Hand Strength

• Squeeze Tennis Ball- Anytime that you are watching TV or reading a book, squeeze tennis balls for about ten minutes/day.  This exercise will help to increase the strength in your hand and fingers; making it much easier to hold onto more powerful shots.
• Fingertip Push-ups- Try to do push-ups everyday.  Not only will this help to increase your upper body strength, but if you vary the technique occasionally by doing the push-ups on your finger-tips, you will increase hand and finger strength as well.
• Medicine ball – If you have access to a medicine ball (a much heavier ball), try to find someone to toss it back and forth with you for about 10-15 minutes per day. This will drastically increase your hand strength and make a soccer ball seem very light and easier to catch and throw.

 

• Jump Rope – Jump rope 15-20 minutes per day. This exercise will help to make you lighter on your toes and your footwork much quicker. Try to build your way up to where you are able to jump rope for the whole twenty minutes without stopping or making a mistake. Not only is jumping rope great for your footwork, but it will also help to improve your coordination, reflexes and jumping ability.
• 5 Dot Drill – Do this drill 2-3 times per week. The 5 dot consists of six different exercises with five repetitions of each exercise non-stop. Your goal should be to be able to complete the 30 repetitions in 70 seconds. You must touch every cone on every repetition. If you fail to touch a cone at any time the repetition does not count!

 
*      *             -   Set up the cones like this diagram. The front cones should
    *                     be approximately one yard apart with the middle cone one
*      *                 yard forward and the back cones one yard beyond the
                          middle cone.

The repetitions should go as follows:
1) Hop-Scotch – Start by hopping to the first set of cones with the left leg on the front left cone and the right leg at the front right cone. Hop forward bringing both legs together to hit the middle cone. Then hop to the back cones bringing your left leg to the back left cone and the right leg to the back right cone. Then hop backwards to the middle cone again bringing both legs together. Then hop backwards again bringing your legs apart to hit the beginning left cone with the left foot and the beginning right cone with the right foot. Now you are back at the start. Repeat this exercise six times then quickly go into exercise 2.

2) Both feet together – This exercise you will have both feet together at all times. Start at the front left cone. Hop to the right cone, then the middle, then the top left cone, then the top right cone. Now going backwards, retrace the cones as you hit them on the way forward. Remember not to miss any cones. Repeat this exercise six times then quickly move into exercise 3.

3) Left foot only – This exercise is the same pattern as step 2 except you are only able to use your left foot. Repeat this exercise six times then quickly move into exercise 4.

4) Right foot only – This exercise is the same pattern as step 2 and 3 except now you are only able to use your right foot. After six repetitions quickly move into the last exercise.

5) Hop Scotch with a turn around – This exercise is exactly the same as exercise 1 except for when you get to the end do an extra hop with a 180? turn. This will keep you going forward at all times. This is the only exercise that you will never go backwards. Remember though that you do not do the 180 from the middle cone. Hop to the end, then do the extra hop with the turn from the end. You must do six repetitions of this exercise as well.

Note: The key to getting the 30 repetitions done in 70 seconds will depend on you eliminating the stutter steps. Hop quickly from one cone to the next and think ahead so you are ready to switch from one exercise to the next without any hesitation.

• Plyometrics – There are over a hundred different plyometrics that can be done numerous different ways. I am sure all of you have done one kind or another. These are extremely good for helping to increase vertical jump, footwork, as well as balance and coordination. Begin by working on the plyometrics that you already know and I will be forming a list of the ones that I feel are best suitable for you as a goalkeeper.
• Bleachers – This can be done at a local area high school or college stadium on their bleachers or stairs. Be sure that the stairs are stable before you begin. The five best exercises are as follows:

        b) Hop with both feet together without missing a step. Eliminate the
        double steps on one stair. Hop directly from one step to the next then jog
        back down once you reach the top. Repeat this exercise twice. If the
        stairway is short try three or four reps.

        c) Left foot only. Same exercise as B, except only hop on your left foot.
        Always jog back down. Repeat this exercise twice. Again eliminate the
        double steps per stair.

        d) Right foot only. Same as C, except only use the right foot.

        e) Hop with both feet together skipping every other step. This one is
        much more difficult, but as you leg strength increases you should be able
        to do it successfully without any stutter steps.

• Squats – This can be done in a local area or high school gym. If you have never lifted weights before, be sure to get some guidance/assistance by the gym staff.  Make sure to always have a spotter and start with a reasonable amount of weight and work your way up. This is a very good exercise for your jumping strength, but can be dangerous if you or someone else doesn’t know what you are doing.

•  Stretching – Stretching is very important for any athlete especially a goalkeeper. The more flexible that you are the easier it will be for you to be able to get up and down off the ground and in and out of tight spaces. It will also help you reach balls that you may never have thought you would have be able to get to, to make the save. Start each day when you get up by having a five to ten minute stretch. Also end each day with a five to ten minute stretch before you go to bed. Most important however is to get a good 20-30 minute stretch before and after every workout. This may seem like a lot of stretching, but it will enhance your flexibility dramatically and also reduce the chance of injury significantly, in turn maintaining your spot as the starting keeper.

• Stand on tennis balls – This may seem awkward at first, but with the same tennis balls that you use to build up your hand strength, you can use to help you balance. Try to balance on a couple of tennis balls for ten minutes a day. Don’t do this on your carpet because it will make it too easy. Try this on a sidewalk or a driveway for the best results. It may be difficult at first, but build your balance up so that you can maintain on the tennis balls for the full ten minutes. Balance is also a very important aspect of goalkeeping.

• 6 X 120'S 45 SEC REST
• 4 X 240'S (40YD SECT) 45 SEC REST
• 5 X 60'S 40 SEC REST
• 5 X 40'S 30 SEC REST
• 6 X 20'S 45 SEC REST
• 2 MINUTE REST BETWEEN SETS

• (3 DAYS/WEEK) COVER LOW/MED/HIGH DIVING, CATCHING-HIGH AND LOW BALLS, DISTRIBUTION, DEFLECTING

Monday (2 hrs)
1) Stretch in the morning (5-10 min.)
2) Stretch before workout (20-30 min)
3) Jog one slow mile for overall conditioning and to get you loose (9 min)
4) Jump rope (20 min)
5) Do the balance drill (10min)
6) 5 Dot Exercise
7) Run bleachers (all sets as stated above)
8) Toss the medicine ball (10 min)
9) Do sit-ups/crunchies (3 sets at 40 repetitions)
10)Coerver Fast Footwork Drills w/ ball (10 min)
11) Cool down jog
12) Stretch down (15-20 min)

Tuesday (2hrs)
1) Stretch in the morning (5-10 min)
2) Stretch before workout (20-30 min)
3) Slow jog one mile
4) Jump rope (20 min)
5) Squats – Only if you have help (3-4 sets at 8 repetitions)
6) Plyometrics (20-30 min)
7) Sprint Training
8) Balance drill
9) Squeeze tennis balls (10-15 min)
10) Cool down jog
11) Stretch (15-20 min)

Wednesday (1-1.5 hrs)
1) Stretch in the morning (5-10 min)
2) Stretch before workout (20-30 min)
3) Nice easy 2 mile jog (20 min)
4) Jump rope (20 min)
5) Do the fingertip push-ups (3 sets at 10 repetitions)
6) Sit-ups/Crunches (3 sets at 45 reps.)
7) Good stretch (30 min)

Thursday
1) Repeat Monday

Friday
1) Repeat Tuesday

Saturday
1) Repeat Wednesday

Sunday – Cool down day, but be sure to stretch morning and night as well as doing something active. Ex. Go for a walk or slow jog just to keep the muscles loose. Swimming could be another good example. This is also a good day to squeeze tennis balls and work on the balance drill in your free time.

Start over again Monday at the beginning of schedule.

Note: The suggested weekly routine focuses on increasing the physical aspects of goalkeeping. Keep in mind that you also need to work on the individual technical aspects of goalkeeping that I have labeled in the top section. This may be done at a team practice or with a partner in your spare time.