More Effective Coaching: Shooting

More Effective Coaching: Shooting

Too often we see shooting sessions done badly. Line drills are often utilised, being seen as the only resort. How can we give everyone a turn when we only have one goal? You may only have limited goals or balls, but that doesn’t mean you should also miss out on the realism, the game intensity, and any form of challenging aspect that will groom your players into improvement.

Line drills should be illegal. Not every coach is fortunate enough to have done the new FA Youth Award, but that doesn’t mean we can’t share our knowledge. The old fashioned shooting drill goes along the lines of having one player in goal, and the rest lined up behind a cone, shooting one at a time. Sometimes the coach may lay the ball off, sometimes there may be a defender, sometimes you may have to compete for the ball before shooting, but how much do you really learn?

Can your players score in an open goal, unopposed from fifteen yards? Even our grandmothers can. How often does that happen in a game? It’s very rare, so let’s practice the situations that occur far more regularly. How about repetitions? If you’ve got to wait for ten other players to have their shot, collect the ball, wait for the keeper to get up and be ready, how many attempts on goal will you have over ten minutes of practice? Three maybe? Most players need at least three shots just to warm up.

What would make it more realistic? Defenders being in the way and closing you down, the ball coming to you from different angles and different speeds, receiving the ball with different parts of your body, receiving the ball in different areas of the field, having your options greatly closed down (rather than the whole goal to aim for, you may only have one corner), and even having players to pass to when the shot is not on (do we want to teach our players to shoot when it is not actually a shooting opportunity)? So now we’re affecting their decision making, changing variables, and creating obstacles. Much like a real game, you now have so much to think about, it isn’t just a case of looking at the goal and kicking the ball.

“But Will, I’m working with younger players, we’re looking more at technique at the moment rather than decision making, I need to do something simple”. Does that mean that a line drill is your only option? Of course not. Remember that line drills are illegal. How many goals do you have available? Can you split your players into smaller groups? If you don’t have goals, can you get them to set goals up with cones, bibs, bags, parents etc. Groups of two or three, with a ball and a goal per group would be ideal. This makes the session far more effective, meaning that each player experiences more repetitions.

Here I’m going to share some of the best, and my most favourite shooting drills, explaining how they are effective, and what situation they are best used with. I will also compare them with FA tutor marking guides, demonstrating just how good they are. 

Use activities that support the principles of play.	The game encourages build up play, having the attacker move around to create space to receive a pass. The players will look to play forward where possible, but must keep possession when the shot or pass to the forward is not available.
Encourage responsibility, decision making, and problem solving.	The attackers, if not receiving the ball, must now move to create space and create angles to shoot. If the attacker is not in a position to receive the ball, can one of the midfielders step up and take the shot? In the drills, the shooter must think about what shot to use, and what to do with their first touch, taking into consideration the speed, positioning and angle of the defender’s approach.
Develop opportunities for all players to experiment and practice.	In the game, all players should be given a turn in midfield and attack. In the drills, all players will have plenty of opportunities to experiment and practice, as they are given free range to make their own decisions.
Interesting and fun.	Everybody loves shooting, and the players will care more about putting goals past their teammates than anything else.
Appropriate work to rest ratio.	The shooter will have the most intense workout throughout the drills, and will be shooting only 33% of the time.
How to effectively manage the difference in the group.	During the drills, the less able and developed players will be grouped together. Now the kid with the rocket shot does not have to hold back when firing at the space cadet in goal.
Effective and realistic organisation.	Effective in that working in threes gives everyone lots of turn. Rather than one ball between twelve or fifteen, there is one ball between three. Rather than waiting in line, the non-shooting players are now practicing their goalkeeping and defending (much better than standing there and picking their nose).
Additional Notes	I would most likely add a goalkeeper at both ends during the final game. Once the attacker has beaten the defender, scoring in the open goal is not much of a challenge.

Use activities that support the principles of play.	It encourages players to go direct go goal, and also to turn and attempt to go another direction when their route is blocked
Encourage responsibility, decision making, and problem solving.	The players have to make up their mind which direction to go when being opposed. Will they shoot from distance and risk missing the goal, or take the ball nearer and risk being out of balls by the time they return? When it comes to the game at the end, are they going to be more attacking or defensive?
Develop opportunities for all players to experiment and practice.	Each player has a ball and will have plenty of attempts, experiencing a lot of trial and error throughout the exercise. From this they will learn different techniques, and which the best strategy to use is.
Interesting and fun.	Being first to the ball, possibly not having another go if they don’t hurry, trying to score more goals than their teammates, what kid wouldn’t love it?
Appropriate work to rest ratio.	Players are allowed to go at their own pace. They can go slower if they like, but may not score many goals. During the game, the time they are on the field will be intense, and they will have plenty of rest after each turn.
How to effectively manage the difference in the group.	The coach calls the numbers, and can pair stronger players with each other. If one player is destroying another in head to heads, the coach can pass the ball into play nearer to the weaker player. During the drills, with a ball each, the slower players will not hold back the faster players.
Effective and realistic organisation.	Plenty of repetitions, meaning plenty of practice. The 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 situations that will be created during the game will provide realistic game intensity.
Additional Notes	Personally I would not use the end game for too long. If the coach calls numbers 1 and 2, what are numbers 3, 4, 5 and 6 doing? Not playing football. It’s a fun game, but is much more for younger players. They will love it. Perhaps in the drill, put in a shooting line, where the players cannot shoot once they have crossed the line. This will dissuade them from dribbling all the way into an empty net.

 

Use activities that support the principles of play.	The game encourages players to shoot as soon as an opportunity arises. It was Wayne Gretsky who said “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. As long as players aren’t trying to turn and shoot through crowds of players, a shoot on sight mentality is not a bad philosophy. For one, it can take opponents by surprise. The drills encourage players to keep possession until a shooting opportunity arises. Because they are not under pressure to release the ball, they can pass until the defenders have been pulled out of position. From there, they can aim for the corners, as the side goals have the incentive of scoring more points.
Encourage responsibility, decision making, and problem solving.	All players have the responsibility to defend. They are all expected to shoot, but must also do all they can to block shots. This dissuades players from switching off once the shot has been taken. Responsibility also has to be taken when one player has the shot. If they don’t score, they are relieving possession, so they have to decide whether it is best to shoot or pass the ball to a teammate in a better position.
Develop opportunities for all players to experiment and practice.	During the first drill, all players have balls, and all players have the opportunity to shoot and to practice. From the progression, they will experience risk and reward. Should I have passed to someone else? Even though it looks difficult, can I score from here?
Interesting and fun.	The chance to score against your friends, and also to stop them from scoring, is a huge incentive to any player. The points system for the middle and wide goals makes the players aim for the corners, with the reward of more points.
Appropriate work to rest ratio.	None of the drills, nor the game are overly strenuous.
How to effectively manage the difference in the group.	If during the game, only the same players are shooting, the strongest and weakest players can be conditioned. The strongest can be asked to shoot with their weaker foot, and for the weakest, the team must pass to them before they can shoot, or even introduce a safe zone, which anyone can enter, and from there they cannot be challenged.
Effective and realistic organisation.	In the first two drills, the goals are very wide, but it will encourage players to aim wide, consider their options, and think and look for the best shooting opportunities. Lots of repetitions are to be had throughout, with the interference from opposing players creating the realism of a crowded penalty box.
Additional Notes	When in groups of more than twelve, try to set up two small games side by side. The idea is that in these small games, more players get more turns. If this turns into a big game, then the weaker players will hide, which is what we are trying to avoid. When not shooting, the other players are looking at how to defend, and working out how to aid their teammates by creating space or passing the ball effectively.

Use activities that support the principles of play.	The game encourages players to be first to the ball, and for the team to score more goals than their opposition. When defenders and goalkeepers are added, a lot more in game situations are created.
Encourage responsibility, decision making, and problem solving.	Every player must try to score a goal. Missing will hurt the fortunes of your team. Players must be alert and ready to go, or else their lack of concentration will negatively affect others. During the drills, the players must decide which type of shot to use, and what method is best or the most effective at beating the goalkeeper.
Develop opportunities for all players to experiment and practice.	Working in pairs or in threes will be mean lots and lots of repetitions, providing lots of opportunities to practice and develop. The players can experiment with the different techniques when trying to beat the goalkeeper.
Interesting and fun.	Keeping score, shooting past your friends in goal, and the race to be first to the ball will keep your players heavily engaged.
Appropriate work to rest ratio.	The race to the ball will be intense, and players will have the chance to rest in between turns.
How to effectively manage the difference in the group.	Group the weakest players together, and the strongest players together. Ensure that during the game, equal paced and equal skilled players are opposite numbers.
Effective and realistic organisation.	The drills will provide a lot of repetitions, specifically great for teaching and encouraging different techniques. The game throws up many 1v1 situations, creating a game intensity.
Additional Notes	I would not suggest doing this game with more than eight, maybe ten players. What are the other players doing while their number is not being called out. They’re certainly not practicing their shooting, effectively making this a line drill, and we want to avoid those. It’s good fun, and forces a lot of competition, but more players means a longer wait between turns. If there is a big group, and you want to play this game, set up two smaller fields side by side, and have another coach or parent administer the other game.

Use activities that support the principles of play.	The game sees players both attacking and defending. They must also be quick to react and quick to think, and never let their concentration drop. The players with the ball have to search for opportunities to score, which could include running with the ball or dribbling.
Encourage responsibility, decision making, and problem solving.	If the players are struggling to knock the cones over, they will have to think and find the reason why. Are they kicking the ball too hard? Are they kicking from too far away? Are they running too fast with the ball? Are they using an inappropriate part of the foot? During the game, the decision making comes from searching for a goal to go and attack.
Develop opportunities for all players to experiment and practice.	All players within this session will receive plenty of chances to shoot. There is a very high amount of repetitions to be experienced throughout.
Interesting and fun.	The cranes and bulldozers theme adds to what is a fantastically entertaining drill, though more aimed at younger players.
Appropriate work to rest ratio.	This can be quite intense, but rests will be gained in between turns, when the cones have to be put back up or tidied.
How to effectively manage the difference in the group.	The stronger players will be encouraged to knock over the cones with their weaker foot. For the game, players will be paired according to ability.
Effective and realistic organisation.	The idea of knocking over all the cones creates repetition of shooting techniques. While making a game out of it, the cranes picking the cones back up, means that all players effectively have a ballboy following them. Time is not spent wasted on tidying the area because to do so is now part of the competition.
Additional Notes	Make sure that you have a lot of tall cones. This is aimed at younger kids. The older they are, the less time you need to spend on technique, and the more time you need to spend on decision making.

Use activities that support the principles of play.	Play forward where possible, by shooting when the chance is available. Keep possession when the chance does not present itself, and use passing and movement to create scoring opportunities.
Encourage responsibility, decision making, and problem solving.	Players must take responsibility when shooting. Every time you shoot you risk losing possession for the team. Do you have a strong chance of scoring by taking the shot? Players will have to consider their options before unleashing. If you lose the ball, being part of the attack and the defence, it is also your responsibility to win the ball back. A common problem in this game is that the goalhanger sometimes blocks the shots too often. Players must figure out that they need to create space to be able to shoot effectively, and that a good pass or set saves time by not having to control an awkward pass.
Develop opportunities for all players to experiment and practice.	The drills allow for all the players to attempt plenty of shots. Whilst not shooting, the players will be able to experiment by going in goal. It may be something they do not experience very often. During the game, all players should rotate, giving everyone a chance to be the goalhanger.
Interesting and fun.	In the game you are encouraging players to shoot from distance. You can see top of the range top corner goals in this game, inspiring the other players to try their hardest to also achieve this feat.
Appropriate work to rest ratio.	The drills are not too strenuous, and the game is not too intense, as the team in possession usually greatly outnumbers their immediate opponents.
How to effectively manage the difference in the group.	Encourage the better players to shoot with their weaker foot or to try different techniques. Better still, why not make a points system? One point if the goalhanger scores, two if you score from your own half, four if you score with your weaker foot, and five if you curve, swerve, or volley the ball. The weaker players will try to score normally, and will be rewarded for doing so. The better players will wish to score more points, and so will try the techniques and skills they can’t quite do yet.
Effective and realistic organisation.	The halves should be about fifteen to twenty yards, from goal to half. This means players are now shooting from ‘edge of the box’ distance. Everyone on the pitch is in shooting distance at all times. Because of the overload in each half, the attacking team will create a lot of opportunities to shoot, giving each player plenty of repetitions.
Additional Notes	The game in this session is by far my favourite shooting practice. As a player I enjoy it very much, getting plenty of opportunities to shoot. As a coach, it serves many intervention opportunities, and many opportunities to dive in and coach the topic. Plus, the player in me always comes out when coaching, as I love to do shooting demonstrations.

Use activities that support the principles of play.	The competition in both these games can become incredibly intense. With a time limit, or with the need to win to carry on playing, it creates real game intensity. In the practice on the left, the players will look to shoot on sight, and it is sure to create lots of rebounds. In the drill on the right, the players will firstly look to see if they can chip their opponents. This will mean both teams now play long and wide, defending deep, and attacking as a unity. When a team cannot shoot, or is under pressure, they will look to play the ball wide to keep possession.
Encourage responsibility, decision making, and problem solving.	In the drill on the left, players will have to come up with a strategy. When defending, do you try to keep possession, or just kick everything that moves? When attacking, what is your plan? If you keep possession too much, you may never shoot. If you always shoot, you will waste your time by going to retrieve too many missed shots. On the right, are you going to defend high or deep? Do you press the ball and win it high and nearer the goal? Should you try to shoot at every opportunity because there is no keeper?
Develop opportunities for all players to experiment and practice.	In both drills, all players are involved. Even when not attacking, they are either goalkeeping, defending, or looking at ways to create goalscoring opportunities. Particularly on the right practice, the players will attempt every technique under the sun, and will be very creative and inventive on their ways to score goals.
Interesting and fun.	The competition is intense. All players will want to win, and all players will have their chance in the spotlight. Everyone is involved at all times, so they are always engaged. The great goals and the wonderful attempts that you will witness will keep everyone entertained for hours.
Appropriate work to rest ratio.	During the practice on the right, the 3v3 will be very intense, and the time on the side spent as wall passers will be very much appreciated by worn out players.
How to effectively manage the difference in the group.	Make sure that all teams are equal, containing the same number of attackers and defenders, and strong and weak players. In both games, the team in possession is always the majority in the overload, meaning that the weaker players will always have lots of options to pass to. If it really comes to a point where it is needed, then a safe zone can be shoved in, where a player is allowed to take the ball, and be unopposed for three seconds.
Effective and realistic organisation.	In both games, you are always within shooting distance. This means that time is spent on shooting, and there is not too much unwarranted build-up play. Only a couple of passes will be needed before a team can carve out a chance to score. Due to the overload, every player should have plenty of chances to shoot. And like a real game, no two scoring opportunities will be the same.
Additional Notes	Two fantastic practices. The one on the left is an FA Youth Module practice, and all my players have thoroughly enjoyed it. The one on the right comes from my time spent watching sessions at Aldershot Town, watching the younger groups. The players loved it so much, the coach actually scrapped the plans for the rest of the session, and for next week too. What’s great about both drills is that everyone is involved and no one is stood round. They are all involved, they are all engaged, they can all receive the ball at any time, and they all have an incentive. The incentive for the defenders on the left drill to work hard is to stop the other teams from scoring, so that when it is their turn to attack, they can score more points than their opponents and win the game. The incentive for the outside players/wall passers on the right practice is that if they help create goals, the two teams playing will leave the field quicker, meaning that they can get on and play sooner.

Use activities that support the principles of play.	The simple objective is to get the ball down quick and play, try to score as quick as possible, and take the opponents by surprise.
Encourage responsibility, decision making, and problem solving.	Players will have to take responsibility when deciding to go alone, or to assist their teammate. The pair shooting don’t have time to discuss and debate who should retrieve a ball, and so each time, one player must take it upon them to go and get a ball. Sometimes the player with the ball may be isolated from their teammate. How would they get out of that situation? When in and around the penalty area, we are looking for players with that touch of magic. The players on the outside will also be able to take responsibility by calling the attacker to receive a pass when it is obvious that they don’t see it.
Develop opportunities for all players to experiment and practice.	Everyone gets a turn to shoot and create scoring opportunities. Each attacking pair has twelve attempts in each round. While not attacking and trying to score goals, players will have to defend, go in goal, or to help assist the attacking players into scoring goals. They will take on roles and responsibilities that they don’t often have.
Interesting and fun.	Being one of four teams, only having a set number of attempts, beating your teammates, and scoring some great goals, will be a lot of fun.
Appropriate work to rest ratio.	The three wall passers will play very low intensity, and will therefore get a lot of rest. Don’t forget time spent collecting the balls between each go.
How to effectively manage the difference in the group.	Make sure that no pairs are stacked. Perhaps give each pair a player to designate as a secret weapon. Whilst keeping score from your limit of twelve balls, choose the weaker player as the secret weapon. Now if the weaker player scores, it counts as two goals, rather than one.
Effective and realistic organisation.	The ball comes in at different angles and speeds, much like entry into the box during a game. The defenders will defend frantically as if their lives depend on it because it is a competition. The defenders will want to keep the score low, making it easier for them to beat when it is their turn. With more balls, you never have to spend ages retrieving them. That can all be done together at the end of each turn. Due to the relative size of the area, there will be lots of shooting opportunities.
Additional Notes	I saw this done on a UEFA B course, and I have coached and played it since. It is a lot of fun. All players are involved, and therefore everyone has an incentive, as they are greatly affecting the competition. Encourage the players to be greatly creative when trying to score. In a game, if you waited too long to shoot, the defence would call, and reinforcements would be on their way.

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Some of these drills are better than others, and they are aimed at different players. You will have read them and thought that some may be too complex, or too easy for your group. Take from this what you will, and if it helps even just a tiny bit, then that is a success. I hate to look at other coaching sessions and see kids stood there doing nothing. That’s time spent not playing football, and time spent not improving their skills. How can we use them? What can we have them doing while they are not shooting? Is it better for them to learn their passing, defending, or goalkeeping? Or to stand there scratching their arse?

And remember that it is not just “head over the ball, use your laces, kick through the ball” that is important, but off the ball movement, the set pass, and the ability to create the shooting opportunity. You can teach anyone to shoot properly, but can you teach them to shoot at appropriate times, and with a defender closing them down?

In order to create game intensity, it is important to give all players an incentive. When doing something along the lines of Attack v Defence, what do the Defence do? Win the ball from the Attack, stop, then give it back to them? That sounds like wicked fun. Try really hard, only to give it back to them so they can have another go. After one or two turns, the intensity will drop. Can the Defence score a goal once they win the ball? Can the Defence’s performance or score affect their score for when they attack? Will winning the ball mean that they now become the attacking team? By giving them a target to achieve, or something to win, they will play at a much higher intensity.

And remember kids, line drills are illegal.