The top hand save is one of the most spectacular saves a goalkeeper can make and all goalkeepers will want to execute a save for the cameras! Usually used to gain extra reach or intercept the arc of the ball as it travels into the top corner. However it is not as complex as it looks and can be broken down into simpler steps for goalkeepers to understand.
How will this benefit a coach and their players?
The goalkeeper will be able to make saves into the corners and it allows the coach to break down the technique to then build up to making difficult saves high in the corner.
What key skills will be worked on in this session?
The step into the dive and attacking the arc of the ball. Also getting the hands to the height of the ball without flapping or risk missing the ball. Once the GK is used to bringing the hand from the opposite side the technique should be relatively straight forward. It is important that the goalkeeper has the knowledge on how to land a dive from height safely.
Which exercise is particularly key to this session?
The goalkeepers will really enjoy the final drill as they will get plenty of shots and it also allows the coach to see if the goalkeeper uses the top hand when appropriate.
in more ways than one
in more ways than one
Roughly a fifth of Premier League goals come from set pieces, and the gap between teams who plan their routines and teams who do not has never been wider. Here is how the modern set-piece specialists design attacking corners, free kicks, and throw-ins - and how you can apply their ideas at any level.
The next frontier in football coaching is not physical, it is mental. Cognitive load training - the deliberate use of perception, decision-making and dual-task demands inside football drills - is reshaping how the best academies develop players. Here is what it means and how to use it.
If the last decade taught us about pressing, this one is teaching us about what stands behind it. Rest defence is the shape your team holds while attacking, and it is the difference between dominating a game and getting picked off on the counter.