On the soccer field, the goalkeeper is one of the most important positions.  Their primary function is to protect the goal however they can.  As you begin to advance in skill level this becomes more and more difficult.  Due to that, finding the right soccer goalkeeper training is essential to progressing effectively with your team.

Here are several important soccer goalkeeper skills on which to focus.

Ball-handling

First, work on handling the ball effectively.  To stop that ball from going through the goalposts, the goalkeeper needs to either deflect it away from the goal, or to catch it.  Being the only player on the field who can catch the ball is a challenge.  You will need to be sure that you are comfortable using your hands.  When the ball is flying at you, you need to know how to catch it and then cushion it to your body as it impacts so that you do not lose control of the ball in the vulnerable area of the goal. 

Diving

Diving is essential, including diving upwards versus downwards.  When someone takes a shot at your goal, the ball will be often be airborne.  Often in these situations you might find yourself on one end of the goal while the ball is headed towards the other.  The truth is that you need to dive quickly.  The trick to this is to be aggressive and to be fearless.  There are many drills that you can perform to get yourself ready to perform this terrific skill.

Kicking, including Punting

One of the best ways to clear the ball from the goal area is to punt it down the field.  For any goalkeeper you need to be sure that you have the power behind your kick to get it away from your defensive area, but you also want to have accuracy to your kick.  As you
punt the ball down the field you do not want it to go straight to your opponents so that they can make another drive at you.  Instead you want to put that possession into the hands of your teammates so that the other goalie can take a bit of the heat.

Anticipate Game Play

Perhaps the most essential of all soccer goalkeeper skills is to be able to follow, read, and anticipate the game play.  You need to be able to predict which corner of the goal the ball is headed for when it gets kicked so that you can accurately defend it.  Additionally, you need to be able to see which areas of the field are weak spots for the other team so that when you deflect the ball from the goal area you can be sure to send it to a spot that is advantageous for your team.  One really great training exercise to help learn this is to simply watch a lot of soccer, while concentrating on anticipating what the next part of the game play is.  Watching in person or on videos will help.  The more you watch, the easier it is to follow, and then the easier it will be for you to predict what happens next when you are actively playing.