“The goalkeeper is the lone eagle, the man of mystery, the last defender.  Less the keeper of the goal than the keeper of the dream” – Vladimir Nabokov

Do your team mates appreciate just how important you are?

Part of a very special group of players, you’re a match-winner in your own right.  Brave, strong and powerful, you never hide away from your responsibility.

You are the goalkeeper.

But with this role comes a very specific set of demands.

You watch your outfield team mates huffing and puffing their way up and down the pitch like marathon runners.  You’re different.  You’re more like an Olympic sprinter or gymnast, exploding into action and twisting your body into ways only a circus contortionist would be comfortable with.

You need very specific goalkeeper training.

So while everyone else is working their way through my Futsal Performance Workout plan, I have something very special for you.

Why Would a Goalkeeper Need to Train?

But why bother training?

Given you’re restricted to you penalty area, you’re not exactly going far are you?  You don’t have to run up and down the pitch, supporting attacks or last-ditch defending.  You just have to stand there, occasionally throwing yourself in front of shots.

Sure, but then anyone can do that.

You want to be the best.  And the best goalkeepers have supreme athletic ability.

Goalkeeping is one of the most physically and mentally demanding positions in the sport.  You need to have strength, agility and explosiveness, built on a solid foundation of fitness.

When fitness is lacking, you’re going to make mistakes, physically and mentally.

In the final minutes of a match, when the opposition striker is bearing down on your goal and your defenders have let you down (again), you better hope you still have the energy and mental focus to pull off that save.

How Should a Goalkeeper Train?

But any old training won’t do.

An outfield player will base their endurance on aerobic respiration.

You, however, work in an anaerobic state.  Your body will operate in short, sharp bursts, using your fast-twitch muscles to pull off saves before your mind has even given it permission to move.

And this means that you need to have your very own goalkeeper training plan.  One which focuses on power and speed over endurance.  One that will pump your fast-twitch muscles, iron-clad your core and laser-sharpen your reflexes.

You need the free Futsal Football Coach Elite Goalkeeper Performance Plan.

The Elite Goalkeeper Training Performance Plan

Over the past few weeks, I have been working hard to design a goalkeeper training plan specifically for you.

The plan is made up of a mix of strength, agility and plyometric training and reflects the type of training undertaken by goalkeepers at some of the top clubs across Europe.

It is made up of three 45-60 minute training sessions per week, for a total of 6 weeks, including a video to demonstrate how to perform each exercise –

I would have loved to publish the plan right here in this post, but it’s very detailed and contains a lot of information.  So, I have created a .pdf version, which will make it easier to print and take it to the gym with you.  To get a copy just enter your name and email address and I’ll send you it right away.

Just remember:

  • Before you start the plan, take your body measurements and record these as you progress through the sessions (see the section titled ‘That Which Gets Measured Gets Improved’ in my free Player Performance Workout Guide).
  • Respect the rest days!
  • Warm-up before a session
  • Stretch after a session

Now it’s time to get started!

Summary

It’s a Monday night.

You’ve managed to get away from the office, down to your local futsal centre and you’re now into the final minutes of your game.

Your team are leading by one goal, through superior attacking skills, sheer determination and with a little bit of help from their star goalkeeper (that’s you, by the way).

But the opposition have the ball, and thanks to your exhausted team mates, they’ve broken free and are bearing down on you.

You hear the thunder of their approach (or is that the sound of your heart thudding in your chest?)

You steady yourself, approach the edge of your box to narrow the angle.

The opposition player picks out the spot he’s aiming for as he pulls his leg back to hit the shot.  He strikes the ball with all the venom and fury of an overweight has-been who still thinks he can someday ‘make it’.

Before you’re even aware of it, your body is on the case.  You spring, reaching to parry the ball away from goal.

Your smelly old gloves make contact and you land hard on the deck.

Did it go in?

Well that depends – how hard did you train?

Enter your name and email address below and download the free Elite Goalkeeper Performance Plan now.