The number of reps matter. If a kid has only one ball to practice with, vs a kid that has 10 balls, and his pops can feed him balls all day long (vs having to chase down that one ball yourself)... big difference over time in how those kids will develop. You need the reps to improve accuracy. Think of golf driving ranges. Many reps are available to the public. The default way to practice your golf swing to shell out a few bucks and get a big buckets of balls. In soccer, if one wants to work on their shot, how awesome would it be if they could get a lot of balls, quickly ready to wack away at. I have seen machines that will shoot balls out but they are quite expensive. It would be great if I could go somewhere and get 50 soccer balls that are fed to me one by one (or sitting in an adjacent bin). And I don't have to chase them down. Not practical? Too fanciful? Would a service that provides this be something you would pay for? It comes down to numbers. Let's say with a "soccer ball driving range" you could get in 100 shots on goal in a hour, compared to say 30 shots, how valuable would that be? I would love it if that existed. It would help level the playing field.
Bounce-back walls/nets can help with this. Obviously not for shooting, but for passing/touches they're a big plus.
FORZA Soccer Rebound Wall (12ft x 6ft or 16ft x 7ft) – Dual-Sided Soccer Rebounder | Freestanding Spring-Loaded Soccer Rebound Net [Net World Sports] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017M32DKM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_F1p4EbE1RPKAX Great for shooting
I broke down and bought that Forza rebound wall a couple of summers ago after I couldn't figure out a way to build a full-size rebounding wall that didn't sound like a Howitzer when my teenage son blasted a ball off of it. I paid a little less than the price there, but it's been great. Re the soccer balls, we're more than a decade into the youth soccer experience between our two kids (and old-guy soccer -- I played until pretty recently, too) and have accumulated a good-size collection of size 5s, 4s, training balls, futsal balls, ... They all stay in the mix as long as they can hold air, but, while I like the idea of throwing a bunch of them out there for shooting, my son winds up just grabbing the ball or two that are his favorites (heavy soccer balls that don't float as much, which is what he sees in games) and sticks to those. He can't stand the lighter ones that are my preference (to avoid smashing my old goalkeeper hands).
That looks great for shorter shots. But what I'm ultimately seeking is a way to get many shots on goal from "far away" - say from various spots around the penalty box border. 18 yards or so from goal. And then also practicing various types of further kicks. Pings and stuff. Basically, akin to what you'd do at the driving range. Practicing many different types of shots, with various clubs, going various distances, imparting various spins. I see the golf club like the foot; the physics around how the foot hits the ball is similar to a club striking the golf ball. There are many many variables to explore. You can strike with many parts of the foot, from many angles/approach, and hitting various spots on the ball. If you add up the possible combinations, it is kind of overwhelming. I think many reps (many thousands) are needed to get skilled at this - to know with intent how to make the ball do what you want it to do. You have to know exactly which part of the foot is striking the ball. I'm working on accuracy myself. As I get older I want to be more efficient, less physical (to minimize injury risk). I've been doing many reps of a few basic shots, to try to get really accurate. It's working. Just a couple days ago, I showed up to a pickup game. I was lacing up as the game was going on; I observed that they were leaving the goals quite open. I'm thinking "why the heck aren't people taking shots". So as soon as I walk on the field, not even 30 seconds on, I get a pass, and from about 20 yards away, do any easy chip right into goal. Easy peasy. The past few months I have been doing this - going out on my own and just kicking into 2.5" puggs for about an hour. It reminds me of when I was trying to learn golf. But there is no driving range for soccer balls. But there should be!