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1v1RepresentativeTactics

Explicit decision cues in 1v1s

Speed up the move from novice to expert in the come-out-or-wait decision in a 1v1, through explicit teaching of the cues that distinguish it — the attacker’s trunk orientation, distance to the next touch, run-up angle — instead of leaving experience to accumulate on its own.

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Load

minutes
10
dives/set
3
Sets and reps
2 × 5
Intensity
Medium

dives per set, per goalkeeper

Microcycle days it fits

MD-4, MD-3

Each bar’s height is that day’s dive ceiling.

Setup

Goalkeepers
1
server
0
outfield player
1

Space: 20 × 18 m

Equipment: Balls, Full goal

The coach serves and manages the breaks.

1 steps

An attacker advances toward goal in a 1v1. After each rep, if the constraint is active, the coach names the specific cue that should have guided the come-out-or-wait decision, whether the outcome was good or bad.

Exercise sequence

Coaching points

  • The most reliable cue is usually the distance between the attacker and the ball on the next touch, not the speed of approach.
  • Coming out when the attacker loses tight control of the ball is a trainable decision, not a fixed instinct — that is what explicit feedback speeds up.
  • A good outcome from a wrong read (luck) deserves the same correction as a bad outcome from a right read — what is being assessed is the cue, not just the result.
  • Have the goalkeeper verbalise their own cue before the coach speaks, whenever possible — it speeds up internalisation.

Progressions

  1. Raise the attacker’s pace to match speed.
  2. Reduce the coach’s feedback, asking the goalkeeper to identify the cue alone.

Regressions

  1. Keep the attacker at a controlled pace.
  2. Stop the rep at the decision point, without requiring a full physical resolution.

Sources · 3

  1. StudyDeterminants of Decision Making in Novice and Elite Soccer Goalkeepers (2025)
  2. StudyExpertise and training of anticipation in goalkeeping: two scoping reviews (2025), Journal of Sports Sciences
  3. BookVaggelis Lappas, «Goalkeeper Training Methodology»