📅 Publicado el: May 20, 2025
🔄 Última actualización: August 3, 2025
How to work with three goalkeepers: Three effective ways to maintain fluidity in training
When training with three goalkeepers, one of the main challenges is maintaining fluidity and continuity in the tasks. It's common for one or more goalkeepers to be inactive for long periods, creating monotonous waits and moments of disconnection. This negatively affects both motivation and the quality of the training.
To avoid this, it's essential that goalkeepers stay active, engaged, and moving throughout the session. Below, we present three ways to work with three goalkeepers that will allow you to optimize time, improve group dynamics, and maintain the desired intensity.
Both sides continuous
This way of working consists of organizing the exercise so that both sides of the space are used simultaneously or consecutively, minimizing the dead time between actions.
How is it organized?
- Two identical work zones are placed, one on each side of the area.
- The second and third goalkeepers participate as throwers.
- Once an action is completed on one side, the other side immediately begins.
Advantages
- The accumulation of dead times is avoided.
- Greater participation of all goalkeepers.
- Continuous rhythm without unnecessary pauses.
This format allows for maintaining high intensity and developing multiple technical actions in a short time, always with the three goalkeepers involved in different roles.
Alternate side
This method is based on a similar structure to the previous one, but with a different dynamic: the goalkeepers work alternating sides in each repetition, which forces them to be constantly alert and ready to act.
How is it applied?
- Goalkeeper A starts the exercise on one side.
- Goalkeeper B, acting as the thrower, sends the ball and restarts the exercise towards the opposite side, now as the goalkeeper.
- Goalkeeper C, when sending his ball, rotates depending on the structure of the exercise.
Benefits
- Greater active participation from the three goalkeepers.
- Concentration is enhanced.
- Long waits are avoided, as the exercise restarts immediately on the opposite side.
This approach is very useful when you want to maintain pace without over-fatiguing, ideal for technical or specific reinforcement sessions.
One side, three actions
This approach isolates only one side of the field or drill, but incorporates a sequence of three consecutive actions. It allows for more in-depth work that is more similar to real-life game situations.
How does it develop?
- The goalkeeper performs three actions in a row on the same side.
- The side is rotated and the next goalkeeper repeats the sequence.
- The goalkeepers are changing their roles and their positions in sending the ball.
Advantages
- We work on chained actions, closer to what happens in a match.
- Increases the level of realism in training.
- Improves physical and mental endurance, as the goalkeeper must maintain focus throughout the sequence.
This type of structure is ideal for high intensity and realism exercises, where the goalkeeper is expected to react to several situations in a row.
Conclusion
Taking advantage of having three goalkeepers in a training session allows for more dynamic, effective, and engaging sessions. Whether using the both sides continuous structure, the alternating sides dynamic, or the one side, three actions sequence, the goal should always be the same: avoid timeouts, keep all three goalkeepers actively involved, and encourage a smooth and productive training session.
Remember that the number of reps and sets will depend on the content you want to work on, the level of your group, and the time of the season. These three organizational methods are versatile tools that you can adapt to the specific needs of each session.
English 
Spanish