Shoot it Shoot it!!!

[Alejo]

You who were in attendance at the Championship game heard me yell many times at various players "Shoot!!!"

This thread is based on the little monologue I exchanged with a few of you, including Mad,Mgray and Violet, at the viewing party, and it is more or less just a very broad question that I, being the still inexperienced football community member that i am, have been bashing my head about for some time now.

The question is. "WHO WHAT WHERE HOW OR WHY began the trend to pass the ball in the box, or in the opponents half of the pitch in general, when the better option would be to SHOOT THE F***ing ball and at least test the bloody keeper and potentially get a corner, or even better a deflection and an easy goal as a result?

How many of us have seen videos, highlights, and even witnessed first hand a striker/forward/Mid/Darring defender or Sweeper take a shot from as far out as 20-30 yards and put it on the goally?

And it's not just one team, one level of play, or one league or country even that has this apparent epidemic of Unselfishnesitis.

[CR#7]

God I feel your pain! I've been saying the same thing for years.

My son just quit soccer at the ripe old age of 9 because the coach told him he was too selfish. Seems his idea that getting the ball into the back of the net was the jest of the game was not in line with the coach's idea. Now, I can understand if you are just killing the other team and not wanting to bash kid's confidence that you would want the kids to pass the ball around and avoid scoring enourmous amounts of goals agains less than quality opponents. But, apparently my son's ability to actually come close to some of Cristiano's moves or at least try was just too annoying for the coach and not in his game plan. Now mind you, he was a forward and only got the ball in his offensive third (if he was lucky...they are just learning you know) so it's not like he was trying to dribble the entire team from one end of the field to the other. I think we are stifling the creativity of the youngsters. I keep hearing that we just don't have 'true' forwards and creative midfielders.........well hell no we don't, their coaches are screaming at them if they try to do anything other than pass it to the coach's son to score. Ok, now that I've got that out of my system, I can have a somewhat intelligent discussion.

But, I am wondering if the incidences that we experienced in the last year have been experienced by other youngsters and therefore they are afraid to do anything but 'play as a team' and don't know when they should be 'selfish'. I guess if they get screamed at everytime they take a shot and miss, that would kinda deter them from doing it. It has to be something wrong in the system of coaching because as you say, it is rampant in all leagues and levels.

[Alejo]

But, I am wondering if the incidences that we experienced in the last year have been experienced by other youngsters and therefore they are afraid to do anything but 'play as a team' and don't know when they should be 'selfish'. I guess if they get screamed at everytime they take a shot and miss, that would kinda deter them from doing it. It has to be something wrong in the system of coaching because as you say, it is rampant in all leagues and levels.


but it's not just youngsters, experienced players have been doing it do.

And speeking of Cristian and "selfish" others like him, Rooney, Berbatov, Henry and representing our own league Felix Garcia and that #10 for TB on Saturday night, I may not like any of them very much but damn do I respect their guts to take shots wherever, and whenever, theny get even a slim opening.

And as for fans/outside influencers screeming at strikers, and shooters in general, for missing soo badly, as for me I will always take the shooters side in that argument, "At least they tried" :D

[mgrayscale]

Blackburn will tell you that one of my frustrations with the 08 Aztex PDL club in the first half of the season was with ball management. They would pass too many times, or pass on a shot on goal for one reason or another. Even watching the China v. Belgium game yesterday, you saw the Chinese pass too many times on shots that would've gone in had they taken the more selfish approach. The Japanese do the same thing, as I believe in this case it's more cultural than practiced.

I see too many times where a player will get into a position that they can "pull the trigger" and they don't. Instead, there's one too many touches or an additional pass that results in the defense being able to shift to cover any holes. I see many more situations like this than someone that is too "selfish". Frankly, if the player (whatever the age) can put the ball in the back of the net, do it. If they are doing it to go up 10-0, and goal differential isn't a factor, then maybe you need to pull back in one way or another. However, a coach telling a kid they're too "selfish" sounds like a coach who needs to use alternative method.

[Native Aztexan]

Blackburn will tell you that one of my frustrations with the 08 Aztex PDL club in the first half of the season was with ball management. They would pass too many times, or pass on a shot on goal for one reason or another. Even watching the China v. Belgium game yesterday, you saw the Chinese pass too many times on shots that would've gone in had they taken the more selfish approach. The Japanese do the same thing, as I believe in this case it's more cultural than practiced.

Part of the problem of this is that players feel that being "selfish" on the ball might show a lack of teamwork among the players. Somehow youth coaches had a bad habit of teaching them to pass the ball too much but never teaching them enough to shoot or cross the ball accurately. For one thing they need to learn to have confidence in shooting and not be too hesitant on the ball. The coaches are teaching a cautionary approach to the game that might give the youth a signal than their only talent attribute is being good at passing but not at scoring. Just look how Nowak is treating Freddy Adu's progress as a soccer player when he was with D.C. & now with the U-23.

[Budaztex]

Any coach who would call a 9 year old "selfish" to his face needs to find something better to do. CR - question, did this motivate you to go into coaching yourself, or this that not possible? Soccer needs people who will encourage our younger players, when they get into the U15 - U18 range, then it gets kind of serious. My complaint is ref's that take away some of the aggressiveness our youth teams. When your kid goes overseas to play, like Italy or Mexico, those guys play rough.

[Madmartigen]

And as for fans/outside influencers screeming at strikers, and shooters in general, for missing soo badly, as for me I will always take the shooters side in that argument, "At least they tried" :D

I am a fan of the quick shooter. I love seeing Steven Gerrard rear back and kick one from half.

Good thread, Alejo. I have seen a lot of coaches emphasize passing above all else, almost to the point that the kids don't even know how to shoot. (They think shooting the ball is sticking your foot out to deflect.) The drills that some coaches run never involve running down field and shooting. That was one of the most basic drills I used to run. I don't know how it has managed to make it all the way to the top flight teams, though. It must be a large culture shift.

[FrogHammer]

I sounds simple but I don't think it is. Take basketball, for example. You are coached to pass the ball around in order to find a high-percentage shot. If you just keep dribbling up the the three point line and hitting bricks you are going to be on the bench pretty soon. As a former striker I can tell you that we are normally VERY selfish and desperate to score as many goals as possible. There isn't a lot of time in the box to get a good shot off very often.

[willyaddy]

Putting the ball in the net is an art form. Be it from the midline, off a rebound, mild deflection with the noggin, or simply a toe poke in traffic. My premise has always been, let shooters shoot and let the others distribute.

Having played at many levels I remember most of the goal scorers were typically crappy practice guys per se. It is like basketball, you can't teach a someone to become a scorer. A good striker should be praised regardless and coached on shot selection and the such. Don't mitigate a particular mentality by claiming selfishness.

I am not a goal hawk, except in the air on set pieces. I am far more frustrated when a striker doesn't shoot from 25 than when they hit a slow roller from 12. Teach tactics and skill and natural strikers will show themselves. Nuture their gift in games and keep working on tactics/skills in training. However, never should you refer to a player as selfish as it kills the spirit. Explain shot selection and build confidence in that equation.

[Alejo]

My premise has always been, let shooters shoot and let the others distribute.

I am far more frustrated when a striker doesn't shoot from 25 than when they hit a slow roller from 12. Teach tactics and skill and natural strikers will show themselves. Nuture their gift in games and keep working on tactics/skills in training. However, never should you refer to a player as selfish as it kills the spirit. Explain shot selection and build confidence in that equation.


A freakin men willy and GODDESS WILLING, Adrean, Wolfgang, or at least a few of our players, will get word of this conversation by the time next season rolls around. :D