Simple Rebound Control Drill

First we talked about rebound control, now we have to train it! This drill focuses on rebounds straight in front of you, so show your quick hands.

How to do it?

Starting Point

• You start in the initial position, about one meter away from the goal line, in the center of the goal
• The shooter stands in front of you, about three meters away from the goal, with one ball ready to shoot
• Focus the ball, rebound control is a lot about knowing where the ball is
Drill
• Move to the right post - it is your decision if you want to do knee steps, push or pull movement
• The movement to the post simulates a pass to the side or in the corner
• Move back to the starting position
• The shooter will take the shot when you are back in the position (the shot should hit your chest)
• Try to get the rebound with your hands
• The shooter will try to get the rebound before you and score on you
Final point
• You have the ball or got scored on
• Now you can start over again (this time move to the left post)

Summary
This rebound control exercise covers many of the skills that a goalie needs to control the rebound. Starting from detection of the rebound, deflection up to the reaction speed and hand eye coordination to defuse the rebound. You will see that adjusting the position of your hand results in different levels of difficulty for getting the ball. The position of your hands is one of the decisive factors to cover the goal most efficiently, when the striker is right in front of you. We advice you to keep your hands deep and in front of you, short above your knees. This way your hands are closer to the ground, minimizing the distance to the rebound. The closer your hands are to the ball, the more space of the goal is covered by them.

A post about hand positioning will follow soon :)