Learn the goalkeeper 1-on-1: closing down, waiting for the shot, choosing a technique and the rules – with milestones and an honest look at the evidence.
The honest answer up front: the 1-on-1 is not a single technique but a decision – come out early, act late, choose the right technique at the right moment. BASPO names five techniques: foot block, hand block, dive, leg-away and the cross. Together with diving they are, according to the concept, the most used goalkeeper techniques [1].
And another honest answer: there are hardly any studies on the striker duel itself. What is well documented comes from neighbouring areas (penalties, perception) and is marked here as transfer. Everything else – such as how far to come out – is practical experience. We would rather say that openly than invent a number.
The BASPO lesson starts every session with stabilisation and mobilisation and then builds on game situations [1]. In the duel that means: before the ball, orient yourself – where is the opponent, how is the goal placed, how much room is behind you? Then take the active ready position.
Milestone: On command, orient and get into the ready position 10 times.
BASPO distinguishes two movements: the side step, more for diving, and the running step for coming out. The concept says the running step is far more effective when coming out – young goalkeepers often do not use it [1]. Practise running at a ball instead of sliding sideways.
Milestone: Out of three balls played at once, reach the fastest in 6 of 10 attempts [1].
The coach announces a technique beforehand ("dive", "block"). You perform it 5 times per side [1]. Unannounced balls follow. The aim is a repertoire, not one trick.
Milestone: Each of the five techniques 5 times per side, cleanly.
Here transfer from penalty research helps: good goalkeepers timed their dive onset to the moment the kicker's standing foot lands next to the ball [3]. And goalkeepers were fooled less by fake movements than kickers were [4]. Both come from the penalty kick, not from a striker running at you – but as a rule of thumb it holds: whoever commits early is easier to fool.
Milestone: Reach the ball in 5 of 10 game-like duels without touching the opponent.
The BASPO game: two teams, each goalkeeper gets 5 duels, then switch. Who concedes fewer goals? [1]. It brings tempo and decision pressure.
Milestone: More saves than your partner.
In a duel contact with the opponent and falls on hard ground happen quickly. In high-school goalkeepers, injuries to shoulder, upper arm and elbow made up 8.0%, four times the 1.9% of field players, mostly from falls on an outstretched arm [5]. Train the techniques first without an opponent and on soft ground.
In a match, Law 12 applies: if you tackle or bring down an opponent carelessly or recklessly in your penalty area, the result is a penalty. For a clear goal-scoring chance it is only a yellow if you tried to play the ball. If you hold, pull or had no chance of playing the ball, it is a red [2]. Warm up with the FIFA 11+ programme, which brought 39% fewer injuries in a meta-analysis (rate ratio 0.61) [6]. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training.
Turn the 1-on-1 into a decision drill: have your coach play the ball after a controlled reception with an unannounced technique, as in the BASPO structure, where the second ball only comes after oriented ball control [1]. That way you train not only the technique but recognising which technique fits right now.
There is no documented distance. BASPO stresses using the running step when coming out because it is more effective than the side step [1]. Decide early and do not slow down. Everything else is practice that you test in training with your coach.
BASPO lists five: foot block, hand block, dive, leg-away and cross [1]. You practise them announced first, later game-like. Have a goalkeeper coach show you exactly how each is performed.
It depends on the moment of the shot. In penalty studies good goalkeepers timed their dive onset to the landing of the standing foot [3]. As transfer to the 1-on-1 that means: do not commit too early, read the shot.
For a clear scoring chance: yellow if you tried to play the ball and the referee awards a penalty. Red if you hold, pull, push or had no chance of playing the ball [2].
Only partly: orientation, ready position and coming out to rolling balls work with a wall and cones. For opponents, angles and finishing you need a partner. Without supervision stay on soft ground at controlled tempo.
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