Academy Arena Drill Detail

GK Practice – Dealing with Crosses

Yellow team attack goal A, blue team attack goal B. The yellow server delivers a cross into ‘no man’s land’ – the space between the yellow and blue GKs. The yellow GK tries to punch the ball into goal A – or, if they can catch it, they may place it on the floor and have a point-blank shot.
The blue GK tries to either punch the ball clear or catch it and distribute to his teammate – the blues can then score into goal B.
Once the yellow server has delivered the cross, they become an active player.
Play until there is a goal or the ball is dead.
This practice is very good for working on taking contact as a GK – it is very physical!
Progressions:
To make it easier for the blue team, limit the yellow to acting as outfield players only (they cannot use their hands and punch the ball in)
To make it easier for the yellow team and introduce more shot stopping, ask the red server to throw to their teammate – blue players must react appropriately with blocking saves
Experiment with conditioning the players on when they can use their hands – all the time or never after the cross is taken
Ask the blue player to act as a defender and work with the blue GK – opportunity to practice communication / defender as a barrier to body contact

Academy Arena
Dealing With Crosses