A good training routine is always the best way to improve in the game of soccer. Practice makes the game perfect, and here are a few drills to make the shooting skills better.
Shooting is an important skill a soccer player needs to have in his arsenal, and even more so if he is playing in a forward position. Some people are naturally better at shooting than others. They have the natural gift of awareness where the goal is, and can shoot perfectly, without even looking where the goal, or the goalkeeper is. But for us mortals, we're relegated to hours of shooting practice, so that we may become like them one day.
Shot on Goal
This is the simplest, most basic drill for kids who've just started playing the game. Make the kid stand behind a dead ball (non-moving ball), and make him try to shoot the ball into the goal. If he can't whack a dead ball into the net, there's no point going ahead. For a slightly advanced version of this drill, station a goalkeeper at the goal, and make him take a shot. This improves the vision and understanding of the young player, and teaches him where to shoot, how to shoot, and how to exploit the weaker side of the goalkeeper.
Second Touch Shot
The second drill is to stop a moving ball and take a shot. In a match, a player will come across this situation a lot, where he has to stop a pass and then take a shot. Station a goalkeeper at the goal again. Pass the ball to the striker from behind him, make him stop the ball, and shoot it on goal. The first touch is an important part of this drill. The player has get the ball in his control before taking the shot.
First Touch Shot
Many real situations will not give a player the time and space to actually stop the ball and shoot. Stopping the ball can be time-consuming, and a good defender/goalkeeper can take the ball away from him. This drill teaches the player to take the shot without actually stopping the ball. This one can be tricky, as he needs to judge the motion and angle of the ball, and then shoot. All in a fraction of a second! The coach can complicate this drill by passing the ball into an unusual angle, instead of straight to the player.
1 vs 2 Shooting Drills
This drill is an advanced one, but is again plucked straight out of a match-day situation. Here, the coach lines up a goalkeeper as well as a defender at the goal, and passes the ball to the young attacker. The attacker has to dribble past the defender, feign shooting with the weaker foot, then take the shot with the other foot. If he deems fit, he can take a direct shot that will bypass both the defender and the goalkeeper. This drill helps improve decision-making and dribbling.
The Weaker Foot
Quite simply speaking, a player today cannot afford to be just right-footed or left-footed. He needs to be able to shoot with both his feet. So, design a soccer drill where he can also improve shooting with his weaker foot. Being able to shoot with the weaker foot adds an extra dimension to a player's game, and helps him become unpredictable.
The player should learn not be afraid at the sight of an oncoming goalkeeper, or panic when encountering defenders. These drills should instill composure into him to shoot instinctively, without fear.
