You may know this already that in coaching soccer drills, every other skill leads to one final aim, a shot at the goal. It is both a matter of skill and intuition to cultivate the art of shooting. But other than this, winning attitude is also equally important.
It is the responsibility of every player but more importantly that of the forward players to shoot the ball. When teaching soccer, shooting should be at the top of your list.
There a number of things that may come out of shooting. Shots can be positioned towards a goal. It might be that the goalkeeper drops the ball at the foot of your forward player. Rowdy shots can turn into accurate passes. Ground shots can get a timely rebound. You might even score a goal directly from the shot.
When in soccer practice, attacking players are always looking for a chance to shoot the ball right into the goal. They are made to think in a way that they always have goal scoring on their mind. These attacking players are referred to as sniffers in England. This is due to the fact that they are always on the lookout for scoring chances.
They consider every chance the last chance to score a goal and hence shoot accordingly. They are always present at the right time at the right place. They’ll even make the most of being in the wrong place at the right time. So in coaching soccer drills encourage your players to shoot the ball whenever possible.
Normally, anytime the ball is kicked with an intention to put it inside the goal is taken as a shot. Yet, one technique that is most effective is driving the ball through the middle by use of the laces of the foot. The player’s head should be over the ball, his toe extended, and his upper body should remain steady.
The players should be taught in coaching drills to shoot the ball low and wide of the goalie. In such a scenario, high shots are less preferred that low ground shots. The reason is that low shots are especially difficult for the goalies to stop as they have to move their hands a greater distance than for high shots.
When kids practice inside the regulation sized goals, they are likely to score more by striking the ball above the goalie’s head. This must be discouraged otherwise players form the habit of shooting very high goals. In coaching soccer drills, stop this practice by not letting your players to practice in adult sized goals.
So get going and train your team members to see and confirm the goalkeeper’s position before they shoot the ball into the goalpost.
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Andre Botelho is the author of “The Expert Youth Soccer Coaching Guide” and he’s a recognized expert in the subject of youth soccer coaching. Learn how to explode your players’ skills and make coaching sessions fun in less than 29 days! Download your free pdf guide at: Youth Soccer Drills.
Tags: coaching drills, coaching soccer drills, Soccer practice, teaching soccer