Ive been playing soccer for a little bit now and ive been doing fine. In my games i always beat defenders and then get infront of goal but mess up on the easiest part and cant put away the goal. I either shoot high, wide or my shots weak. I dont know why i keep doing this. Are there any tips/drills etc. anyone can give me to help with this problem?
Work on it. Fix it. But don't beat yourself up about it. Finishing is absolutely NOT the easiest part. In fact it is a high level skill just like the rest of the ones you already have. Simple tips: Take lots of shots on your own every day. It doesn't matter how large/small the goal is when you apply the right technical principles in your practice - as a general rule, train yourself to shoot low to the far post. - shoot 'on frame' That means aim for just inside the frame of the goal. If you hit the posts/crossbars that is a good thing.
--Keep shots low; a keeper going to ground, is a keeper at a disadvantage. --Head the ball DOWN...Volley the ball DOWN. --When you shoot, never lean back, always angle forward to keep shot low. Knee over the ball. --On balls across the face of goal, preferably shoot with the first foot. Balls from the left, use left foot -- balls from the right, right foot. Consider balls across the face of goal as a volley opportunity. --Work on both feet so you can score equally well with both feet. --Work on one-timing the ball in close on all kids of balls...rolling, bouncing, rebounds --Get in the box!! --Shots from long range you want to drive with your instep. Learn to strike the ball from distance with minimal spin; it will then act like a knuckleball as it travels to goal. --However, most successful attempts are from inside the area. So, inside the 18, don't worry about driving the ball...instead PASS the ball to the net, but firmly, ideally to the far post side netting (inside the goal, of course). Finishing is more about accuracy than power. The great blasts into goal are great fun, of course, but in my view the best goals are the ones where, alone on goal or just the keeper to beat, the ball rolls oh-so-tantalizingly across the line. --Follow every shot; any shot can create a dangerous rebound. And follow the shots on a empty net too--shoot it, run after it, and only turn away after it has crossed the line. --Learn to chip the ball so it arcs only goal high...you will in your career have opportunities to get the ball over a sliding keeper. Finish them.
Quoting yourself may be one of the most arrogant things one could do on BigSoccer. But I wanted to REALLY emphasize this point. GOTTA AIM FOR THE FRAME when you train. BTW if you don't train on your own, don't expect to get it, because finishing is one thing you have got to develop habitually.
Aim at the goal, hit it hard, hit it low by leaning forward & staying on top of the ball. Sounds simple but let's examine the reverse. a) Aim at the post - Yep, a ton of shots are missed wide because players try to be too cute. That ain't Peter Cech in goal. Don't try to be perfect. b) Hit it hard - I see far too many well-placed shots stopped because the forward tries to guide the ball. Hit the damn thing!, c) Hit it low - The most common youth soccer error is to lean back & sky the ball over the net. Happens even with the pros sometimes.
We are not telling the young man not to shoot with proper technique are we? I have also seen a lot of kids try to catch a ball on top of their foot and play it right to the defender, or inside of the foot trap only to see the ball roll under their foot. Yes some techniques are more difficult than others, but the only way to learn at first is to learn the right way. When shooting 'at goal' often the Goalkeeper draws the attention - and conseqently the aim - of the shooter. This is how the funky psychadelic GK shirts started. Young man - aim for the frame. Aiming for the frame is not about 'going for the corners', it is about training the mind to focus on the goal - not the GK.
Sounds like your taking your eye off the ball. Why are you shooting when your close enough to finish? You finish in the area you shoot outside the area. Finishing is putting location on your finish you pass when you finish. You want to do something to get the keeper to move left or right then when he does it you put the ball where he left.
Yes, visualization. Visual yourself slotting the ball into a corner. First the left side then the right. Do this over and over again. Then practice it for hours. On game day, do more visualization. You won't fail, because you've already done it correctly in your mind!
Wanted to pick up on visualization. Used to play with a guy who whenever he shot, he would shout "tsin!" He was quite adept at scoring and after many goals, I questioned him about what he was saying. He said that he vusualizes the ball crossing the goal line and before shooting shouts to himself "it's in!" Instead of hoping or wishing the ball over the goal line or hoping or wishing he doesn't miss, he approached his finishing wih a positive attitude. Can't say this is guaranteed but its worth a try.
I used to have the same problem, i skewed me 1v1's all the time. I recently learned the secret - backpost low. If you are comin' in at full speed, the keeper is gonna be comin' out fast, always just put it on the ground to the backpost past the keeper it's gold - works nearly every time. Just try to concentrate on a certain point of the goal when comin' in and put it there - it's simple once you get it.
I've been pretty succesful with finishing (22 goals in 21 games for Varsity). If im in the 18, I pass the ball with the inside of my foot. I tune out everything but the goalie. Most goalies are scared out of their mind when you're inside the 18 so thats when you really gotta be confident and capitalize on your oppurtunity. Like I said, just be CONFIDENT and know that you have a greater chance of scoring than the goalie has of stopping you. Follow through with your shot even if you fall on your butt...nobody will care if you fall cause you just scored a goal! As far as shooting from far out...just make sure you got a reasonably clear shot and hit the ball as hard as you can on frame and try to keep it from spinning as an earlier poster said. Also if you can, watch how the goalie plays in warm-ups and see what his/her tendencies are. Good luck!
You can also work on finishing in stages as well. Work on practicing alone (no GK), 12 yds out, pushing the ball forward and placing the ball to the corners. (Start with accuracy, then progress to a harder struck shot...but always aiming for the corners.) Then go out to 18 yds, dribble in a few steps, head up to see the goal, aim for corners, place your shot. Now come from 25 yds out, full sprinting speed, get to the 18, head up, push it the last time, aim for corner, and place your shot. Once you can do these steps confidently...go onto the next stage. For the next stage: Repeat the same process...but add in a GK. (12 yds, 18 yds, 25 yds.) Build up your confidence going 1v1 against the GK. Once you're confident in this stage, go onto the next stage. The last stage is to add a defender. (Start from 12..with defender static..push ball past defender to shoot; then go 18 with defender at 50%, then go 25 with defender 75%, then finally 25 yds with defender 100%.) The idea is to go 1v1 against a defender, get past the defender, then its you vs the GK, and then finishing to the corners. This type of development can take a while...but by repeating the steps, after a while it becomes second nature. Just keep positive about the whole thing, and remember to practice...practice...practice.... Best of luck...
i use to have the same problems in my finishing to. try positioning ur opposite foot beside the ball n strike with ur laces make sure tht ur body is over the ball so tht ur not leaning back for the shot to go high. if u are looking for a higher shot postion just postion ur body further bac not all shots r meant to be struck hard tho, try placing the ball at times it ensures ur accuracy