After analyzing the development of a goalkeeper’s skills, the second part of the article describes soccer goalkeeper training, focusing on managing workload to optimize performance. The physical demands of the role, such as strength, endurance, and coordination abilities, are analyzed, with specific exercises and a balanced weekly microcycle proposed.
Load management
When designing a training session to develop or maintain a goalkeeper’s skills, the coach should include several components to effectively manage energy and maximise individual performance. This includes muscle activation phases, injury prevention strategies, recovery moments, and activities for developing conditional abilities. These elements must be distributed in a balanced way both within a single session and throughout the weekly microcycle, aiming to maintain a high level of performance without overloading the number one. In this way, goalkeepers will be prepared to face both training sessions and subsequent matches in the best physical condition.
The physical demands
To understand the training of conditional abilities, it is useful to observe how these manifest. When we watch a football match, we notice that goalkeepers perform short and intense activities, and the energy required to sustain such physical efforts derives from a combination of the aerobic and anaerobic alactic energy systems (Tessitore-Garofalo). For example, low-intensity movements, such as positioning away from the ball, are primarily supported by the aerobic system. In contrast, actions that require strength or must be performed quickly rely predominantly on the alactic metabolism (Figure 1).
Figure 1: The heart rate of the amateur football goalkeeper in the experimental thesis by Negro-Garofalo
Strength
Muscular strength plays a crucial role in the position, both in the lower and upper limbs, as it supports performance and injury prevention. For example, good strength allows for the execution of medium to long passes with greater distance and speed. However, frequent and intense execution of these kicks could lead to fatigue and increase the risk of injury (Figure 2). Similarly, in the upper limbs, strength is important to counteract the forces generated by opponents’ shots, which have now become much faster with increasingly unstable balls. Moreover, during high and low dives, impacts can be particularly intense, increasing the risk of injuries to the upper limbs. Consequently, incorporating specific strength training in the gym, for both the lower and upper limbs, can help prevent injuries, reduce the risk of recurrence, and improve overall performance thanks to the resulting physiological adaptations.
Endurance
For amateur goalkeepers, physical activity can be classified as “short endurance” as it involves efforts requiring a certain level of stamina but over relatively short periods of time.
During the game, maximum heart rate (HR max) varies significantly depending on the situation. On average, it is around 72%, but it can rise to 94.4% in “1vs1” situations or during high-intensity moments, such as “double saves”. Managing a back pass under opponent pressure can also increase heart rate. Additionally, a significant rise is observed even when not directly involved in intense actions, such as awaiting a shot or a cross during “set pieces” (82.7% HR max, Garofalo-Negro). It is likely that heart rate is influenced not only by physical intensity but also by emotional factors or the need to keep the body ready for action, similar to the start of car races, where the engine must be prepared to deliver power instantly.
Coordinative abilities
These abilities allow the transformation of sensory information into movements, which is crucial for developing various technical variants. These variants help integrate and improve basic technique, making the goalkeeper more versatile and precise in their movements. For instance, during high claims, spatial orientation enables goalkeepers to move correctly relative to opponents, teammates, and the ball, ensuring the necessary advantage to intercept the ball before others. In fact, poor orientation is often the cause of collisions with other players, while goalkeepers with greater spatial and temporal awareness can avoid them more easily. These skills can be developed indirectly through games or activities requiring movement adaptation, such as applied technique or situational training, or more specifically through targeted drills for each coordinative ability. Developing these abilities plays a fundamental role throughout the entire sporting career, regardless of the level or stage of growth.
Weekly microcycle
When organising the weekly schedule, the coach should aim to optimise results and maximise the individual performance of goalkeepers, taking into account the physical demands of the match, which, as mentioned, differ from those of other players. The weekly microcycle, the period between two matches or preparation for a specific game, should be carefully planned to manage energy levels, prepare goalkeepers technically, tactically, and mentally, while ensuring adequate recovery.
“In today’s football, there is much more physical strength, and for this reason, increasingly technical players are required. We carry out a lot of individual work. Physically, the workloads are based on what a player needs to work on.” (Antonio Pintus, Real Madrid. April ’24).
Therefore, the session should include a mix of intense, moderate, and recovery exercises to balance the different types of training (gym work, specific drills, and team sessions) to optimise performance and reduce the risk of fatigue. Rather than focusing on high-frequency physical exercises such as skips, jumps, and frantic saves, it may be more beneficial to design drills that replicate tactical movement patterns and technical gestures. By practising real match movements, which involve a wide range of muscles (legs, core, and arms), the goalkeeper indirectly develops physical fitness while directly improving the skills required during games.
For example, in technical diving training, the goalkeeper moderately combines cardiovascular and strength exercises while also developing cognitive skills such as attention. Movements like diving, saving, and getting back up increase heart rate and strengthen muscles, enhancing the physical aspect. Conversely, on the technical and mental side, when practising low-driven shots with irregular trajectories, the goalkeeper faces unpredictable variables such as speed, distance, and ball behaviour. This variability forces the goalkeeper to adapt the speed of the dive, integrating coordination skills such as differentiation with technique, thus improving the technical execution of the dive.
Let’s imagine a more intense situation where the goalkeeper must intervene on a header directed towards the far post (Figure 3). In this scenario, they take part in a situational drill that offers various benefits. From a technical-tactical perspective, they must quickly use their perceptive and cognitive skills to analyse the moment when the coach strikes the ball with the shield. They then need to determine the braking timing to correctly position their feet on the ground. Their coordination abilities optimise motor patterns (movements and technical gestures) to align with the trajectory and impact of the ball, generating complex and appropriate movements that allow them to brake and make the save quickly, deciding whether to deflect or catch the ball.
From a physical perspective, running, diving, and getting back up (especially in the case of short or inaccurate deflections that require intervention on a potential second ball) stimulates heart rate. This generates physiological adaptations that enable the goalkeeper to maintain high session intensity by improving fatigue resistance and recovery capacity. Consequently, they will be able to sustain high-intensity drills for longer periods and recover more quickly after prolonged efforts.
Figure 4: Values in seconds. The data show the comparison of player performance over 5 metres in two seasons (2021-2022 and 2020-2021) through two tests for each year. The goalkeeper, Tvardovskiy, demonstrated a significant improvement in the 2021-2022 season compared to the previous season in reaction times and acceleration over short distances.
Further adaptations also occur due to rapid movements. Shifts, braking, and saves, performed at high intensity and within time frames similar to those of a match, activate different types of muscle contractions, training the neuromuscular system and thus improving the ability of the involved muscles to execute quick movements (Figure 4). Additionally, the fact that the goalkeeper frequently comes into contact with the ball (as in dive training) and with an opponent (such as saves at the far post), but in a controlled environment, helps to establish a direct link between the technical skills learned and their application in real game situations, enhancing the effectiveness of their performance with teammates.