THE ART OF SHOOTING

February 12, 2009

"Why doesn't she shoot it harder?"

"What kind of shot is that?"

"Oh come on, that shot was so weak!"

We hear it every weekend on the sidelines at all soccer games. Parents and fans are always looking for the exciting cannon of a shot that rips the back of the net wide open. So there it is, two teams are tied with no time left, your child finally gets the opportunity to take the shot on goal, the shot that you have spent hours working on in the backyard showing her. She winds up and let's it go! You sadly watch the ball dribble right to the keeper and wonder why this happens every time she shoots.

By far the most commonly mistaken form taught in soccer is how to strike a ball properly. The way a player strikes the ball when looking for a hard strong kick, shot, or pass. Kicking in general is rarely taught correctly and is usually counter productive. You will see players miss shots, crosses, even simple passes due to poor kicking form in every youth soccer game.

The common mistake is to keep the key joints (knee and ankle) unlocked or bent at impact. This technique although extremely poor is very simple to do and is taught more often than not.

The correct form regardless of the style of kick requires the key joints to be locked at impact promoting a solid leg through the kicking zone.

After players learn how to stay locked at impact, they should then learn what the back swing and follow through look and feel like.

The final step to creating a strong and accurate kick is to make the player finish down the line. Finishing down the line is a technique that formulates the swing to shoot or pass the ball at at certain target.