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At-home soccer drills for 14 year olds and older: goalkeeper

This is a free sample week of at-home soccer training for 14 year olds and older, for a goalkeeper: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 35.5 to 41.5 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: about 45 minutes (60 at most), 3 to 4 times a week, with rest days.

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 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Goalkeeper session 1: Cross-step and catch 39 minutes

  1. Warm-up: shoulder activation, wrist and finger prep, shuffles, get down and up, plank series · 10 min
    Build from easy to fast. Quality landings: knees over toes, quiet feet.
  2. Beat your score: wall catches at different heights in 45 seconds · 2 min
    Sharp and clean. Your own best is the only target.
  3. Keeper shuffle, cross-step and set: 6 to 8 s efforts, long rest (6 × 8 s, 30 s rest) · 4.5 min
    Explosive, then fully set.
  4. Keeper strength: short-lever Copenhagen, single-leg squats, wrist and finger work (3 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 5 min
    Controlled reps. Stop if anything hurts.
  5. Keeper dives: collapse, then step-and-save, then modest extension on grass or a mat (max 30, no more than 8 in a row) (4 × 60 s, 90 s rest) · 10.5 min
    Hands lead, land on your side. Stop when landings get sloppy. None the day before a match.
  6. Game: catch, then pass out with your feet to a target, score your round · 4 min
    Game speed: save, scan, distribute.
  7. Cool-down: walk, then hip, hamstring and calf stretches · 3 min
    Slow breathing, gentle holds. Drink water.

Session 2

Goalkeeper session 2: Reaction catches 35.5 minutes

  1. Warm-up: shoulder activation, wrist and finger prep, shuffles, get down and up, plank series · 10 min
    Build from easy to fast. Quality landings: knees over toes, quiet feet.
  2. Beat your score: wall catches at different heights in 45 seconds · 2 min
    Sharp and clean. Your own best is the only target.
  3. Keeper reaction-ball and tennis-ball catches, two-ball drops (3 × 60 s, 45 s rest) · 6 min
    Soft hands, eyes on the ball.
  4. Keeper shuffle, cross-step and set: 6 to 8 s efforts, long rest (6 × 8 s, 30 s rest) · 4.5 min
    Explosive, then fully set.
  5. Keeper passing out with the feet under a time cue (3 × 60 s, 45 s rest) · 6 min
    Scan, first touch out of your feet, pass.
  6. Game: catch, then pass out with your feet to a target, score your round · 4 min
    Game speed: save, scan, distribute.
  7. Cool-down: walk, then hip, hamstring and calf stretches · 3 min
    Slow breathing, gentle holds. Drink water.

Session 3

Goalkeeper session 3: Low dives 41.5 minutes

  1. Warm-up: shoulder activation, wrist and finger prep, shuffles, get down and up, plank series · 10 min
    Build from easy to fast. Quality landings: knees over toes, quiet feet.
  2. Beat your score: wall catches at different heights in 45 seconds · 2 min
    Sharp and clean. Your own best is the only target.
  3. Keeper dives: collapse, then step-and-save, then modest extension on grass or a mat (max 30, no more than 8 in a row) (4 × 60 s, 90 s rest) · 10.5 min
    Hands lead, land on your side. Stop when landings get sloppy. None the day before a match.
  4. Keeper reaction-ball and tennis-ball catches, two-ball drops (3 × 60 s, 45 s rest) · 6 min
    Soft hands, eyes on the ball.
  5. Keeper angle work: set position at 5 cone spots (3 × 60 s, 45 s rest) · 6 min
    Ball, you and the middle of the goal in one line.
  6. Game: catch, then pass out with your feet to a target, score your round · 4 min
    Game speed: save, scan, distribute.
  7. Cool-down: walk, then hip, hamstring and calf stretches · 3 min
    Slow breathing, gentle holds. Drink water.

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 Cross-Step and Catch

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Cover more of the goal quickly with a cross-over step to reach wide high balls.

  1. Stand between 2 cones set 6 steps apart.
  2. Your partner tosses a high ball toward one cone.
  3. Turn your hips, cross one leg over the other, and catch the ball at its highest point.
  4. Do 8 each side, then rest.

Coach's cue: Hips turn first, then cross and reach.

Bring: soccer ball, 2 cones, partner

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

Side Plank Series

Ages 11 and up · 8 min

Side planks build the hips and inner thigh used for changing direction and striking.

  1. Hold a side plank on your forearm for 20 seconds each side.
  2. Then rest your top foot on a low bench and hold 15 seconds each side.
  3. Rest 30 seconds.
  4. Do 3 rounds and record your total hold time.

Coach's cue: Hips high, body straight.

Bring: mat, bench or low sofa

Safety: Stop if your groin or shoulder hurts. Short holds with good form beat long shaky ones.

Keeper Low Dive Progression

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Build up to a full low dive, step by step, on soft ground.

  1. Start from your knees and fall to the side to catch a rolled ball.
  2. Move to a squat start, then a standing start a step away from the ball.
  3. Push off the foot nearest the ball, land on your side with hands to the ball.
  4. Do 6 each side at each stage; stop if anything hurts.

Coach's cue: Push off the near foot, hands lead, land on your side.

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 Reaction-Ball Catches

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Fast hands: catch odd bounces off a wall with a reaction ball or a tennis ball.

  1. Stand 3 steps from a wall in your set position.
  2. Throw the ball against the wall so it bounces back.
  3. Catch it with soft hands, behind the ball.
  4. Do 3 sets of 8, then add two-ball drops.

Coach's cue: Soft hands, eyes on the ball.

Bring: reaction ball or tennis ball, wall

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 Passing Out Under a Time Cue

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Receive a back-pass, scan, take your first touch out of your feet, and pass out before your parent counts to 3.

  1. Set 2 target gates out wide, 12 to 20 steps away.
  2. Your parent passes to you as a back-pass and starts counting.
  3. Scan, touch out of your feet, and pass through a gate before “3”.
  4. Do 3 sets of 6, using both feet.

Coach's cue: Scan, touch, pass.

Bring: soccer ball, wall, 4 cones, partner or parent

Keeper Angles Game

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Learn where a keeper stands: on the line between the ball and the middle of the goal.

  1. Make a goal with 2 cones and put a third cone in the middle of it.
  2. Your partner places the ball in different spots in front of the goal.
  3. Each time, move so you are on the line from the ball to the middle cone, a couple of steps off your line.
  4. Do 15 spots; your partner checks your position each time.

Coach's cue: Ball, you, middle of the goal in one line.

Bring: soccer ball, 4 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.

Safety for ages 14 and up

  • Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced 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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