Shooting drills

Shooting is a core skill for any player and we show you some of the best ways to coach it. We look at shooting from dead ball situations, shooting while running, shooting first time, drive shots and how to make the ball bend, curl and dip. We show you some great drills and games to help you coach shooting to all your players.

Competitive small sided soccer game called War - A very popular game for children (and fun-minded adults) that emphasises beating the player. Some of your youngsters will want to play this small-sided soccer game all day!

Soccer drill to get players going for goal from kick off - As a soccer coach you will often get asked by parents what happened to the fun side of soccer. Well this soccer drill is not only fun but should produce creative, skillful soccer playing to add a bit of flair on match days.

Soccer coaching tips to get more accurate shots - To enhance your team's chances of hitting the back of the net, use the following soccer coaching tips to encourage them to take more shots and be more accurate.

Soccer drill to get your strikers putting more power in their shots - If you can get your strikers to lose their markers and explode onto passes, they will be able to put more power into their shots and cause chaos in the opposition defence. Show them how to do this with the help of this acceleration soccer drill.

Fun game for kicking skills - It’s rare that I advise coaches to set up games and drills that require props, such as a wall, because not all soccer coaches will have access to one, but Slam is one game where it's worth making the effort.

Three-way soccer drill for goalie and striker skills - Strikers and goalkeepers work well together in threes. This quick, shooting soccer drill keeps your goalkeeper on his toes and helps your strikers find the best place to put their shots to beat the opposition keeper.

2v2 Small-sided game to maintain possession - In this small-sided game from Michael Beale, Chelsea FC Academy Coach, players have to keep possession for their team and pass the ball to a team mate standing outside the pitch.

Decision-making soccer drills for young players - Try a 1v1 soccer training drill to encourage decisive thinking in young attack players, by Michael Beale, Chelsea Academy Coach.

Soccer drill to help strikers control, dribble and shoot - Focusing on soccer drills to help young strikers' skills in controlling the ball, dribbling and shooting is a good way to ensure you get more shots on goal than before. These soccer drills are helping develop your players' soccer instincts in front of the goal.

Goal approach game - In this game, the aim is to get your attackers used to running at the goal from different angles. Ask your defender to call out an attacker's position and they must then get past the defender and attack the goal.

Players must be alert to the call and able to move the ball quickly for a shot at goal.

Finishing circuit drill to put strikers' skills to the test - This is a testing 1v1 finishing circuit to put your strikers through their paces as they face a different challenge at each stage of the drill. Players are constantly on the move, answering questions in both attacking and defending situations.

Soccer coaching tips for playing in windy weather - Whether your players are kicking into the wind, or with the wind, follow these soccer coaching tips to keep youngsters' shots, passes and goal kicks accurate.

Soccer drill to work on overhead kicks - It’s the most impressive way to score a goal, so help your players master the skills to deliver an overhead kick and they will be able to use it to great effect.

Soccer coaching tips to improve volley skills - One of the most effective skills for your players to work on in soccer training is the perfect volley, that is striking a ball which is still in the air.

Soccer drill to improve players' scoring instincts - This is an excellent soccer drill to get your players ready to score goals on match days. It’s all about improving shooting and heading skills. But most of all your players are going to have a lot of fun doing it.

Soccer drill tips for taking winning free kicks - Get your players to practise tactical free-kicks on the edge of the penalty area and you can pull a defence apart, says David Clarke.

Soccer drill to convert crosses to goals - Arriving in the box in the right place at the right time is a particular strength of the world’s top strikers and attacking midfielders. Use the following soccer coaching tips and drills to get your players to turn crosses into goals and add to the potency of your team's attack.

Soccer drill to boost strikers' skills and awareness - Strikers find themselves in all sorts of situations during a game, so you have to coach them in training drill sessions to prepare them for what they will face. Try this soccer drill to help players become more aware of what is going on around them and able to react at full speed and intensity.

Soccer drill for long-range shooting - Long-range shooting has a big role to play in youth soccer. If you can, get a couple of early long-range shots in at the opposition goalkeeper before they have had a chance to settle down. You will often see them fumble the ball or not see it at all and give chances to players running in, or the ball will end up in the net because the opposition were not expecting the shot.

Soccer tactics for kicking the ball down the middle - If you play golf, you'll know that when you think of hitting a sweet drive, you visualise the ball going straight down the middle of the fairway and putting you in a great position to attack the green. Help your players handle the same situation on the pitch with the following soccer coaching tips and drills.

Soccer drill to help volley skills - Volleying is a skill which, if you get it right, puts the frighteners on your opponents. It also makes a fun soccer drill for players, seeing if they can put a few volleys together, keeping the ball off the floor.

Soccer drill to help attackers turn and shoot - Young attackers often find it difficult to turn and shoot when they receive the ball with their back to goal, because they are unsure of where it is and what's behind them. This versatile soccer drill will make them aware of the goal and where they have to turn, so they can shoot effectively.

Soccer warm-up drill with crossway finishing - Simple soccer drills to warm up your players before a game, or before you start an attacking session, are a must. This is an ideal warm-up drill that is easy to do and gets players in the right mind for the soccer coaching session ahead.

Free-kick soccer drill using dummy trick - Free-kicks are often wasted in youth soccer. You need to put some thought into how to set up your team to make best use of a free kick and drill the skills in coaching sessions.

Soccer drill to get players running long distances with the ball - Running with the ball over long distances is important, but you need an end product - a cross or a shot. This soccer drill gives you the chance to use the running skills of your players to put the ball into danger areas that your team can exploit.

Penalty game to identify talented penalty takers - Every player loves taking penalties - even if they aren't very good at it. Practising penalties gives you a chance to look at your players' kicking skills and techniques and also lets you see who might be good to take penalties in a match.

Soccer drill to get attackers crossing to the far post - When you watch professional players crossing a ball, they often take the option of crossing to a player at the far post who then plays it across the face of goal, which is very hard to defend. Use the following crossing soccer coaching drill to get your players working on the same skills.

Soccer warm-up drill to keep goalies on their toes - I like this soccer drill because it's easy to set up and it makes a good warm-up drill for your goalkeeper before matches or before your soccer coaching sessions. It also helps your strikers work on their low shots.

Fun, fast game to get goalies making shots - This is a good, fun game to get your goalkeeper making shots and to help him with goalkicks. It's a fast 1v1 where each goalkeeper can score using various skills - throw, kick, drop-kick. As soon as a goalkeeper saves, he shoots back.

One-touch finish small sided soccer game - In soccer training drill sessions, players are more willing to try shooting from every angle possible. You need to build this confidence into your team, so they shoot when they see the opportunity on match day, too. This small-sided soccer coaching game is great for that. Try it and see for yourself.

Soccer drill to get strikers using either foot when they're shooting close to goal - This soccer drill focuses on making your strikers use their weaker foot close to goal so they're not twisting their bodies into unusual shapes to try and get their foot in the right position to score.

Soccer coaching tips to help attackers in 1v1 against the keeper - When a player is through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat, it can be nerve-racking because they are expected to score. The following soccer coaching tips will help your players deal with this pressure.

Soccer drill to put 1v1 shooting skills to the test - To improve your attackers' chances of scoring in 1v1s, you need to test the skills discussed in Soccer coaching tips to help attackers in 1v1 against the keeper. Once you have told your players how to do this, advance the drill so they are receiving a pass and running into the penalty area.

Soccer drill to boost volley skills - Coaching your players to volley will give them the technique to score goals when the ball is bouncing or when they're receiving flighted passes. Use the following unopposed soccer drill and coaching tips to get them practising these vital soccer skills.

Soccer drill to coach blocking the shot -
Defenders can save goals by placing themselves between the goal and the ball. Some defenders have the ability to read the situation and will "throw" themselves in front of the ball to deflect it away from goal.
The following soccer drill is a good one to get defenders blocking shots to protect the goal and working at match speed to make their reactions fast and instinctive.

Fun soccer training drill for all round development - Make your training drills fun with this soccer coaching drill from Tony Carr, academy director, West Ham, English Premier League. In the drill players have to react to the next ball from a variety of positions - not only that, they also have to turn and be involved in the next part of the drill.

Soccer drill to help players take corners - A corner taker must be able to take corners - that means you have to coach him. This is the soccer drill session I use to coach these vital skills. Try it and see what a huge difference it makes to the way your players kick the ball.

Run, control, turn and shoot soccer training drill - Running onto a pass, controlling it, then running with the ball - these core soccer skills are essential in matches, so make sure your young players practise them frequently in their soccer coaching drill sessions.

Soccer coaching session to get players combining for shots on goal - This soccer training session shows the advantage of forwards playing off each other and combining with the midfield to create scoring opportunities but it is designed for coaching advanced players. It will not work with young or inexperienced players.

Small sided shots on goal game - This is a simple small-sided soccer game to play in front of goal with your young soccer (football) players to get them shooting using their right and left foot.

Soccer drill to get players shooting across the goal - This soccer coaching drill session is about encouraging your players to shoot across the goal, giving the team two chances to score - direct from the shot or following up the rebound, if the goalkeeper makes a save.

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