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Three Steps to Shoot in Soccer

Jul 25, 2011 | By Rogue Parrish
Three Steps to Shoot in Soccer
Photo Credit Martin Rose/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

Whether you are trying to win the World Cup for your country or just want bragging rights in a recreational league, knowing how to shoot is critical to team success. While youth and new players tend to toe poke the ball, you need a different approach to send in a rocket at 50 to 70 mph. A skilled amateur player can readily send in a well-smacked ball by mastering the steps to shooting that elite players follow.

Concepts

To shoot in soccer, you typically use a laces kick instead of a toe poke. The laces kick comes, as the name suggests, off the laces or top of your shoe and uses the strongest part of your foot. This type of shot is also called the instep drive, and its power is clear when watching soccer live or on television by the booming "crack" of the shoe on the ball. Your kicking mechanics "are similar to those used when passing with the instep, except that there is greater follow-through of the kicking leg," writes coach Joseph A. Luxbacher in "Soccer Steps to Success."

Preparation

The first of the three steps involves preparation, Luxbacher notes. In this phase, you look up and take a mental snapshot of your spatial relationship to the ball and the path to the part of the goal toward which you are aiming. Your approach needs to be at an angle, so gently nudge the ball a few feet ahead and slightly to the right if you are taking a right-footed shot, or vice versa if you are taking a left-handed shot.

In a fluid motion, stride up to the ball and place your support leg beside it, slightly bending your knee and pointing your toe toward the target area of the goal you have selected. Your arms go out to your side for balance. Draw back your kicking leg, beginning to point your toe down so it is in line with your shin as much as possible. Luxbacher advises keeping your head steady and your gaze on the ball.

Execution

The middle step involves correctly addressing your mechanics to solidly connect with the ball, with good technique to maximize your power and speed. Your shoulders and hips need to be square to the goal and your gaze on the part of the ball, ideally in the middle and slightly underneath, that you plan to strike. Snap your kicking leg straight, pointing your toe down and bringing your laces through the point of contact. Lightly rake the grass with the toe of your shoe. Let your laces fit comfortably and almost vertically into the back of the ball, advises coach Alan Hargreaves in "Skills and Strategies for Coaching Soccer." Consciously lock your ankle during contact to protect it from the hard ball and to create maximum impact.

Follow-through

The mechanics of the follow-through safely dissipate the energy of your forward leg swing and ensure the proper direction and speed of the ball. You maintain the forward swing of the leg through the point of contact, bringing the leg forward and then swinging it across the front of your body, recommends Sam Snow, director of coaching education for U.S. Youth Soccer. Depending on the power you've developed, the heel or whole foot of your support foot also leaves the ground. Pro players at the highest level, such as Brazil's Roberto Carlos and the Netherlands' Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, go sailing through the air, both legs carried up and then sideways by the force of their follow-through.

References

Article reviewed by Glenn Singer Last updated on: Jul 25, 2011

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