Working on only technical aspects of the goalkeeper & ignoring the physical and mental aspects, it’s like a boxer fighting with only ONE hand, it does not work.

Today lots of youth club goalkeepers are technically decent but the majority of them are very weak athletes and lack speed & strength to get vertical jumps which are elements needed in the modern goalkeeper.   At the same time, they are constantly getting injured which is a CLEAR sign of many problems to come in the future.  21st-century soccer WILL force goalkeepers to be faster, stronger & physically fit.

Recently I wrote a small & simple program for beginners to help keepers start gaining power & strength.  I would like to offer another SIMPLE and EASY game plan to INCREASE your reaction, speed & agility (IMPORTANT ELEMENTS NEEDED FOR A MODERN GOALKEEPER)

Balanced training will help your strength, cardiovascular exercise, flexibility & reaction. PLUS, it is a powerful element for INJURY PREVENTION.

Although there are many ways to do balance training, here are a few item you can use:

• BOSU BALL
• STABILITY BALL
• STABILITY DISK
• BOARD TRAINER

 For goalkeeping training, there many tools that can be used in so many ways.

Coordination:

This does not mean “rubbing your belly while tapping your forehead”. It is your ability to move many body parts without falling.  Balance training will force your body to coordinate different body parts as you balance yourself. As goalkeeper: you do MANY things that require coordination, such as running and catching (crosses/corner kicks) etc.

Reaction:

If you get on a BOSU BALL, you will have to constantly balance yourself and force your body to make quick & fast correction without over correcting. Your body, brain & many neurons as well as numerous systems have to make quick reactive moves to stay balance. Goalkeeper reaction training is a specialized training but it is very important element for a goalkeeper to defend a goal.

Strength, speed & Power:

Balance training will help you gain strength & power by recruiting new & different muscles responsible to increase your POWER & SPEED.  I can’t stress enough if you are a goalkeeper who is slow & can’t jump then you will struggle in the 21st-century game.

Balance training will help promote healthy ankles, knees, hips and shoulders. These are the MOST NEGLECTED BODY PARTS AND THE LEAST TRAINED by amateur goalkeepers.
Additional benefit: Strong ANKLES will significantly improve GOALKICKS.

Injury prevention

Often time young goalkeepers & especially teen goalkeepers (12-18 yrs old) are easily getting injured or they are constantly re-injuring ankles, knees, hips & shoulders. They make NO ATTEMPTS to work on preventative measures, like training we have outlined, and this will lead to possible CAREER ENDING INJURIES in the near future.

Remember, the goalkeeper’s body will take HARD blows as they land while doing HIGH or LOW dives.  Therefore, I highly recommend BALANCE TRAINING to help you succeed in your goalkeeping career.   So go get a BOSU, STABILITY BALL,  BOARD TRAINER or BALANCE DISC and get strong fast.  It is a simple solution and it is fun!!