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At-home soccer drills for 11 to 13 year olds: goalkeeper

This is a free sample week of at-home soccer training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a goalkeeper: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 30.5 to 34 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

Most of a goalkeeper’s game happens with the ball at their feet: across youth and pro matches, about three in four of a keeper’s actions are passes and distribution, and only around one in ten is a save. Good home training for a young keeper leans on footwork, handling and passing, and keeps diving for soft ground and the right age.

How much: 30 to 35 minutes (40 at most), 3 to 4 times a week.

What a young goalkeeper can train at home

  • Set position and footwork
  • Catching at every height
  • Passing and receiving with both feet
  • Rolling and throwing to a target
  • Falls on grass or a mat, from the knees first (no standing dives before 11)

A free sample week of soccer for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Goalkeeper session 1: Shuffle and set 30.5 minutes

  1. Warm-up: jog, shuffles, get down and up, arm circles and shoulder activation · 8 min
    Knees over toes on every landing. Warm-ups like this, done twice a week, prevent injuries.
  2. Beat your score: clean catches off the wall in 30 seconds · 2 min
    Soft hands. Write today’s number down.
  3. Keeper shuffle and set: shuffle, set, catch (wall baseball) (3 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 5 min
    Set before the shot every time.
  4. Keeper colour-cue reactions: move to the colour a parent calls, then catch (2 × 60 s, 45 s rest) · 4 min
    React, set, catch.
  5. Keeper kneeling to low collapse saves on grass or a mat, up to 20 (3 × 60 s, 60 s rest) · 6.5 min
    Hands to the ball first, land on your side and hip.
  6. Game: save streak, catch and set, how many in a row without a drop · 3 min
    Set your feet before every catch.
  7. Cool-down: walk and stretches, hold each about 20 seconds · 2 min
    Never stretch to pain. Note one thing you got better at.

Session 2

Goalkeeper session 2: Catches at every height 32.5 minutes

  1. Warm-up: jog, shuffles, get down and up, arm circles and shoulder activation · 8 min
    Knees over toes on every landing. Warm-ups like this, done twice a week, prevent injuries.
  2. Beat your score: clean catches off the wall in 30 seconds · 2 min
    Soft hands. Write today’s number down.
  3. Keeper catches at every height from 5 to 9 yards (5 to 8 m) (3 × 90 s, 45 s rest) · 7.5 min
    Scoop, basket, W; thumbs and little fingers do not overlap.
  4. Keeper shuffle and set: shuffle, set, catch (wall baseball) (3 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 5 min
    Set before the shot every time.
  5. Keeper sidearm and overarm throws to a target (2 × 90 s, 45 s rest) · 5 min
    Long arm, step and follow through.
  6. Game: save streak, catch and set, how many in a row without a drop · 3 min
    Set your feet before every catch.
  7. Cool-down: walk and stretches, hold each about 20 seconds · 2 min
    Never stretch to pain. Note one thing you got better at.

Session 3

Goalkeeper session 3: Low side saves 34 minutes

  1. Warm-up: jog, shuffles, get down and up, arm circles and shoulder activation · 8 min
    Knees over toes on every landing. Warm-ups like this, done twice a week, prevent injuries.
  2. Beat your score: clean catches off the wall in 30 seconds · 2 min
    Soft hands. Write today’s number down.
  3. Keeper kneeling to low collapse saves on grass or a mat, up to 20 (3 × 60 s, 60 s rest) · 6.5 min
    Hands to the ball first, land on your side and hip.
  4. Keeper catches at every height from 5 to 9 yards (5 to 8 m) (3 × 90 s, 45 s rest) · 7.5 min
    Scoop, basket, W; thumbs and little fingers do not overlap.
  5. Keeper feet: two-footed wall passes and first touch (3 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 5 min
    Open your body; both feet.
  6. Game: save streak, catch and set, how many in a row without a drop · 3 min
    Set your feet before every catch.
  7. Cool-down: walk and stretches, hold each about 20 seconds · 2 min
    Never stretch to pain. Note one thing you got better at.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 soccer plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Keeper Shuffle and Set

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Move across the goal with side steps and get set before the catch.

  1. Place 2 cones 4 steps apart as your goal.
  2. Side-shuffle from one cone to the other without crossing your feet.
  3. At each cone get set in your ready stance; your partner tosses you a ball to catch.
  4. Do 10 trips across, then rest.

Coach's cue: Shuffle, set, then catch.

Bring: soccer ball, 2 cones, partner or parent

Safety: Practice falls on soft grass or a mat, start from your knees, and never dive at a player's feet without a coach.

Keeper Colour-Cue Reactions

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Your parent calls a colour; you shuffle to that cone, set, and catch the toss.

  1. Put 4 coloured cones in a half-circle 3 steps around you.
  2. Your parent calls a colour.
  3. Shuffle to it, set your feet, and catch the toss they send there.
  4. Do 2 sets of 6, then 2 sets of 8 with quicker calls.

Coach's cue: React, set, catch.

Bring: soft ball, 4 coloured cones, partner or parent

Safety: Use a soft ball or a tennis ball indoors. Thumbs and little fingers never overlap. The thrower never throws hard from close range. Stop if a finger or wrist hurts.

Keeper Kneeling Side Saves

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Learn to go down to the side safely, starting from your knees.

  1. Kneel on soft grass or a mat with your hands ready.
  2. Your partner rolls the ball a little to your side.
  3. Fall sideways onto your hip and shoulder, hands to the ball, and catch it.
  4. Do 8 each side, then try from a crouch.

Coach's cue: Hands first, land on your side, never your elbow.

Bring: soccer ball, partner, soft grass or mat

Safety: Practice falls on soft grass or a mat, start from your knees, and never dive at a player's feet without a coach.

Keeper W-Catch Wall Throws

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Practice the W hand shape for balls at head height, on your own against a wall.

  1. Stand 3 steps from a wall where nothing can break.
  2. Throw the ball softly at the wall above your head.
  3. Catch it with thumbs almost touching so your hands make a W behind the ball.
  4. Do 30 catches, then step back one step.

Coach's cue: Thumbs together, see the ball into your hands.

Bring: soft or light ball, a wall

Safety: Use a soft or light ball indoors, and keep clear of windows and anything that can break.

Keeper Overarm Throws

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Throw the ball long and accurately to start a quick attack.

  1. Set up a target zone of 4 cones about 15 steps away.
  2. Hold the ball in your throwing hand, step toward the target with the other foot.
  3. Swing your arm over the top like a bowler and release toward the zone.
  4. Do 12 throws, then move the target further away.

Coach's cue: Step, straight arm over the top, follow through.

Bring: soccer ball, 4 cones

Keeper Two-Footed Wall Passes

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Keepers use their feet more than their hands in a game. Pass and receive off a wall with both feet.

  1. Stand 3 to 5 steps from a wall.
  2. Pass with your right foot, stop the rebound, pass again.
  3. Then the same with your left foot.
  4. Do 2 sets of 10 with each foot. Older keepers take the first touch away to one side.

Coach's cue: Keepers use their feet the most. Both feet, every time.

Bring: soccer ball, wall

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: soccer

  • Shin guards under socks for every game and partner drill.
  • A ball the right size for age (size 3 for the youngest, size 4 from about 8, size 5 from about 12).
  • No heading the ball at age 10 and under (U.S. Soccer). Ages 11-13: light heading in practice only, with a coach.
  • No slide tackles in practice games; stay on your feet when you defend.
  • Goalkeepers learn to fall on soft ground first, starting from the knees.
  • A warm-up with balance, jumping and landing (like FIFA 11+ Kids) cuts injuries by about half.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 77 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Age, development and practice design (22)
Positions, scanning and technique (11)
Goalkeeping (10)
Safety, load and injury (26)
Motivation and parents (8)

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