“Canada…continued a tournament-long issue, creating decent opportunities but sending them skyward.” ESPN July 6th, 2024, after Canada defeated Venezuela in the Copa quarterfinals in PKs. I. Introduction It is clear from watching youth, college, professional, and international soccer that the ability to shoot on goal has not improved much from the ‘80s when I last played. Too often, even elite players will lean back and sky the ball over the goal when shooting from a distance or scuff the top of the ball and drive it into the ground when shooting closer to the goal. As soccer players keep miskicking the ball, nobody seems to be asking why—although, at times, commentators, pundits, and reporters do notice the problem. Below, I detail a few culprits that inhibit players from learning proper shooting form. This list is not meant to be exhaustive but to start a conversation about ways to improve shooting. At the end of the article, I describe two important aspects of shooting that will help your players shoot harder and more accurately.
II. The Culprits
1-2 touch (over) focus Coaches often focus practice primarily on 1-2 touch passing patterns and small-sided games with little time for shooting drills. I have known top coaches go many weeks without doing a single shooting practice--perhaps taking the saying literally that ‘goal scorers are born, not made.’ The (crushing) focus on 1- and 2-touch play keeps players from learning how to shoot off the dribble. Limited touches also do not allow players to set up a shot correctly using quick (micro) touches after controlling the ball. Solution: Teach players how to dribble to beat defenders and create games without touch limitations using full-sized goals. Set aside time every practice for some shooting, yes, every practice! “When you don’t teach someone to fish correctly, they go hungry.” Most coaches teach shooting improperly or provide insufficient detail to ensure success. Teaching the placement of the planting foot is a good example. Good coaches will instruct players to place their planting foot near the ball with the toe pointed toward the target. The less fortunate coach will ignore the planting foot altogether.
However, to ensure proper placement of the planting foot, the player needs more detailed instructions. The planting foot should not be too close or far from the ball; otherwise, they will hook or slice it. Also, the planting foot should not be too far forward or too far back to avoid jamming, i.e., scuffing the ball into the ground or lifting the ball high over the goal. The exact position of the planting foot is only one of many crucial elements of shooting. Coaches must also teach players the correct bend of the knees, the swing of the lower leg, core stabilization, the angle of the shooting knee, and the firmness of the ankle.
Even advanced coaching courses do not provide much technical training for shooting. The only advice I remember was instructors reminding me to ‘jump over the creek’ to ensure the shooting leg fully swings through after the shot. Ironically, I do not give this advice when teaching shooting since power is generated by focusing on the snap of the lower leg as it strikes the ball, not in the full extension of the leg after contact with the ball.
Solution: Learn how to shoot so you can demonstrate each detail of shooting accurately. Practice, practice, practice until you can strike a hard, low shot on goal without spin.
Hubie
The instep-juggling practice has frequently been used to teach how to strike the ball with a firm instep. In this exercise, the player strikes the ball about knee-high straight into the air without spin. With improvement, the player juggles with the same form. Hubert Vogelsinger used this drill extensively at his camps, which I attended.
Problems with this drill were highlighted at a shooting workshop I attended by a national coach. The instructor began the shooting training with the instep-juggling described above. Players were then instructed to shoot on goal with this same part of the instep they used in the instep juggling. Players failed to strike the ball with their instep without stubbing their toes or pushing them out wide to avoid stubbing them. This practice session did not improve the player’s shooting. The problem is that you cannot point your foot down with the ankle over the ball and strike the ball with the instep or laces without stubbing your toe since your foot is too long.
The instructor tried to fix this problem by advising players to shoot the ball with it sitting on a cone—so the ball was raised a few inches. In other words, he turned the shot into a volley.
The irony about Hubert’s instep-juggling drill is that Hubert had a perfect instep shot, as I, too, developed from attending many weeks of his camps. I believe Hubert was able to teach the proper instep because he offered a vital teaching step between juggling in the air and shooting off the ground.
Solution: See below.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick
Ronaldo’s (early) success scoring goals on free kicks using the inside of his upper instep to make the ball knuckle and dip over the wall has significantly influenced the soccer world. Players seek to emulate this style but with one difference. Instead of limiting this shooting style to free kicks, players seek to shoot this way in the run of play. However, it is difficult to strike the ball with the angled foot just right with the ball rolling away, and it is often unnecessary since, in the run of play, there usually isn’t a wall standing in front of the shooter. The attention required to orient one’s inner instep to the ball also seems to make this shot slower to execute.
I am not blaming Ronaldo for players shooting over the goal since he has one of the best shots in the world. Unfortunately, players pay more attention to the technique he uses from a dead ball situation than the technique he uses during the run of play. Solution: Correct players in the run of play when they shoot over the goal using Ronaldo’s inner, instep technique. Remind them that the only sure way to keep the ball low with power is to keep the ankle over the ball. See below for further insights about shooting correctly.
“The green carpet” Worn-out artificial turf provides minimal loft for the ball, making it even harder for players to hit it with the instep without pushing the toes out wide. The ball sits higher on a good grass field, providing more space between the ball and the hard undersurface. The ball also bounces more on artificial turf, making settling the ball for a shot more challenging. Solution: With good technique, players can shoot off turf just as well as on grass. Also, I use heavier Brine soccer balls for younger players playing on artificial turf since these balls settle to the ground better than lighter, bouncier balls. III. The Instep
In my book, Coaching Positional Soccer, I describe 7 shooting-movement exercises that help players ‘perfect’ their shooting.
Although there are many ways to score a goal with the instep, my focus is on shooting with the toe straight down and the ankle over the ball, which is the only way to ensure the ball stays low while shooting with full power. The more the toe points outward (creating a wedge), the more likely the ball will lift over the goal.
I will not go through every step of the shooting training, but I want to highlight two critical elements: the placement of the planting foot and the exact part of the foot that strikes the ball. The placement of the planting foot
The player should point the shooting foot straight down with the ankle locked. Aiming at the target, the planting foot should be the width of the player’s hand away from the shooting foot. The toe of the planting foot should be even with the toe of the shooting foot when it strikes the ball. This balanced position provides the right angles to strike the ball with the most power while keeping the ball low.
The place on the foot that strikes the ball Players should strike the ball lower on the foot toward the top of the big toe knuckle. Striking the ball lower on the foot allows the ankle to stay upright without the risk of stubbing the toe. This shooting style takes practice since players initially fear the foot bending backward and are used to striking the ball higher up the foot around the laces. However, once players can strike the ball lower on the foot, you will see an improvement in power and accuracy. Also (science alert), the lower the player strikes the ball on the foot, the greater the force due to the physics of rotational motion. The highest velocity of a swinging object is at the furthest point away from the object’s support or fulcrum. Therefore, when a leg swings, the highest velocity is at the furthest end of the foot, i.e., the top of the big toe knuckle.
Before shooting on goal, partners should practice the planting foot placement and the top of the big toe-knuckle shot by passing a couple of yards back and forth. Hubert used this instep-passing drill to perfect the body shape and foot strike. Naturally, I would lift my shooting foot in this drill to ensure I did not stub my toes since lowering the ankle was not an option with Hubert leering over my shoulder.
After the players hear a ‘thud’ passing the ball with the top of the big toe knuckle, they are ready to shoot on goal. If the shooting on goal does not go well, return to the short passing drill before shooting again. Once players can shoot on goal without pressure, add cones to dribble around before using actual defenders.
Please reach out if you have questions!
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