1v1 with the keeper

What it trains

Finishing when you are through on goal: read the keeper, then shoot early and low into a corner, or take the ball round them. England Football suggests a simple 1v1, attacker against keeper, for less experienced players.

Set up

• An anchored goal
• A friend in goal
• 6 balls
• Start 25 m out

How it works

1. Warm up first. Put a cone 25 m out, in line with the middle of an anchored goal. Use a size 4 ball up to U13 and a size 5 from U14.
2. Your friend starts in goal, on their line. Dribble at goal from the cone with your head up.
3. The keeper comes out on their feet to meet you. If they stay back, shoot early and low into a corner. If they rush out, take it round them and score.
4. Fetch the ball and go again from the cone. Swap roles every 5 goes. Do 3 rounds of 5 (our target), resting 1 minute between rounds.

Coaching points

1. If they stay, shoot early. If the keeper stays near their line, do not wait for them to close you down: shoot early, low into a corner, with the side-foot (England Football: it gives up power for accuracy). Picking the finish from the keeper's position is a coaching cue, not a research finding.
2. If they rush, go round. If the keeper rushes out, slow down with small touches to draw them in, then push the ball past them on one side, go round and pass it into the empty goal. England Football describes this as dribbling around the goalkeeper.

Not this

Dribbling with your head down all the way. You never see where the keeper is or how fast they come, so you cannot choose the right finish.

Dose

• 3 rounds of 5 attacks
• 1 min rest between

Our target: 3 rounds of 5 attacks with 1 minute of rest between, swapping roles every 5 (the Football Reach target, not an FA rule).

Harder / Easier

Safety

• Keepers stay on their feet: no diving at the attacker's feet and no diving on hard ground. Nobody slides in, and nobody shoots at a keeper who is on the ground.
• Only use a goal that is anchored to the ground or has a weighted back bar, and never climb or swing on it.
• If in doubt, sit them out: anyone with a suspected concussion stops straight away, does no training for at least 24 hours and plays no matches for at least 21 days (UK concussion guidelines).
• Flat grass with nobody behind the goal, never a road or driveway. Under 16: if your knees or heels hurt when you run, stop and tell an adult; a GP or physio can help.

Sources

• England Football Learning - how to design a football shooting session (opens in a new tab)
• England Football Learning - how to coach shooting (opens in a new tab)
• FIFA Training Centre - one-on-one situations (goalkeeper) (opens in a new tab)
• The FA - Youth goalkeeping techniques and practices (opens in a new tab)
• The FA - goalpost safety (opens in a new tab)
• England Football - UK concussion guidelines for grassroots sport (opens in a new tab)
• The FA Boot Room - growth and the physical corner (opens in a new tab)