Goalkeeper Shooting Angles
Shooters spread across the edge of the penalty area take turns pushing the ball and shooting — and the keeper's job is to be set, square, and between ball and goal every time.
Positioning and angles are what make saves — correct footwork, the right line to the ball, and feet set before the shot arrives.
15 min tonight · One goalkeeper, 6–8 servers
- Ages 9+
- One goalkeeper, 6–8 servers
- 15 min as the drill is written
- Balls, full-size goal
Grab A ball for every server and your full-size goal.
Build Nothing to build — the penalty area is the field.
Place The keeper takes the goal; six to eight servers spread across the outer edge of the penalty area in front of it, each starting with a ball.
- 1
Organize the players
Put the keeper in the goal and spread six to eight servers across the outer edge of the penalty area, every server with a ball.
“Spread out along the edge of the box, one ball each. Keeper — every shot's coming from a different angle.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk one rep — the server pushes the ball to the left, right, or straight ahead, then shoots on goal. The keeper adjusts as the ball moves — body between ball and goal, hips facing the ball — then sets their feet in the ready position and makes the save.
“Servers — push it, then shoot. Keeper — stay between ball and goal, hips to the ball, and be set before they strike it.”
- 3
Play
Alternate the servers one at a time and keep the rhythm quick — save, reset, next shooter. Watch the shuffle (feet never crossing), the angle to the moving ball, the quick reaction, and clean catches with good hands.
“Shuffle — don't cross your feet! Set, hands ready, catch it clean!”
Look for Feet set at the moment of the shot — the keeper still and balanced when the ball is struck, not moving through it.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Work around the line of servers again and again so the keeper faces every angle, the keeper quickly setting for the next shooter each time. Reload the servers' balls as they go.
“Save it, forget it — next angle, get set!”
If the keeper keeps getting beaten the same way, freeze it and ask where their body should be — between the ball and the goal — then send the next server.
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Why it works
The push before the shot is the drill — every touch moves the ball to a new angle, so the keeper rehearses the real sequence on every rep: read the ball, shuffle to the line, set the feet, make the save.
What they learn
Goalkeeper positioning and angles — quick footwork without crossing the feet, staying between ball and goal, setting the feet, reacting fast, and catching cleanly with good hands.
Where does this come from?
SoccerXpert — their published drill library.
A published drill library. Useful and widely used, but not a governing body — so it fills gaps rather than leading.