One-on-One with the Keeper: Choosing How to Finish

The attacker dribbles at the goalkeeper with a defender chasing and must choose between three finishes: a shot across the keeper, rounding the keeper or a soft chip. The aim is to read the keeper's movement and the defender's pressure to make the right call quickly.

How to play

1. Explain the three finishes and the cue for each: keeper stays deep, shoot across; keeper rushes out, round the keeper; keeper dives down early, chip softly (3 min).
2. No defender: start from 25 m and the goalkeeper picks how to come out from a secret card (5 min).
3. With a defender starting 3 m behind the attacker, who must finish before being caught (6 min).
4. Pairs competition: each goal is one point, two if the keeper and an observer agree the decision was right (4 min).
5. Group discussion of the cue each student read before deciding (2 min).

Rules

• The goalkeeper comes out hands first and never dives head first at feet.
• The defender cannot tackle from behind: only win the position from the side.
• If the keeper reaches the ball first, the play ends with no challenge.
• Waiting lines stand 10 m away from the running lane.

Variations

Adaptations

• Hearing impairment: the start is signaled with an arm gesture instead of the whistle.
• Minor wrist injury: does not play goalkeeper and acts as decision observer.
• Overweight: start from 15 m with no chasing defender.

Learning goals

• Read the goalkeeper's action to choose the finish.
• Execute accurately under time pressure.
• Assess one's own and others' decisions with shared criteria.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 12
• balls: 12
• goals: 2
• pinnies: 4

Teacher tip

Stress lifting the head two or three times during the dribble; many misses come from deciding before looking at the keeper.

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