Tips on Wing Shooting

In soccer, a winger is an attacking player who takes the ball down either the left or right side—also know as the wing—of the pitch to create goal-scoring opportunities on crosses or score himself. Wingers must be quick, agile, and have a stellar command of fundamentals like endurance and passing ability. A number of famous strikers at the 2010 World Cup, most especially David Villa of Spain, play heavily from the wing.

  1. Dribbling

    • Dribbling may seem like an odd tip for shooting, but the majority of a winger’s attacking capability is based around a very strong set of fundamental soccer skills. The winger is faced with creating goal-scoring opportunities by circumventing the opposition's defense. A good, short, quick dribble and healthy stock of dribbling tricks like false passes will help the winger evade the defense and set up shots on goal. Thus, dribbling skills are an important tip for wingers learning to shoot because they allow a winger to create an open goal, and ease the stress of shooting around defenders.

    Work the Goal

    • Working the goal is important for any shooting player, but especially a winger, who will be shooting regularly from difficult angles and distances. At top levels of play, opposing keepers and defensive players will watch tapes of a winger’s attacking repertoire; if a winger only has one shot she can make regularly, the gig is up. Developing the ability to shoot toward both posts, and in both the upper and lower corners of the goal—always the most vulnerable spots—will make any winger a better shooter and more potent threat.

    Develop an Arsenal

    • Developing an arsenal of shots is an important way for a winger to maximize his shooting potential and become a serious offensive threat. For the uninitiated, soccer may look like nothing more than booting a ball as hard as possible, but skilled players, and especially wingers, know this is far from the truth. Chip shots, full, half and side volleys, and knuckle shots are all important skills for a winger to have. The best way for a winger to become a genuine threat is to develop the ability to shoot from anywhere at any time, and to always keep the defense guessing. Possessing a full range of shooting capabilities will help a winger do just that.