5 Shooting Techniques to Make Your Shots More Accurate and Powerful

The objective of soccer is to score the most goals.

The team who does wins.

We all know that, right?

In order to be able to score, you need to know how to shoot the ball. Since you don’t get a ton of shots on goal in the game of soccer, your shot’s efficiency, power, and accuracy will lead to scoring a goal. Therefore, shooting technique is key to winning games. It is key to getting the ball IN the goal.

Once you’re in front of the goal, everything from how you plant your foot to what you’re thinking in your mind plays a role in how you strike the ball. Developing confidence will help you have a better strike on the ball.

Consistently practicing your shooting technique will teach your body and brain how to shoot each time you get the opportunity making your technique more “natural” to you. The more consistent you train your shooting technique, the more efficient, accurate, and powerful your shot. Here are five tips to improve your shooting technique. 

1. Keep Your Eyes on the Ball

Keep your head down and your eyes on the ball when striking. This will help keep your body in a slightly bent forward position, optimizing power and accuracy. Of course, it will take practice not to watch your shot every strike, but you’d rather look up to see the ball in the goal!

2. Planted Foot Placement

Place your planting foot next to the ball, pointing at the target. If you place your planted foot behind the ball, it will more likely go over the goal. However, if your foot is even with the ball or slightly in front, you’ll be able to keep the ball low. This is the best option for shooting on target.

3. Follow Through

Follow through your kick with your body. Do not stop in place after you strike the ball. Continue the kick after you have made contact: the more momentum you have going forward, the more power. You should be landing on your shooting foot on your follow-through. Otherwise, if you want the ball to go higher, your leg should go higher.

4. Lock Your Ankle

Lock your ankle when connecting with the ball. You can’t generate power with a floppy ankle. Plus, you may hurt it if it isn’t locked.

5. Powerful in the Approach

Make your run-up aggressive. Increase your speed and firmly plant your foot with power on that last stride when you’re running up to the ball to strike it. And get a long stride in on your last stride to the ball. Make your run-up passionate; make it powerful. Strike the ball like you mean it, not like you’re walking the beach casually striking the ball. Think POWER!

Find some shooting drills to continue to work on for further practice of your shooting technique. There are different places on your foot you could strike the ball with. These different places will depend on your experience and purpose. There are certain techniques that will allow you to spin the ball, curve the ball, or hit a knuckleball or trivela (opposite curve). These other techniques vary in where you hit the ball and how your leg follows through.

Continue to work on the basics. Master the basics to improve your shooting technique. Which will help you score goals, which will win games.

Featured image via Unsplash

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