Goalkeepers should command their penalty area

When the ball is played into the penalty area, your whole team usually breathes a huge sigh of relief when it ends up in the goalkeeper's hands. Having a commanding goalkeeper will make a huge difference to the number of goals your team concedes.

Your goalkeeper must be agile and aware of everything around them so they can judge the right time to move to the ball and claim it as their own. I use drills that stretch my goalkeeper and encourage them to move around the penalty area.

Start this drill by setting up a few balls slightly to one side of the goal, about eight yards away. Or you can place them on the edge of the penalty area, depending on the age of your players. Get your goalkeeper to stand on their goal line and throw balls at them.

1. Throw a high ball to their right.

2. Throw a ball into their midriff.

3. Throw a ball low to their left.

Force your goalkeeper to come off the goal line by throwing the ball in front of them, just out of reach so they have to move to get to it. The goalkeeper needs to be alert and on their toes, so force them to move to the ball by throwing it in the areas around them.

Get them to practise saving the lobbed shot with this drill.

Hold a ball out in front of you. On your shout the goalkeeper should.

• Sprint out to touch the ball you are holding.

• Then quickly run backwards towards the goal (keeping their eyes on the ball in your hands).

• As the goalkeeper approaches the goal, you throw a high lofted ball which they must catch or punch over the crossbar.

To advance this, after the ball is caught or punched clear, throw a second ball towards the near post. Tell your goalkeeper they must react quickly. In this way they are using different areas of the penalty area to defend their goal rather than staying on their line.