I start from one observed problem, one development aim and one way to check progress, and choose the exercises afterwards. Each section below links to a longer article or tool on GLKPR, so you can go deeper where your goalkeeper needs it most.
Technique basics
Reaction speed, strength and confidence all help, but they can only work from the position and movement the goalkeeper has already chosen.
Stance
A useful stance lets you move to either side without first untangling your body. Begin with a comfortable width, some bend through the hips and knees, and the hands available slightly in front. Keep the shoulders ready without extra tension.
The exact shape varies from goalkeeper to goalkeeper. I prefer practical tests to arguing about a photograph. Can the goalkeeper move to either side? Can they stop in balance? Can they make the next movement without an extra reset?
One thing to check early: has the weight drifted backwards? If the hips sit behind the feet, the save often carries the body away from the ball.
Positioning and angles
Many difficult saves start with the position before the shot. When a goalkeeper is still moving at the release, the final reach has too much work to do.
I often use the cue “chest square to the ball”. Then picture lines from the ball to the two posts. They show the width the shot can reach. Look for a balanced position inside that angle and adjust as the ball and the shooter move.
Depth matters too. A step forwards reduces the visible space, but it also reduces the time before the ball arrives. There is no single correct distance from the line for every player and every shot. Height, reach, shot distance, the block and the shooter’s options all play a part.
Read the full guide: handball goalkeeper positioning.
High shots
When a high shot passes just beyond the fingers, the first instinct is to reach harder. Replay the first movement instead. Did the hips drop as the goalkeeper went sideways? Did the arm circle backwards before going towards the ball?
My cue is to keep useful hip height on the way to a high ball and give the hands a direct route from in front of the body. That does not mean standing stiffly or jumping for every shot. It means avoiding a drop that makes the top corner further away.
Read more: saving high shots.
Low shots and sliding
The opposite problem shows up on low shots. The foot reaches the corner, the hand arrives a moment later, and the ball goes through the gap. Often the goalkeeper travelled sideways while upright and only lowered at the end, turning one save into two actions.
In the low-save technique I teach, lowering the hips early brings the hand and leg into the save together. A slide is one option for low balls when there is time to commit. It also makes a high save much harder once you are down, so the decision matters as much as the shape.
Read more: saving low shots and learning the sliding save.
Wing shots
From the wing, the angle changes quickly as the player jumps towards the centre. The goalkeeper has to protect the near post and follow the developing release point, rather than settle early in one spot.
Train it in steps. Start with footwork from the post with the hands high, then add a controlled throw from a known position, then let the wing player choose when and where to shoot. The drill library includes wing-angle footwork and a wing technique set demonstrated by Nikola Portner.
6-metre shots and fast breaks
At close range, an early move hands the shooter the next decision. A pivot receives with their back to goal, the goalkeeper steps into the centre, the pivot turns and releases from somewhere else.
Read the direction of the turn and adjust across before committing. On fast breaks, a controlled approach keeps more options open than a rush forwards. Keep the hands available and use compact leg responses, because there is rarely time for a big movement.
Read more: pivot shots and fast breaks.
7-metre penalties
A penalty is a shot you can prepare for: one shooter, a known distance and a few seconds before the whistle. Pick a starting position you trust, keep a routine you can repeat under pressure and stay ready to respond instead of guessing on the whistle.
I prefer penalty practice against several shooters who are trying to score, rather than a teammate placing the ball. Knowing what a particular taker tends to do helps too, which is why opponent clips are part of opponent scouting.
Handball goalkeeper drills
A drill becomes useful when the goalkeeper understands what it is for. Learning depends on a clear task and how the coach responds to what happens.
When I choose a drill, I ask three questions:
What detail do we want to change? For a slow recovery after a low save, start with a controlled low ball, a return to stance and a second manageable ball. Watch the transition.
Is it teaching a movement, a response to a signal or a match decision? A coloured cue and a real handball release are different tasks, even though both ask you to move quickly.
How will we add uncertainty? Move from a known shot to a choice of two placements, then to a pass before the shot. If every repetition becomes a desperate rescue, simplify and build again.
Footwork drills need a destination: the goalkeeper balanced in front of a ball, not just fast feet through a ladder. Reference points help too. I have used a rope as a height reference so the goalkeeper can see where the hand should finish, and a phone camera does the same job for any detail.
Team shooting practice can be goalkeeper training too, if everyone agrees what the round is for and the release point stays where you intended.
Read more: goalkeeper drills that teach something and shooting training for goalkeepers. For ready-made exercises on video, with good and bad repetitions, see the drill library of 400+ drills.
Reaction training
Fast hands help. But a goal that looks like “too slow” is often a late read or a poor starting position. So I train reaction in two layers.
The first layer is the response itself: seeing a signal and moving. Simple drills work well here: tennis balls dropped or bounced at random, coloured pads, a partner pointing to a side. Keep each effort short and the rest long enough that speed stays high.
The second layer is reading handball. Swap the artificial cue for a pass, a shooter’s run-up or a release, so the goalkeeper learns to react to the information they will actually see in a match.
The free GLKPR reaction drills use your camera to time how fast you reach a target. There are five drills: Classic for first-step speed, Double save for getting up and going again, Read the cue for choosing the right side, Swarm survival and Reaction coordination. They run on your device and nothing is recorded or sent anywhere. You can watch each one on the free tools page first.
Mobility and flexibility
Goalkeepers ask a lot of their hips, groin, ankles, trunk and shoulders. A low save, a split towards the corner and a reach for the top corner all need range the goalkeeper can control at speed.
Build mobility into most sessions rather than saving it for one long stretching block. Dynamic movement in the warm-up prepares the body for that day’s work. Separate, calmer mobility work after training or on lighter days can develop range over time. Progress gradually, and never force an unfamiliar end range in a warm-up or under fatigue.
Check mobility in the save itself. If a goalkeeper cannot yet reach a comfortable low position, work on the range and choose a technique that fits the body they have today.
Any individual programme agreed with a physiotherapist or physical preparation coach belongs in the wider plan. Coordination and warm-up exercises, including ladder, stairs and Bosu work, are in the drill library.
Strength training
Saves are short, explosive efforts: a push to the side, a drop and recovery, a landing and a second movement. Strength work supports those actions and helps the goalkeeper repeat them through a full match and a full season.
Useful areas for most goalkeepers are the legs and hips for the push, the trunk for control while reaching, and the shoulders and arms for the hands. Landing and change-of-direction control matter as much as raw force. Explosive work needs proper rest between efforts. If speed and control drop, reduce the dose.
Plan strength work with whoever runs the team’s physical preparation, so gym sessions, team training and goalkeeper work add up to a sensible load. Young players need age-appropriate programmes, supervised by someone qualified. The drill library includes gym sets demonstrated by Filip Ivić and goalkeeper coach Matija Špikić.
Warm-up
A line of central shots is a familiar warm-up. But the first attack of the match moves the ball across the backcourt, and the goalkeeper has to travel, arrive and respond from a new angle. A good warm-up builds towards that. I follow a progression:
General movement with increasing range and intensity: ankles, hips, trunk and shoulders.
Specific footwork that ends in the goalkeeper’s stance, not a fast pattern through a ladder.
Controlled ball work at known heights, with an accurate thrower and one ball at a time.
Changing angles, for example shots from left back, centre and right back in an agreed order that becomes less predictable.
As an illustration, a 25-minute routine might give around eight minutes to general movement, five to footwork, five to controlled ball work and seven to changing angles. Adjust it to the player, the age group and the court time you have.
Read more: a goalkeeper warm-up that leads into the match.
Mental training
Mental training happens in ordinary moments: between repetitions, after a difficult match and in the way a goal is discussed. Two goalkeepers can concede the same goal and need completely different words afterwards.
Three habits help most:
A short reset after a goal. One cue the goalkeeper can control, such as the starting position for the next attack. Save the long technical talk for later.
Targets small enough to recognise. “Arrive balanced before the shot in this exercise” gives an ambitious goalkeeper something to win today.
Reviews that start with a question. “What did you see before the release?” Then compare the answer with the video.
Pressure can be trained too: penalties at the end of a session or a score to protect in a small game. Keep it purposeful, so the goalkeeper practises returning to a clear task.
Read more: goalkeeper mental training: the conversation after a goal, and the mental training category.
Planning a training week
A plan has to fit the real week, including team training, gym sessions, matches, travel, school or work. If the head coach adds a heavy shooting session on the day of your hardest goalkeeper work, the plan no longer describes the actual load. Talk to the staff and adjust.
Here is an illustration for a goalkeeper with one match on Saturday. It is a starting point, not a prescription. Count the team’s shots and the gym work alongside the goalkeeper blocks.
Earlier days have more room for development; later days are about readiness and the opponent. With two matches in a week, or a young goalkeeper, change the pattern.
For a single session, one way to divide 60 minutes is 15 minutes of preparation, 35 minutes of focused work and 10 minutes to finish and review. Write a short note afterwards: what we practised, what we saw and what comes next.
Read more: planning goalkeeper training.
Training youth goalkeepers
Young goalkeepers need plans suited to their stage of development, attention and total activity. A professional schedule is not a ready-made youth programme.
Keep tasks understandable and coordination simple at first. Short goalkeeper blocks inside team training are often more realistic than long separate sessions. Make the ball safe: accurate throws at a pace the goalkeeper can manage, and no hard shots from close range just because it looks tough.
Teach the basics through many situations rather than one perfect movement. Stance, positioning between the ball and the posts, high and low saves, and getting back up all transfer to every age group. Explain what you are practising and why. Young goalkeepers are often desperate to fix everything at once, so give them one target they can recognise.
Most of all, keep them enjoying the position.
If your club wants a structure, the club programme includes weekly 20-minute goalkeeper session plans for coaches to run, as part of ongoing support.
Training without a goalkeeper coach
Many goalkeepers train without a specialist coach. The work is harder, but very possible.
If you are the team coach, you don’t need to have played in goal to run useful goalkeeper work. Choose one focus per week. Use the warm-up and shooting rounds to serve it: agree where the shots come from, keep one ball at a time and give one piece of feedback after a short set. My coach education, including for the Swedish and Estonian handball federations, focuses on exactly this: explaining the movement, choosing a drill and guiding the next repetition. See support for coaches.
If you are a goalkeeper training alone, keep the task simple and safe enough to review honestly. Film a few repetitions from the side and front, then compare what you felt with what the video shows. Work on footwork, mobility, strength and reaction on your own, and save ball work for when a teammate can throw accurately.
In either case, watch good and bad repetitions side by side. Every drill in the drill library shows both, and the drills article explains how to build a session around one detail.
Using video and match analysis
A save percentage records the outcome. Video shows how the goalkeeper got there, and connects training to matches.
A phone from the stand is enough to start. After a match, log each shot: where it came from, where it went and whether it was saved. Patterns appear quickly. Maybe the goals cluster on one side, come mostly from one position or follow the same kind of pass. That pattern becomes next week’s training focus.
Review saves as carefully as goals: a long reach can rescue a poor starting position.
A few tools on GLKPR help with this:
The free save percentage calculator gives you the match number in seconds.
The GLKPR Analyser lets you tag shots in your own match video, see shot maps and save percentage by zone, and click any number to watch the shot. Your video stays on your computer.
If you want another pair of eyes, I review match footage with goalkeepers through match analysis for goalkeepers.
The season-long work I did with Nikola Portner and Jože Baznik was entirely online, through opponent preparation and analysis after their matches. The video gave us the same moment to talk about.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a handball goalkeeper train?
It depends on age, level and the team’s schedule. Club goalkeepers usually train with their team, and the important thing is that some of that time has a goalkeeper-specific task. A short focused block in each session, plus warm-ups and shooting rounds with a clear purpose, often does more than one long extra session.
What drills improve a goalkeeper’s reaction?
Start with simple cue-and-move drills: tennis balls, coloured pads or a partner pointing to a side, with short efforts and full rest. Then replace the artificial cue with handball information such as a pass or a shooter’s release, so the reaction transfers to matches. The free GLKPR reaction drills let you time your first step with your camera.
What should a handball goalkeeper training session include?
A warm-up that builds from general movement to footwork and ball work, a main block focused on one detail, and a short review. As an illustration, a 60-minute session might be 15 minutes of preparation, 35 minutes of focused work and 10 minutes to finish and review. Choose the main block from something you saw in a recent match.
How do I warm up a handball goalkeeper before a match?
Progress from general movement to specific footwork, then controlled ball work at known heights, then shots from changing angles such as left back, centre and right back. Use accurate throwers and one ball at a time. The aim is a goalkeeper who is ready for the first attack of the match.
Can I train as a handball goalkeeper without a goalkeeper coach?
Yes. Film your repetitions, keep each task simple enough to review honestly, and work on footwork, mobility, strength and reaction on your own. Team coaches can run useful goalkeeper work by choosing one focus a week and giving the warm-up and shooting rounds a clear goalkeeper task.
Should handball goalkeepers do strength training?
Yes, planned with whoever runs the team’s physical preparation. Legs and hips for the push, the trunk for control and the shoulders for the hands are the usual priorities, along with landing and change-of-direction control. Young goalkeepers need age-appropriate programmes supervised by someone qualified.
How do you train a young handball goalkeeper?
Keep tasks understandable, throws accurate and pace manageable. Teach stance, positioning and high and low saves through many simple situations, and give one target at a time. A professional schedule is not a ready-made youth programme, so fit the work to the player’s stage of development and total activity.
How can video analysis help a handball goalkeeper improve?
Video shows how a save or goal happened, which a save percentage alone cannot. Log where each shot came from and where it went, look for patterns across matches, and turn the clearest pattern into the next week’s training focus. Review saves as carefully as goals.