Field Hockey Tip

Field Hockey Goalkeeper Kicking Drill

This drill is used to help goalies test their kicking accuracy and the amount of power they can put behind the ball. Our Nike Field Hockey Camps directors often use this drill at our camps to get a baseline of each goalkeeper’s kicking ability. Here is a step by step description of the “Goalkeeper Kicking Accuracy Test.”

Set Up

The Goalie should be on the shooting circle facing the goal, about 15 meters away from the goal. There should be a cone on either side of the goalie. Within the shooting circle, there should be 7 cones placed on the left side and 7 cones places on the right side, as show in the image. The blue cones on the left side should be father away from the goalie than the orange cones on the right side.

The Drill 

Start on the left side with the blue cones, at the cone closest to the goal. A coach should roll the ball with a strong pace behind it to cone #2, beside the goalie. As the ball come towards the goalie, the goalie should kick the ball with their right foot and into the goal. As the coach makes his or her way around the cones, in a counter-clockwise motion, the difficulty will increase. Keep track of the number of goals the goalie makes.

Once done with the left side, move to the right side. Have a coach start with the orange cone closest to the goal and move in a clockwise motion. The coach should aim for cone #1 this time, and roll the ball at the same pace they did on the left side. The goalie should use his or her left foot to kick the ball into the goal.

This is a great test for goalies to do throughout the season to see how they are improving. Make sure to keep track of how many goals are scored each time, so you can compare to future tests. Check out more field hockey drills and tips and get better this summer at a Nike Field Hockey Camp.