Home Workout
One step to becoming a better goalkeeper is to put in work off the field. Not only will these at home workouts help you to become stronger for in game movements, but they will also strengthen yourself to help prevent injuries. Use the resource below to learn new exercises, click here to access the printable/ downloadable learning resource, or click here to access the printable/ downloadable Workout Schedule (not shown below).
Sit Ups
Same as a crunch or any standard sit up. Make sure your lower back is supported.
Left Sit Ups
Lean your knees off to your left side. Pull your upper body forward, thinking of your chin going directly toward the top of your right hip. Concentrate on curling up, using your right side abdominal muscles. Be sure to keep chin close to chest; do not move your head up and down during the exercise.
Right Sit Ups
Same as the left sit ups, but the body is turned to the right side.
Calf Hops
Hop on one foot ten times. After the tenth time, remain standing on that same foot. Slowly bend your knee as far as you can while reaching over to hold the palms of your hands slightly above the ground (About an inch or two). Count to ten seconds and that would be one set. Repeat hopping on the other foot. When you have worked your way up to two sets, it is important to not stop or rest between sets. Doing two sets would be hopping ten times then bending over and hovering for ten seconds then immediately going back to hopping for another ten. If you wish more of a challenge after a month or two of doing these, try hopping higher instead of adding any more than three sets.
Kneeling Rolls
Start from a position on your knees while in a posture of a normal goalkeepers stance with hands up. Roll to one side as if taking a normal shot and then try to recover back to the position in which you started. The goal is to try to use correct technique and not using your hands to get back up. You can do this while holding a ball or simply by keeping your hands in front of you.
Back Drops
In the normal ready position with hands out in front of you, have someone toss the ball on your back so you will quickly have to reach your hands around your back to grab the ball before it hits the ground.
Leg Drops
Sit down with your legs straight out in front of you elevated and spread in a V form off the ground. Hold a ball over and above your legs and then drop it between your spread legs. Try to catch the ball before it hits the ground by quickly moving your hands underneath your legs. Then toss the ball back up through your legs and catch it by quickly moving your hands back above your legs.
Overhead Drops
Sit down with your legs out in front of you in a V formation. Put your palms face down slightly above your kneecaps. Have someone stand behind you with a soccer ball. The person behind you holds the ball above your head so you are unable to see it. They then drop the ball between your legs so you will have to catch it before it hits the ground.
2-Legged Jumps
Very simply hop forward then back backwards then forward twice (Forwards, backwards, forward, forward). Doing this twice in a row equals one set.
1 Legged Jumps
Same as two legged jumps, but done on one leg. Do this using both right and left foot.
Standing Rolls
Do this the same as a sitting roll, but it is done from a standing ready position.
Push Ups
A normal push up, just make sure that you keep your body straight and don’t arch your back.
Hands on Ball
Same as a push up, but you have your hands on a soccer ball (This will be much more difficult).
Ground and Ball
This is a push up where one hand is on a ball and the other is on the ground. When you push yourself up, switch the hand on the ball to being the hand on the ground and switch the hand on the ground to the ball.
Ball Balance
While in a push up position, have someone roll you a ball so it goes between your arms. Push yourself up so you balance both hands upon the ball while staying in a push up position.
Same as a crunch or any standard sit up. Make sure your lower back is supported.
Left Sit Ups
Lean your knees off to your left side. Pull your upper body forward, thinking of your chin going directly toward the top of your right hip. Concentrate on curling up, using your right side abdominal muscles. Be sure to keep chin close to chest; do not move your head up and down during the exercise.
Right Sit Ups
Same as the left sit ups, but the body is turned to the right side.
Calf Hops
Hop on one foot ten times. After the tenth time, remain standing on that same foot. Slowly bend your knee as far as you can while reaching over to hold the palms of your hands slightly above the ground (About an inch or two). Count to ten seconds and that would be one set. Repeat hopping on the other foot. When you have worked your way up to two sets, it is important to not stop or rest between sets. Doing two sets would be hopping ten times then bending over and hovering for ten seconds then immediately going back to hopping for another ten. If you wish more of a challenge after a month or two of doing these, try hopping higher instead of adding any more than three sets.
Kneeling Rolls
Start from a position on your knees while in a posture of a normal goalkeepers stance with hands up. Roll to one side as if taking a normal shot and then try to recover back to the position in which you started. The goal is to try to use correct technique and not using your hands to get back up. You can do this while holding a ball or simply by keeping your hands in front of you.
Back Drops
In the normal ready position with hands out in front of you, have someone toss the ball on your back so you will quickly have to reach your hands around your back to grab the ball before it hits the ground.
Leg Drops
Sit down with your legs straight out in front of you elevated and spread in a V form off the ground. Hold a ball over and above your legs and then drop it between your spread legs. Try to catch the ball before it hits the ground by quickly moving your hands underneath your legs. Then toss the ball back up through your legs and catch it by quickly moving your hands back above your legs.
Overhead Drops
Sit down with your legs out in front of you in a V formation. Put your palms face down slightly above your kneecaps. Have someone stand behind you with a soccer ball. The person behind you holds the ball above your head so you are unable to see it. They then drop the ball between your legs so you will have to catch it before it hits the ground.
2-Legged Jumps
Very simply hop forward then back backwards then forward twice (Forwards, backwards, forward, forward). Doing this twice in a row equals one set.
1 Legged Jumps
Same as two legged jumps, but done on one leg. Do this using both right and left foot.
Standing Rolls
Do this the same as a sitting roll, but it is done from a standing ready position.
Push Ups
A normal push up, just make sure that you keep your body straight and don’t arch your back.
Hands on Ball
Same as a push up, but you have your hands on a soccer ball (This will be much more difficult).
Ground and Ball
This is a push up where one hand is on a ball and the other is on the ground. When you push yourself up, switch the hand on the ball to being the hand on the ground and switch the hand on the ground to the ball.
Ball Balance
While in a push up position, have someone roll you a ball so it goes between your arms. Push yourself up so you balance both hands upon the ball while staying in a push up position.
