Drills for Shooting in Football

Drills in football--or soccer, to Americans--carry the same importance as repetition in any field of learning, from acquiring language skills to playing a musical instrument. By practicing shooting drills, players come to internalize a skill set that will provide them a diverse set of attacking tools they will bring to bear on important game situations. In a sport where a single goal can win a match, shooting drills teach players the skills they need to carry the team.

  1. Developing the Weak Foot

    • Football players are either right- or left-footed. In order to achieve their full potential and develop an all-around skill set for optimal performance, it’s important that players learn to shoot the ball with booth feat. To develop the weak foot, online resource Soccer Training Guide suggests the following exercise: Set up the right-footed players in a file on the left side of the box, and the left-footed players on the right side. Place two cones a meter apart in the goal box. Players are to dribble toward the goal with their weak foot, make a turn around the cone, and take an accurate shot on the goal. This drill will teach players not to rely solely on their strengths.

    Crossing, Finishing and Shooting

    • The crossing, shooting and finishing drill proposed by online resource Soccer Xpert teachers players to work as a team to create shooting opportunities. Player line up in five files just outside the goal box, facing the goal. The left- and rightmost files--the wing players--are to be the servers. They dribble the ball down the wing and cross it in front of the goal. Players in the middle files receive the ball and either head or shoot it into the goal with minimal or no dribbling for a swift, decisive goal. When breaking toward the goal, players in the three middle files will further develop the movement of the play by: crossing to the left goal post from the right side; crossing to the center of the goal from the left side; and crossing to the right post from the center.

    Pyramid Follow and Shoot

    • Soccer Chalk Talk’s Pyramid Follow and Shoot is a continuous-motion drill involving passing and shooting for advanced players that has received a high rating from the site’s readers. The drill requires six players--five attackers and a goalie. The offensive players are to form a diamond, with one player at the top of the goal box, one player on each wing, and two players at midfield. The midfield player passes the ball to the left wing, then runs to the left wing position as the left winger passes to the player by the goal box, who shoots on goal. After shooting on goal, the goal box player runs to the middle field position while the second midfield player repeats the play on the right flank, with the left winger filling in for the former goal box shooter. The drill repeats without pause for as long as needed. To see an animation, follow the Soccer Chalk Talk link in References.