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Home/Training Drills/Goalkeeping Drills/Goalkeeper Distribution
GoalkeepingIntermediate

Goalkeeper Distribution

Start the attack with the right distribution. Scan for the open option, choose roll or throw, and deliver it accurately to feet or into the space ahead of the runner.

Create your own drill
Live animationGOA
Duration
11 min
Total drill time
Players
4
Recommended
Pitch
44 × 30 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U9-U10
Any format

Setup & instructions

The keeper has the ball with a full-back short and a target long, and a light presser. Scan, choose the option, and distribute: a flat bowling-style roll to the near target, an overarm throw to the far one. Lead the receiver into space so they can play forward first time. Vary the presser and rotate.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Holding the ball, a goalkeeper is the only player on the pitch nobody is allowed to tackle. That is a genuine tactical advantage and most teams throw it away by treating distribution as a way of getting rid of the ball rather than a way of starting an attack.

The scan comes before the choice. A keeper who picks up the ball and then looks has already lost the first second, which is exactly when the opposition is at its most stretched, because they committed players forward to create the chance he has just saved. Looking while getting to his feet, so the decision is made before he is upright, is what turns a save into a counter.

Roll and throw are different tools rather than a preference. The underarm roll is the most accurate delivery a keeper owns and should be the default to a full-back ten to twenty yards away, because a rolled ball arrives flat and controllable. The overarm throw covers the distance a roll cannot, and its value is that it can be released quickly and clears the first line of pressure. A punt is neither accurate nor quick, and against an organised press it usually returns the ball.

The detail that separates good distribution from adequate is leading the runner. A ball thrown to a full-back's feet asks him to control, turn and then travel. A ball thrown two yards in front of him means the first touch is already going forwards.

How to run this drill

  1. Scan while getting to your feet. The decision is made before standing up. A keeper who rises and then looks has spent the second in which the opposition was at its most stretched.
  2. Default to the underarm roll. For anything up to twenty yards, the roll is the most accurate delivery a keeper has, and a flat rolled ball is far easier to control than a bouncing one.
  3. Keep the release low and flat. Release close to the ground so the ball runs rather than bounces. A bouncing distribution is what turns a simple pass into a contested one.
  4. Use the overarm throw to clear the first line. When the roll cannot reach, throw overarm with a follow-through towards the target. It is quicker than a punt and keeps the ball with your own team.
  5. Lead the runner, do not find his feet. Deliver two yards ahead so his first touch travels forwards. A ball to feet asks him to control, turn and then start, which wastes the whole advantage.
  6. Add a press to force the decision. Once the technique is sound, put a forward on the keeper. Choosing correctly with someone closing is the actual skill, and it does not appear in unopposed reps.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Scan first: pick the open option before you release
  • Underarm roll for short and accurate, overarm throw for long
  • Flat, low release on the roll; follow through to the target on the throw
  • Lead the receiver into space, not just to their feet
  • Distribute quickly to catch the opposition out of shape
  • Weight it so the receiver can play forward first time

Common mistakes

  • Distributing without scanning, into a marked player
  • A bouncing roll or a throw behind the runner
  • Choosing the safe option every time and never launching
  • Slow distribution that lets the opposition get set

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Add a second presser so the keeper must scan and decide faster
  • Launch a counter to a target zone at halfway for a point
  • Vary the options each rep so the keeper reads the picture

Regressions

  • Static, open targets with no presser to groove the technique
  • One distribution type at a time, roll then throw
  • Shorter distances before adding range
Equipment
Markers×2
Tactical principles
goalkeeper distributiongk throwingunderarm rolloverarm throwstarting the counter attackgoalkeeper drillkeeper distribution drillplaying out from the keeperyouth goalkeeper drillu10 goalkeeper drill
Audience
U9-U10

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All Goalkeeping drillsAll drill collectionsGoalkeeping for U9-U10

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