Soccer Goalkeeper Training for Young Keepers

Soccer goalkeeper training should cover four areas: handling, positioning, receiving and passing, following the keeper’s coach’s guidance. Make these activities part of their wider soccer training, with a clear purpose for each exercise. This guide explains how to organise each activity and where striking practice fits, even if you have never played soccer. For girls and boys learning the position, I would keep the purpose clear enough that they can explain what they are practising before they begin. The parent’s starting point is a familiar instruction from the coach.

What Should A Young Goalkeeper Practise First?

Start with a familiar activity that lets your keeper concentrate on the ball and their starting position. Ask their coach which handling exercise to repeat, then use that instruction as your starting point at home. For the striking part of their programme, The Giro X’s Curl Master One works with a standard ball and offers six speed settings. I would give it a defined place alongside goalkeeper practice, with its focus on contact and spin control clearly explained to your child.

For handling practice, agree where your child should stand and where you will send the ball before beginning. Use the delivery their coach has asked them to practise, keeping the activity predictable while they work through the instruction. After each attempt, let them return to their starting position without rushing the next ball. Ask what they were concentrating on, then offer a simple observation about the chosen handling instruction. Keep changes connected to the coach’s guidance so your child has a familiar reference point.

How Can Parents Organise Positioning Practice?

Organise positioning practice around a visible ball and a clear target, using the starting position their coach recommends. Mark out a goal area appropriate to the activity, then stand with the ball where your child can see you. Before any delivery, ask them to show where they would begin. You can also walk through the exercise without sending the ball, giving them time to consider their position. I prefer this approach when a parent is learning the vocabulary alongside their child.

Once the starting position feels familiar, ask the coach which change to introduce next. The change might involve moving the ball to a different place before your child sets themselves again. Keep the question concrete: where is the ball, and where has the coach asked you to stand? You are giving your child an opportunity to rehearse an instruction they recognise. Bring questions about positioning from home practice back to the coach, so the next activity follows the same guidance.

What Does Useful Handling Practice Look Like?

Useful handling practice has a clear task and enough space between attempts for the keeper to reset. Agree on the delivery beforehand, then ask your child to use the technique their coach has shown them. Keep your feedback tied to the chosen task rather than commenting on every movement. If the instruction was to watch the ball into their hands, keep your observation about watching the ball. I would let the child describe the attempt first, then decide together whether to repeat it.

Repeat the handling exercise with any change explained before the ball moves. You might return to the original starting position or ask the coach how to adjust the delivery. Keep the agreed delivery consistent with the exercise your child recognises. My preference is for a parent and child to know what they are working on throughout handling practice. Finish the activity by asking which handling instruction your child wants to remember for their next coached session, and keep that wording familiar.

How Should Young Keepers Practise With Their Feet?

Begin work with the ball at their feet through a receiving and passing activity. Set an agreed target and ask your child to control a pass before returning it. Let them reset between attempts, then introduce the receiving position their coach wants them to use. Our Soccer Passing Drills offer related activities for this part of practice. Choose an exercise that matches the current instruction, with a clear receiving task and an agreed place to send the return pass.

For striking practice, Curl Master One provides a separate activity focused on contact and spin control. I would discuss its place in your keeper’s programme with their coach, keeping the aim specific to the contact detail being practised. Keep receiving and passing activities on the programme alongside work with the device. Before beginning the striking activity, ask your child to describe the focus in their own words, so the purpose remains clear from the outset.

How Does Curl Master One Fit Between Coaching Sessions?

Curl Master One fits as a dedicated striking activity between coached sessions, with a purpose you can explain before switching it on. Its six speed settings let younger players start at the top speed and turn it down as their technique develops. For a parent who never played soccer, I think having a defined contact activity makes planning more approachable. Connect the striking practice to the contact work your child is learning, and let their coach guide its place in the wider programme.

Curl Master One At A Glance

Curl Master One works with a standard ball and has six speed settings. It is intended for players from around age eight through to adults, with younger players starting at the top speed and turning it down as their technique develops. Players aged eight to twelve should train with an adult nearby. There is no app and no subscription to organise.

My recommendation is to get Curl Master One for the striking part of your young keeper’s practice and use it alongside their coach’s instruction. I would give the device a defined place in the programme while continuing the handling and positioning activities agreed with the coach. Before the next practice, ask your child’s coach which contact detail to focus on, then use that instruction to organise their time with Curl Master One.

Choose Curl Master One

Bring Curl Master One into your young keeper’s soccer striking practice alongside their coach’s instruction.

Buy Now