Striking the soccer ball
A player’s ability to strike the soccer ball is obviously paramount in order to
score goals. The areas where young players have the most difficult time
when learning to strike the soccer ball are…
Approach, locking the ankle and keeping the toe down. The shot a player
could be hitting could be a stationary ball; a ball rolling back towards the
player, a ball rolling forward or the player could be shooting off the dribble.
Players have to be able to hit all the shots. I like to start teaching the kids to
hit a dead ball/stationary ball and then we can move into shooting or striking
a moving ball. This gives the player a chance to get their technique down.
So, lets get started! What are the main points that players need to learn
when striking the soccer ball?
Approach
Body posture
Plant foot
Locking the ankle
Striking through the middle of the ball
Follow through
Hitting the target
Moving balls
Round the world – shooting game
How long does it take to shoot well?
Please remember coaches just because you spend one session on ball
striking does not mean the kids will get it…keep coming back to reinforce the
technique and principles of shooting. Kids will learn how to finish (score) by
practicing and playing small-sided games under the pressure of defenders
and shooting in those situations.
Approach
I like to start with a dead ball/stationary ball so the players get the
technique down before moving to a rolling soccer ball.
Approaching the soccer ball is very important. The players should get all the
“little steps” out in the beginning and get into their stride so they are
running onto the soccer ball with nice smooth strides. I generally make a
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little joke or analogy by showing them the difference between nice strides or
what I call “skippy steps.”
The player should have a look to see where the target is when approaching
the soccer ball. Once the player knows where the target is the player can put
his or her head down, approach and shoot.
Why is this important to have an even stride?
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The approach is clean.
Good stride to meet the soccer ball w/out choppy steps.
We will cover the plant foot more in the next section so the lets stick to
getting the stride right. Line up a soccer ball in front of goal, against a wall or
with partners. Don’t be concerned about the target right now – just the
stride!
Exercise: The kids start next to the soccer ball and take 5 big steps back
and one step to the side. This way the player is running onto the ball at a
slight angle.
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Running at an angle will give the player a chance to plant the foot slightly
off the ball and not right next to the soccer ball.
This also allows the player to open their hips and swing the shooting leg.
Coaching tip: The player that approaches the soccer ball straight on does
not have much room to swing the leg and will generally plant the foot to
close to the soccer ball. So, it is important to take a step to the side while the
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players are learning. When they can hit the soccer ball they can approach
any way they want.
The plant foot
The player now has a good stride and is meeting the soccer ball balanced and
ready to strike. The Plant foot is very important because if the player does
not get the foot into the right position the shot will not be good.
Why?
The plant foot determines direction. The player must get the plant foot in
the right place as this helps the player to get the whole body into the shot.
This will improve power!
A plant foot behind or at the wrong angle will cause the shot to have no
power or the player will get under the soccer ball, which causes the shot to
rise.
The most common mistake that young players make is planting the foot
behind the soccer ball or to close to the soccer ball. The plant foot should
land next to the soccer ball with a little space – between the foot and the
soccer ball. I will tell the players I don’t mind having the foot a little ahead of
the soccer ball but not behind the soccer ball.
Coaching tip: A little exercise coaches can run with the players to get the
approach and plant foot right is just have the player practice the approach
and plant foot with no shot yet – get the timing down! Break the technique
into little segments and the kids will have a much easier time picking up the
skill.
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Striking the ball
The challenge when striking the soccer ball is locking the ankle and keeping
the toe down.
How do we teach locking the ankle?
Technique: The players must learn how to point the toe down and lock the
ankle and strike the ball with the laces or instep. Run your players through
instep exercises to help players get the feel for the sweet spot or instep on
the foot, through repetition and practice.
Finally, now that the players have the approach and plant foot down we can
get into striking the soccer ball.
Technique - The player pulls the leg back, locks the ankle and strikes through
the middle of the soccer ball. An easy way to help players recognize they are
in the right spot is if they look down and they are over the soccer ball. The
analogy I use is the player has a “big eye on their chest.” The eye must look
down over the soccer ball when the player is preparing to shoot. This also
means the player will shoot using the entire body not just the leg.
The knee on the plant foot should be slightly bent - the shoulders square to
the target and the head still and the arms should be out for balance.
Common mistakes:
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The player unlocks the ankle and raises the toe – the coach can tell
because the ball will spin – it is not a clean shot.
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The player does not swing the leg back far enough.
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The plant foot is behind the soccer ball.
Coaching Tip: Coaches just have to keep repeating these shooting mantras
until the kids get the technique down “ toe down, ankle locked, lean forward
and strike through the middle of the soccer ball.”
The follow through
The player has just hit the soccer ball so the next step is the follow through.
Technique: What we want the player to do is land on the shooting foot after
the shot. This means the player has now gotten the whole body into the shot
and followed through the ball.
Common mistake:
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The player will hit the soccer ball and stop the follow through and land on
the non-kicking foot failing to get the whole body into the shot. This leads
to weak shots…
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The player will reach with the plant foot, which will cause the player to be
off balance when they shoot. There will be no follow through here since
the player is not leaning forward. This is generally due to approach.
These are some of the areas where coaches can observe and correct the
technique and help the player self correct. A big part of coaching is getting
players to realize what they did wrong and self correct. The player should
beat the coach to the punch in explaining what happened. This is when you
know; the player is getting the point.
Hitting the target
There are several reasons why players don’t hit the target or the player hits
a weak shot.
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Plant foot going in the wrong direction.
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The player does not lock the ankle or hit the sweet spot. The player raises
the toe slightly just prior to shooting.
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Twisting the shoulders or hips, which changes the direction of the soccer
ball.
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Getting under the soccer ball and not striking through the soccer ball
causing the ball to rise.
A recap for hitting the target with a good shot.
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A quick look at the target followed by a good approach.
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Getting the plant foot down – direction.
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Drawing the leg back and locking the ankle.
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Striking through the middle of the soccer ball.
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Landing on the shooting foot.
Coaching tip: Does the player still has problems locking the ankle and
pointing the toe down, then make them take their shoes off and strike the
ball bare foot. This will solve the toe problem quickly…
A good shot
What does good look like?
A good shot has very little spin on the soccer ball and the soccer ball will dip
and move. Getting the players to a point where they can hit this shot takes
time. As the kids grow physically and hone technique this shot will become
possible with dead balls, rolling balls, and even volleys out of the air.
Continue to preach the mantra and the kids will improve…
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Look at the target.
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Take a nice approach to the soccer ball.
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Get the plant foot down next to the soccer ball.
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The players need to hit the soccer ball with the instep and not the toe –
toe down and ankle locked.
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Have a nice follow through so the player gets the body into the shot.
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Land on the shooting foot.
Once the players have the dead ball down they can start hitting a rolling ball.
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Round the world
Play this fun shooting game “Around the world” with the kids and you can
work on technique and finishing in the same practice.
The coach will set up a semi circle around the goal with cones.
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The games will last three to five minutes.
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The players will place the ball in between the cones on the line. I have
marked each grid with a number in the example picture for you to see.
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The players will start in the corner on the left by forming a line. They
move onto the next grid if they make their shot.
Coaching tip: The players always struggle with the corner shot so be patient
and they will get it!
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The shot has to be good for the players to move on – meaning they stay
at the same place until they make the shot.
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Once the players have completed all the grids successfully they get a
point.
Coach between the games breaking down shooting technique – try not to
stop the competition.
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Toe down and ankle locked.
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Plant foot next to the ball.
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Striking through the middle of the ball.
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Landing on the shooting foot.
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The coach should take into consideration what age group he or she is
coaching and set the cone up appropriately.
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U8 – U9 players cones should be set up around the six-yard box.
Depending on the level the coach can decide if the kids can just shoot and
let the ball go in or they get a bounce before it hits the net or goes into
the goal.
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U10 – U12 players move the cones back and the players have to hit the
back of the net with one or two bounces or if they are good enough no
bounce.
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Play 3-4 rounds with small breaks giving players a chance to rest their
legs between games.
The kids love this game. It might take some time for the game to get rolling
so be patient while they get the technique down. Once the players have the
dead ball down the coach can add a rolling ball, but you probably want to
wait till the next session or when they have the dead ball down. Check out
another soccer shooting practice the kids will love.
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