Distance Shooting

From the December 20, 2006, issue of The Technical Area

This installment of the Coaching Corner comes from the new book Soccer Skills and Drills, published by Human Kinetics. It comes from Chapter 4: Shooting. For information on how to order a copy of Soccer Skills and Drills, CLICK HERE.

Purpose: To develop shooting skills at long distances.

Procedure: A space is laid so that its length is a little more than the depth of two penalty boxes (36-40 yards). Goals are set up at either end of this playing area and a halfway line is marked. On one side of the halfway line, a defender plays against three attackers. In the other half, an attacker plays against three defenders.No one may cross the halfway line. The goalkeeper of the attacking team starts by rolling a ball to one of the three attackers on his or her side. The object is for the attackers to shoot at the defenders' goal and vice versa. Again, no one may cross the halfway line. The attackers may pass to each other to shoot or pass to their teammate on the other half of the field to make a shot attempt. The teammate on the other half can also pass the ball back to teammates to take the shot. On each half of the field there will always be a 1v3 setup.

Variation 1: The numbers are increased by adding another attacker and defender to make competition 2v3 in each half. The options can be increased by allowing one of the three to cross the halfway line if he or she first forwards the ball to a teammate in the other half. The drill animation (CLICK HERE) shows attacker 3 receiving a ball from attacker 2, dribbling forward, and then playing a pass across the halfway line to attacker 4, who wall passes the ball back to attacker 3. Attacker 3 can cross the halfway line to shoot because he or she played the ball off a teammate in the attacking half.

For drill animation, CLICK HERE.

Variation 2: Four servers are added to stand in each corner. The task of the server is to cross the ball into the box for the attacking team to score. The options are now these:
1. Attacker 1, 2, or 3 may shoot the ball.
2. The ball may be forwarded by attacker 1,2, or 3 to one of their teammates on the opposite side, who may then dribble and shoot, combine with each other to shoot, or lay the ball back to attacker 1,2, or 3 to shoot.
3. Attacker 1,2, or 3 may go into the other half to make it 3v3, if he or she forwards to attacker 4 or 5 first.
4. Any attacker in either half may play a ball wide for one of the servers to cross.

For drill animation, CLICK HERE.