A Quick Shooting Activity From An Angle
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity is a quick shooting activity working on coming in from an angle. The book A Year in the Championship: A complete season of training sessions with Millwall FC shows similar type of activities where they take a simple activity and alter it to make it more effective.
Frequently we see teams do a simple shooting activity where a coach or player stands near the top of the 18 and there is a line of players with balls.
The first player passes into the coach who lays the ball off for a first time shot.
One problem I have with this activity is the person who gets the most touches on the ball is frequently a coach (the person at the top of the 18). Another issue I have is it’s frequently quite static in that one player passes, runs, shoots…and then the next player goes. At the very least, this should be done one right after the other so it’s as soon as the coach/server passes the first ball, the second ball is played in to keep more players active.
One variation on this is to change angles so that the line of players is coming from the sideline toward the middle and the server is at the corner of the 18. A lot of teams are now encouraging their wide players to start wide and look to cut in for a quick shot so this now turns into a very realistic game situation
The ball gets played into the server (who should be a field player and this player would rotate on every 3-4 passes) and they can lay the ball off to either side. The passer follows the pass and hits a first time shot.
As soon as the server makes the first pass the second player starts
By changing the angle it changes this activity from a simple shooting drill to an activity that forces the players to react to the angle of the pass, shoot with the appropriate foot and watch the angle of the keeper.
This can be done from various locations around the 18 to change the variables and make the players respond accordingly. The book A Year in the Championship: A complete season of training sessions with Millwall FC shows similar type of activities where they take a simple activity and alter it to make it more effective.
Have a great day!
Lawrence
Good points but could make further points and take this exercise a lot further.
1) Agree with field player laying ball off. Now, the field players get more touches AND the coach can observe.
2) Why not two lines (LW & RW)? Players then switch back and forth left side line to right side line. Left foot shot from right wing, right foot shot from left wing!
3)Develop a system whereby players rotate through ‘lay-off task’.
4) A bonus with two lines is that GK is kept busy, always moving from side-to-side preparing for next shot.
5) Crossing can be introduced. If ball is laid off inside (to middle) ‘shooter’ shoots as usual but if ball is laid off outside (to touchline) then ‘shooter’ must cross. If so, then next ‘shooter’ on opposite line must attack near post area (corner of the six?) to head/ volley cross.
Lots of ideas!!!
As a keeper I liked this activity, but as a coach I have concerns with keepers not having proper time to get into ready position, also quick exhaustion if run to fast leads to poor technique. Be sure to rotate keepers frequently an monitor the timing of the exercise.
so three lines, shoot, then turn, receive a pass from the shooter after other two lines shoot and lay it off.