Football Shooting Drills

Last Updated on: 6th February 2024, 11:38 am

Shooting Drills for Football Players

 

Drills to Improve Your Shooting Skills

 

Regardless of how long you’ve been playing football, it’s important to continue to hone the basics. Undeniably, shooting is an important skill. It can guarantee your team’s success because an accurate shot might be the difference between victory and defeat. However, it takes practice. Above all, repetition is one of the best ways to refine your shooting skills, so shooting drills should be a key part of your training. Start your players off by shooting stationary balls so they can refine their technique and accuracy. Then they can progress to moving targets, different angles and volleys.

In this article, we’ll look at a few shooting drills that have been designed to improve accuracy, power and technique. They’ll help you start planning out your football training so you can focus on improving your players’ shooting skills.

 

Basic Shooting Technique

Plant Foot

Obviously, a steady planted foot is crucial in shooting as it adds stability. Place your supporting foot beside the ball about 18 inches away. Keep it flat on the ground and bend your knee as you bring your kicking foot down.

Body Position

You need to be flexible to ensure you get the best shot. Your upper body is mostly responsible for balance and it can affect the direction of your shot. Don’t lean back too much or the ball will go up. Don’t hunch over the ball or you’ll limit the amount of power. Working on your flexibility and agility will help you get into position and prepare for your shot quicker.

Contact

Hit the ball with the top of your foot (your laces). As you kick, lock your ankle to create power through your striking foot. Aim to make clean contact with the centre or just below the centre of the ball.

Follow-through

Follow-through is crucial for all types of shooting. You’re not just looking to kick the ball but to kick through it. Make sure the kicking motion continues once the ball has been struck.

Step Up

Unlike passing, you’ll want a slight run-up to the ball so you can gain more power for your shot. In a game situation, you’ll probably be dribbling the ball before you take a shot. In that case, you’ll need to push the ball just ahead of you. Then you can take a few steps before planting your foot and taking the shot.

Tips for Shooting Training

• Practice Regularly – Remember, the secret to perfecting your shooting technique is to do it over and over. Repeating shooting drills helps build muscle memory and develops the required skills.
• Stay Positive and Patient: Above all else, don’t give up! Of course, improvement takes time and dedication so keep going. Eventually, you’ll see the results you want.
• Work on Both Feet: Becoming proficient with both your dominant and non-dominant foot will make you a more versatile and unpredictable striker.
• Control Your Power: Focus on getting the technique right before adding power to your shots. Then you can work on increasing power while maintaining accuracy.
• Experiment with Different Angles: Practice shooting from various positions on the field because this will help you become comfortable with shooting in different game scenarios.
• Don’t overthink it: You don’t need to overthink every step. Focus on placement and be patient. Eventually, it will become second nature.

 

 

Football Shooting Drills

 

1. One-on-One Shooting

 

 

What you need: Ball, cones

Setup:

1. Divide players into pairs and give them a ball.
2. Each player should stand about 30 feet apart.
3. Set up 2 cones on each side. They should be about 15-20 feet apart.
4. Each player should stand between their two cones.

Instructions:

1. Players take turns trying to score between their opponent’s cones.
2. The other player must try to block the shots.
3. Only shots below the waist are allowed. Each player gets a point for every goal they score.
4. The drill ends when a player reaches a certain number of points or after a specific amount of time.
5. Switch partners and repeat the drill as often as needed.

Make it harder:

• Decrease the distance between the two cones to make it harder.
• Change the rules for shot-blocking. Allow players to use their hands to increase the difficulty.

Training points:

• Make sure the players focus on proper shooting techniques.
• Ensure players are cautious about the power behind their shots.

 

2. One v One Finishing Challenge

 

 

What you need: Ball, cones, goal

Setup:

1. Set up a line of cones about 30 yards from the goal.
2. Divide players into pairs. One player will be the attacker and the other will be the defender.

Instructions:

1. The attacker stands at the line of cones with the ball.
2. On the coach’s signal, the attacker tries to dribble past the defender to try and score a goal.
3. The defender’s objective is to prevent the attacker from scoring by applying defensive pressure.
4. The players switch roles after each attempt.

Make it harder:

• Add additional defenders to increase difficulty.
• Add a time limit for each attempt.

Training points:

• Encourage attackers to use a variety of skills to beat the defender.
• Work on using both feet to shoot to increase versatility in one-on-one situations.

 

3. Pass and Shoot

 

 

What you need: Ball, cones, goal

Setup:

1. Select one player to act as the passer and place them on the edge of the penalty box.
2. Get the other players to stand in a line around 30 feet outside the penalty area. The passer should face the line.
3. Give each player in the line their own ball.

Instructions:

1. The first player passes the ball to the passer.
2. The passer lays the ball to either side of them.
3. The first player runs onto the ball and tries to score a goal.
4. The first player collects their ball as the second player starts their turn.
5. Switch out the passer every few shots.
6. Repeat the drill for as many rounds as you need.

Make it harder:

• Place a goalkeeper in the goal to add a level of difficulty.
• Only give the players one touch to score their goal.
• Encourage players to use different shooting techniques

Training points:

• Stress the importance of finishing the ball and not just shooting. Players should place the ball with accuracy instead of just hitting it as hard as possible.
• Make sure players are using proper techniques and positions.

 

4. Turn and Shoot

 

 

What you need: Balls, cones, goal

Setup:

1. Use cones to mark three boxes at the top of the penalty area. The squares should be 10-15 feet wide and there should be about 20 feet between each box.
2. The distance from the goal will depend on the age and skills of the players.
3. Divide the team into 3 groups and assign each group a line.
4. The first player from each group should stand in the box facing away from the goal. The remaining players should line up about 15-20 feet behind the box.
5. Give a ball to the person at the front of the line.

Instructions:

1. Pick one team to start. The player at the start of the line passes to the player in the box.
2. The player in the cones receives the pass, turns with the ball, and attempts to score a goal. They must remain in the square.
3. After their turn, the player must retrieve their ball and run to the back of their line.
4. The first player in the next group will take their turn and the final group will go next.
5. Cycle between the groups until all players have had at least 2-3 shots each.
6. After each round, reset the drill but move each player to the next box. This will ensure they are shooting from different angles.

Make it harder:

• Only give players two touches to turn and shoot the ball.
• Add a defender to each box so you can increase the pressure on the shooter.
• The person at the front of the line can hand-toss the ball to the shooters. Players in the box must finish in the least amount of touches.

Training points:

• Highlight the importance of a quality first touch. The better a player’s first touch is the better chance they have to score.
• Encourage shooters to receive, turn and shoot as quickly as possible to mimic game speeds.
• Make sure players maintain accuracy when shooting.

 

Football Training Equipment

Obviously, these shooting drills are just a few starting points for your training sessions. After all, there are plenty of great ways to help improve shooting. Regardless of what you try, make sure you check out our wide range of football training equipment. We’ve got cones, markers, bibs, goals, training footballs, and more, so you can get everything you need to set up your shooting drills.

 

 

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