Having all of your players know how to shoot is the key to winning in soccer. Goals are hard to come by and players who can convert when they see the opportunity become a precious commodity at all levels of the game. Even defenders need to be part of shooting practice, because you never know when they might be called upon to put the ball away.
Approach
Your approach to the ball needs to be at an angle to allow your kicking leg to swing out in an arc. A straight-on approach limits your ability to lean out slightly and contact the ball with your leg fully extended. Pushing the ball ahead of you a few feet and at an angle allows you to take the desired bead on it. Looking up to aim is crucial, as you must register the position of the field defenders and the goalkeeper in relation to the net. Your objective is to decide on a path to aim the ball past defensive obstacles so that it goes into one of the corners of the goal.
Plant
Keeping a mental snapshot of the defensive picture in mind, you address the mechanics of the shot. Your support foot goes to the side of the ball. While players typically think that they shoot with their “strongest” leg, in fact the support leg actually is the leg with the strongest ankle to handle your weight and keep you balanced for what comes next. It pays in practice to keep the plant foot aligned with the middle of the ball but to experiment with the distance between your plant foot and the ball, as your height and more specifically the length of your legs determine the optimum distance.
Swing
The swing begins with a backswing of the kicking leg followed by snapping the leg forward rapidly. The muscles that control the hip provide your power for the shot. The swing varies depending on what kind of shot you are taking. Your leg swings downward to contact a ball resting in a static position or rolling on the ground in what is called an instep drive. If the ball is in the air or taking a high bounce, you can volley it by bending your knee to contact it in the air. A third option is the side-volley, taken like a karate kick by leaning at the torso and swinging your kicking leg parallel to the ground.
Contact
The milliseconds of contact you have with the ball require a locked ankle for maximum power and accuracy. Your toes point down, you tighten and lock the muscles of the ankle and curl your toes against the sole of your shoe. Contact occurs on the vertical midline of the ball and underneath its horizontal midline to provide lift.
Follow Through
Follow through determines the spin on the ball. A typical shot requires you to sweep your shooting leg across the front of your body after contact. Shots taken as free kicks can allow you to try knuckling the ball -- making it drop suddenly at the end of its path -- by using a straight follow through instead.
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