Gloves Up
All drills

Piggy In The Middle

Games, Crosses, Handling. About 7 minutes.

Keepers tonight
KKeeper working SServer or team-mate AAttacker KWaiting
Catching a cross
  1. Open stance. Watch the ball leave the foot.
  2. Move late and fast, and shout "Keeper's!"
  3. Take off from one leg and drive the other knee up.
  4. Catch it at the top of your jump, arms straight.
  5. Bring it down into your chest.
How it is set up

Setup. Two throwers 12 to 15 metres apart with a 5 metre channel between them. One keeper in the channel.

How it runs. The throwers lob the ball to each other over the keeper in the middle. The ball has to be catchable: no higher than the middle keeper could reach with a good jump, and it must land inside the far thrower's area. The middle keeper comes off one leg and takes it at the top. Catch it and you swap with whoever threw it. A thrower who drops a catch goes in the middle too.

Coaching points

  1. Read it early, move late. Watch it out of the hand, then go for it in one movement.
  2. One-legged take-off with the knee up, and catch with straight arms above your head.
  3. Shout "Keeper's!" every time you go for one.
  4. Throwers: this is your practice too. Catch every return cleanly, in a W.

Make it harder. Throwers may volley it from their hands. Then two keepers in the middle compete for the same ball.

With 4 keepers. Two channels: one with a middle keeper, one pair just throwing and catching, then rotate.