Analysis by position and age

What a player of your age gets

Choose an age and a position — we show which skills the coach looks at and which tests the player films at home.

We create opportunities, we do not promise results. We compare a player only with their own past self — no scores, ratings or comparing children with one another.

Age

Position

Skills for this position — Goalkeeper

Composure in goal — not "falling apart" after conceding.
Quick reactions and agility: a short explosive jump, a dive, a change of direction.
Reliable hands: catch and hold confidently, a clean first touch.
Reading the moment — anticipating where the ball will go.
Play with the feet: receive and give a pass, take part in starting the attack.

The goalkeeper has their own set of tests and their own growth of demands by age. At 10–12 the focus is coordination, catching, footwork and the first dives — "step first, then dive" — taught calmly on a football pitch. At 13–15 we add the first step and the jump, choosing position and angles, the basics of dealing with crosses, dives with a step and with a jump, and play with the feet. At 16–18 come gym work for strength, repeated explosive actions, decisions under pressure, organising the defence and long distribution of the ball (barbell work and drop jumps only under a coach's supervision). The goalkeeper's tests are their own (dive from a step, catching against a wall, a vertical jump, a 5 m start, agility (T-test); 16–17 — also G-RAT; 18+ — also S-Keeper and LS-Keeper) — there is no 30 m sprint for a goalkeeper, that is a field test. We do not make height a selection criterion and we do not cut late maturers. At home you can see catching against a wall, the start from the stance and simple dives on a football pitch; low/mid/high dives, crosses, 1v1, position and angles, and coming off the line are assessed by the coach in person.

What matters at this age — Age 13

The first step and the jump, positioning and angles, the basics of dealing with crosses, dives with a step and with a jump, play with the feet.

Home tests for the goalkeeper — the list is in the email; the rest will be assessed in person.

Tests for this age — Age 13

Goalkeeper tests — 13–15

On a football pitch, each as a separate short clip, camera from the side, 2 attempts — we take the best.

With the ball

Test 1. Dive from a stepWhy it matters: the most important skill for a goalkeeper is falling correctly — getting to the ball to the side safely and without injury.What to do: an adult rolls or tosses the ball to the side; the child steps towards the ball and falls onto their side, catching with both hands.How to do it: goalkeeper stance; ball 3–4 m to the side; step first, then fall onto the side, ball held to the ground; three times each side. The coach looks for 6 signs: low stance, far foot back, attack the ball with both hands, ball held to the ground, land on the side, top leg protecting.
Test 2. Catching against a wallWhy it matters: reliable hands and quick reactions.What to do: stand facing a wall, throw the ball against it alternately with the right and left hand and catch with both hands — 30 seconds.How to do it: tennis ball; distance to the wall 2 m; camera from the side so the hands and ball are visible; count how many times the child catches the ball cleanly without dropping it.

Without the ball

Test 3. Vertical jumpWhy it matters: leg-drive power — it determines the dive into the corner and the jump for a high ball.What to do: jump as high as possible from a standing position.How to do it: hands on hips throughout; drop quickly and jump straight up; land on both feet; whole body in frame, camera from the side.
Test 4. Start over 5 mWhy it matters: the first step decides whether the goalkeeper gets to the ball.What to do: sprint forward 5 m from a goalkeeper stance on a signal.How to do it: an adult gives the signal (clap or hand wave); markers at 0 and 5 m in frame; rest 2–3 minutes.
Test 5. Agility — T-testWhy it matters: the goalkeeper must move quickly to the corner of the goal and back without crossing the feet.What to do: run around cones in a T-shape — forward, sideways left, sideways right, back to centre, and backwards to the start.How to do it: 4 cones — start; second cone 9 m straight ahead; third and fourth 4.5 m to the left and right of the second. Run forward to the centre cone and touch it; sidestep left — touch; sidestep right 9 m — touch; back to centre — touch; run backwards to the start. Do not cross the feet. Camera from the side so the start, finish and all 4 cones are visible; 2 attempts, rest 2–3 minutes. Time is measured from the video.

What home video does not capture: The rest — decisions, bravery, crosses, one-on-ones, coming off the line — will be judged by the coach from match video and in person. We do not screen out late developers.

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