the build video (Standard or Junior). Official sizes are in our goal sizes by age guide.
Goalie drill FAQs
At what age should a kid become a full-time goalkeeper?
U.S. Soccer's guidance is that every player gets a turn in goal up to U11. After that it's a choice for the player, the family and the coach.
How often should a young keeper do goalie drills?
We'd suggest two or three short sessions a week on top of team practice. Stop when the dives get sloppy.
Can you practice goalkeeping alone?
Some of it. Footwork, catching off a wall or rebounder, and get-ups work solo, but saves need a shooter. See our ways to use a soccer rebounder.
Can a goalkeeper punt in youth soccer?
Not in small-sided games under U.S. Soccer's standards. The IFAB Laws used in 11v11 allow it. Check your league's rules for your age group.
Final thoughts
Two drills, 20 minutes, twice a week, with soft serves until your keeper dives without hesitating. When a second keeper comes over, play Goalie Wars; they'll ask for it again. And for keepers worth watching, try our list of the best goalkeepers of all time.
