Goalkeeper Warm-up

You and your keeper, six or seven balls, one rhythm — sprint out, back-pedal, then a high ball, a near-post ball, a far-post ball, and a shot.

A pregame warm-up your goalkeeper will love — dynamic and fast-paced, with the whole range of saves packed into one sequence.

Ages 9+One goalkeeper, with the coach10 minAbout 6 balls, full-size goal

Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive

Grab: Six or seven balls and your full-size goal.
Build: Nothing to build — gather the balls at the side of the goal, about 7 yards out, with one ball in your hand.
Place: The keeper starts in the goal — after they've jogged, stretched, and done some light catching first.

Show me the setup picture

The coach at the side of the goal about 7 yards out with a pile of balls and one in hand, the keeper on their line.

One thing to remember: Quick footwork and movement, cutting off angles on shots from the sides, square shoulders to the ball, judging high balls, and quick recovery ready for rebounds.

How it runs — the whole game in one sentence

The keeper sprints out to touch the ball in your hand, back-pedals toward goal with their eyes on it, and takes your sequence — high ball, near post, far post, then a shot — before you switch sides and run it again.

1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Send the keeper through jogging, stretching, and light catching before you start. Then take your spot at the side of the goal, about 7 yards out, balls gathered and one in hand.
Coach says
Loose and warm first. Ready? Eyes on this ball the whole time.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
Walk the sequence — on your command the keeper sprints out to touch the ball in your hand, then back-pedals toward the goal with their eyes on it. As they back-pedal, throw a high lofted ball at the goal to punch over the crossbar or catch. After the catch, throw at the near post — they push it past the post or catch it. Then quickly the far post — same job. Then shoot the next ball, and they save it.
Coach says
Touch my hand, back-pedal, eyes up. Then in order — high ball, near post, far post, shot. Catch it or put it out.
3Play▾
Coach does
Run it dynamic and fast-paced — tell the keeper that's the point before you begin. Watch the footwork, the angles on the balls from the side, square shoulders, the judgment on the high balls, and quick recovery between saves.
Coach says
Quick feet! Square up — save it and get set for the next one!
Look for: The recovery — the keeper back up, shoulders square to the ball, and ready before the next ball leaves your hand.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
Move to the other side of the goal and run the whole sequence again. There's a lot of movement in this for the keeper — and for another round, step back 3 or 4 yards and play every ball as a shot off the ground, or feed more high balls that push them back toward the goal.
Coach says
Other side — same order. Tell me when the legs are done; I'm warming you up, not wearing you out.

If it's not working

If the keeper's legs start to go, cut the round short — this is a pregame warm-up, and a tired keeper is the one outcome it can't afford.

Want to go deeper? Optional — not needed to run the game.

Why are we doing this?

The sequence strings together the game's whole ask — coming off the line, recovering toward goal, a high ball, both posts, and a live shot — at the fast, dynamic pace the game will ask it, which is exactly why keepers love it.

What are they learning?

Quick footwork and movement, cutting off angles on shots from the sides, square shoulders to the ball, judging high balls, and quick recovery ready for rebounds.

How can I change it?

Harder: Move back 3 to 4 yards and play every ball as a shot from the ground, or play more high balls that force the keeper back toward their goal.

Next: Goalkeeper Shooting Angles — the same quick feet, now against shooters changing the angle on every rep.