Developmental Academy Coaching Sessions
Week 3 - Shooting
by Darren Beesley, (USSF A / UEFA A)
Warm Up - 10mins
Storm The Castle - Two Teams with a ball each. Place a number of soccer balls balanced on top of a line of cones across the half way line. See the yellow cones in the diagram above. Each player has to remain behind their line of cones (red) and try to knock off the soccer balls balanced on the cones.
Coaching Point - Good first touch, ball out of your feet. Contact with the ball, Ball striking, Laces make contact with the ball, toe and knee pointing down to ensure the ball remains on the surface.
Make it fun - Coach can feed additional balls in to the players as well as the players receiving from the opposition. Fun spin would be for the coach to hold a color in the air, which ever player calls out the color receives the extra ball. Adds in a little awareness.
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Shooting/Finishing (Directional) - 10mins
Each player is assigned a gate with an opposing gate and a teammate opposite them. Distance can vary. Place a box or square in the middle with soccer balls placed in the middle. Players sprint to the the square/ball, Take a touch and find their teammate between the opposite gate. Their teammate then replicates going the opposite way.
Coaching Point - After the initial sprint to the ball, feet movement, good first touch to get the ball out of your feet. Ball contact, knee pointing down and over the ball.
Make it Fun - Make it a competition. Keep score. Winning team have to use their left foot or their weaker foot the next game. Make the opposing player in the gate a GK, Advancement would be finishing/shooting past an opposing GK between the gates as an extension.
Shooting/Finishing (Multi Directional) - 10mins
Multi Directional shooting/finishing game. Similar concept to the previous exercise but this time it's multi directional. Players sprint to the ball, turn, ball out of their feet and find the target/goal. Sprint back and tag their teammate.
Coaching Point - After the initial sprint to the ball, feet movement, good first touch to get the ball out of your feet. Ball control keeping the ball close to you feet. Head up, Ball contact, knee pointing down and over the ball.
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2v1 Attacking and Finishing - 10mins
Two Teams. Use two pug goals side by side to make a larger goal. Two gates for the defender to win the ball and dribble through to gain a point. No GKs. You can place a line in front of the goal as the exercise progresses where the attacking team have to shoot from behind. If you use two pug goals then place them slightly apart and an extra point for the attacking team if they score in the pug goal (Bottom corner) 1pt between the pug goals.
Coaching Point - Decision making, spacing, when to dribble and when to pass. Good first touch, technique when shooting, knee over the ball, toe pointed, laces. Shoot across the goal.
Make it Fun - Vary the distance of a line that the attackers have to shoot from behind, defender wins the ball and scores by dribbling through the gate they become an attacker.
Advancement 2v2/3v2 - 5mins
Advancement on the previous exercise but now 2v1 /2v2/3v2. 2v2 and 3v2 you could have the additional defender recover from behind the attackers. Have the defender start behind the attackers and he comes into play when the attackers receive the ball. It will make it more fun and add to the exercise.
Coaching Point - Players need t be more aware of the space being used, triangles, diamonds, position to receive the ball. spacing to make it difficult for the defenders and get there shots off.
Make it fun - Defenders can stay in for a short period of time before rotating or if the defenders score two points in the gates then they automatically switch and attack.
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4v4 Game 20mins
4v4 Game. Try to play 4v4 whenever possible to reinforce the shape of a diamond whilst playing 4v4. If need be rotate players in and out to allow them to get used to game days on a Saturday.
Coaching Point - Diamond Shape, Spacing. Encourage all aspects of the Session/Shooting..