shooting help(placement, technique, etc)

[ahhdidas]

forgive me if this is the wrong place to post this :rolleyes:
well when we take our shooting drills, my coach stands on top of the
half circle on the top of the 18.
the players (near the midway line) gives a crisp pass to the coach.
the coach directs to his left or right and depending on which side he decides to lay
the ball off, we shoot. so basically if its to the player's left side, left and vice versa.
well my only question is whenever i shoot it, i tend to sky one up the goal or better yet,
have a low one that has no power even though i run at full speed and lift my leg up high
right as i come down on the ball to strike it.
coach said im leaning back too far thats why i sky it so next time up i lean forward and
my shot was rather weak.
i always have trouble on shooting for some reason with my right foot (dominant foot) but my left
tends to better at curving and placement while when i kick with my right, its all power.
so basically i need help on placing the ball without skying it up high and just having good form
i guess. anything else that you think might help, feel free.
thanks for reading and well hopefully you help!:D

[BigGuy]

when we take our shooting drills, my coach stands on top of the
half circle on the top of the 18.
the players (near the midway line) gives a crisp pass to the coach.
the coach directs to his left or right and depending on which side he decides to lay
the ball off, we shoot. "

So when you touch the ball your within the 18 and not further out right?

You finish from this distance further out past the 18 your shooting.

Main thing in shooting is put the shot on frame.

Main thing in finishing is put location on your finish to score.

"well my only question is whenever i shoot it, i tend to sky one up the goal or better yet,
have a low one that has no power"

Are you one touching the ball or do you two touch the ball?

When to do what depends on the direction the ball is moving off his pass.

If the pass is moving toward your target you can one touch it. Hit the center of the ball not low on the ball hit low the ball is going to go up.

If the pass is not moving toward your target two touch it. The first touch get's the ball moving toward your target then second touch you finish.

Practice that I will bet you green money your touches in general on the finishwill be more accurate.

"coach said im leaning back too far thats why i sky it so next time up i lean forward and
my shot was rather weak."

That is true but also take notice after the shot are you landing on your kicking foot?

When shooting in normal situations you want a quick shot and you might not want to land on the Kicking foot you might want top spin on the ball instead to keep the shot from going over the goal. Hit with your laces on the center of the ball but do not land on the kicking foot the ball should dip down.

----------

When your within 18 yards of goal just pass the ball into the goal don't have to shoot. Before you pass do something to get the keeper to move from his left to right or from his right to let. Then as he starts this movement pass where he left. He won't be able to stop and change directions before you score.

Pass into the side netting. Get him to move then pass where he left or into side netting.

Placement accuracy matters more then power on finishing and again finish is 18 yards or closer.

Practice all that I said then come back here and let me know how it worked?

[ctsoccer13]

If your right foot dominate and you are kicking better with your left foot (but curving it) you are kicking it differently. With your left foot you probably aren't kicking with your laces but more with the inside of the foot or to the side of the laces. If you are leaning over the ball and striking with your right but not getting much power it sounds as if you aren't locking your ankle or you are leaning too far over the ball, taking away the momentum of your leg. I tend to agree with the above comment that within the 18 you might want to start with placement rather than power, but obviously you still need to work on power striking. Hitting the ball correctly is as much a mental exercise as it is a physical exercise. Pay attention to where you are striking the ball (ie. dead center, to the right, to the left, etc.) and where your placement foot is. If the placement foot is behind the ball, guess what, it's most likely going up, up, up. Keep practicing, it will come.

[masshysteria]

A few thoughts:

The ball is moving toward the goal in this drill as are you. Your first touch probably isn't taking enough pace off the ball or controlling it well enough. This results in you stepping behind the ball with your planting foot and in effect, your kicking foot and body are reaching for the ball. This results in "skying" the ball and a leaned back body.

Your coach is correct in saying that you need to get your body over the ball, but that is really diagnosing a symptom and not the cause.

Try this instead:

You know where the goal is, so don't look at it... at all! Trust yourself, you will find the goal. Instead, follow the ball with your eyes at all times.

Work hard to get a quality first touch. You don't want to be chasing the ball, but putting the ball in a position to shoot. This is easier said than done, but essential for being able to "finish." In your spare time, practice juggling with your feet only. Your goal here is to have a good touch and great control.

Now that the ball is going where you want it and at a reasonable (read: slow) pace, look right next to it where your planting foot should go. By looking at it, you will step there. Brilliant, right?

Finally, point your toe down on your kicking foot, keep your shoulders forward, make contact with your laces, and let your foot go right through the ball.

A great way to work up to this to start with a stationary ball. Don't run up to the ball to shoot, but instead take one step while looking at the spot you want to plant your foot.

Next kick the ball out in front of you and practice the same thing with a moving ball.

Finally, kick the ball up to a juggle and then bring it back down out in front of you for the shot. Make sure to look where you want your planting foot to go.

Hope this helps. If not, post again. ;)

[Coach_Barry]

A few thoughts:

The ball is moving toward the goal in this drill as are you. Your first touch probably isn't taking enough pace off the ball or controlling it well enough. This results in you stepping behind the ball with your planting foot and in effect, your kicking foot and body are reaching for the ball. This results in "skying" the ball and a leaned back body.

Your coach is correct in saying that you need to get your body over the ball, but that is really diagnosing a symptom and not the cause.

Try this instead:

You know where the goal is, so don't look at it... at all! Trust yourself, you will find the goal. Instead, follow the ball with your eyes at all times.

Work hard to get a quality first touch. You don't want to be chasing the ball, but putting the ball in a position to shoot. This is easier said than done, but essential for being able to "finish." In your spare time, practice juggling with your feet only. Your goal here is to have a good touch and great control.

Now that the ball is going where you want it and at a reasonable (read: slow) pace, look right next to it where your planting foot should go. By looking at it, you will step there. Brilliant, right?

Finally, point your toe down on your kicking foot, keep your shoulders forward, make contact with your laces, and let your foot go right through the ball.

A great way to work up to this to start with a stationary ball. Don't run up to the ball to shoot, but instead take one step while looking at the spot you want to plant your foot.

Next kick the ball out in front of you and practice the same thing with a moving ball.

Finally, kick the ball up to a juggle and then bring it back down out in front of you for the shot. Make sure to look where you want your planting foot to go.

Hope this helps. If not, post again. ;)

This is the best explanation I have read in a long time. It is the same message (about the importance of the plant foot) that I give the kids all the time, but your explanation is concise and detailed. Thanks for posting.

[masshysteria]

This is the best explanation I have read in a long time. It is the same message (about the importance of the plant foot) that I give the kids all the time, but your explanation is concise and detailed. Thanks for posting.

Thanks. This summer I'm coaching a U17 girls team where 7 of the players have never played soccer before. I've had to distill shooting down to the absolute basics and then give them one piece of advice they can always remember. That piece of advice has become "look at where you want you planting foot to go."

But the lack of player skill has really forced me to stretch and grow as a coach, so I can't complain.