Penalty Saving

◆Why this drill works

Penalty saving is more about psychological preparation than technique. The GK who dives late based on body language saves more penalties than the GK with perfect technique who dives too early. This drill builds the habit: watch the plant foot, commit late, dive through the ball. Keepers who guess early — diving on the run-up rather than the strike — save fewer penalties over a season even though the occasional early guess pays off spectacularly, because a confident taker will simply place the ball the other way. Building a tendency chart over repeated reps also teaches the keeper that most takers have habits worth tracking, which turns penalty saving from a pure reaction test into something they can prepare for with real information.

◇Variations and progressions

• Disguised run-up — takers are coached to vary their run-up pace and plant-foot angle deliberately, testing whether the keeper's late-commit habit holds up against deception.
• Fatigue penalties — GK does 30 seconds of shuttle sprints immediately before each set of penalties, replicating the tired legs of a shootout after extra time.
• Rebound follow-up — after a save, a second attacker is live to pounce on any spilled ball, rewarding a clean catch or firm parry over a weak push into danger.
• Sudden-death format — run the competition phase as a true sudden-death shootout once the tendency-tracking work is done, adding the pressure of a single mistake ending the round.

▦The drill in three phases

▶How to run it

1. GK faces 5 regular penalty-takers. 10 penalties each.
2. Coach instructs GK: watch the plant foot direction. Note which side each taker tends to favour.
3. GK practises committing at last possible moment — dives when foot makes contact, not during run-up.
4. Track: note direction of each penalty and where GK dove. Build a tendency chart.
5. Competition: taker vs GK. 3 penalties each. Taker wins if they score 2+.

✓Equipment checklist

• Balls8Buy →
• Cones6Buy →

✦Coaching points