Soccer Shooting Drills That Work

Start with three soccer shooting exercises: stationary placement, receiving and shooting, then finishing under defensive pressure. Add pressure when your coach considers the receiving exercise manageable, keeping the intended target clear. Use these exercises to give each shooting session a clear target, starting with how to kick a soccer ball for the wider striking setup. Choose the intended contact with your coach before beginning the placement exercise.

For contact practice between sessions, The Giro X's Curl Master One spins a standard ball at controlled speeds and trains contact and spin control. In my opinion, it deserves a place alongside coaching because contact deserves focused attention within a shooting programme. Agree on a striking surface cue with your coach, explore the intended contact during home practice, then ask your coach to assess the contact when you return to shooting towards a goal.

Starting Drills

First Touch And Turns

Junior Practice

Power And Pressure

Session Records

Curl Master One Between Sessions

Which Soccer Shooting Drills Should You Start With?

Start with a stationary ball facing a generous marked target inside the goal. Without a goal, try a marker gate with clear space beyond the shooting area. Choose the intended striking surface with your coach and keep the ball position unchanged during the placement exercise. Alternate attempts with a partner or retrieve the ball before resetting. The suggested task is to name the target before approaching the ball, then record whether the attempt reaches the chosen area.

Record target hits alongside total attempts, keeping a separate record for each foot. Add a brief note naming the intended contact, so the placement record gives your coach something specific to discuss at the next coached session. When your coach considers the placement exercise manageable, change the shooting angle or narrow the target, keeping the remaining conditions consistent while exploring the adjustment.

How Do You Add A First Touch And A Turn?

Add a partner's ground pass into a marked receiving area, then direct your first touch towards the intended shooting position. Finish towards the target used for stationary placement and alternate passing and shooting roles after retrieval. Agree on where the pass should arrive, leaving room for the receiving touch. Keep spare balls beside the passer, and reset the receiving position before each attempt so both players understand where the next pass is going.

For the turn and shoot drill, begin with your back towards the target, then receive before turning to finish. Practise the turning exercise separately from a passing combination, where you pass to a partner and move to receive the return ball. In my opinion, a generous target suits the introduction of both exercises. If the receiving touch leaves an awkward strike, ask your coach which receiving position to explore before changing the distance or introducing pressure.

What Makes Shooting Practice Engaging For Juniors?

Try a target choice game where the shooter names a goal zone before receiving a pass. Let players alternate choosing the zone, or organise a shared challenge around attempts reaching the selected area. Include girls' and boys' soccer, adapting the target and receiving task to demonstrated ability. For players aged eight to twelve in Australia, I would begin with a challenge they can explain before their turn, then let the coach choose the next variation.

Give beginners room to settle the ball before shooting towards a broad target. Players ready for a different task could receive from another angle or choose the target after the pass starts travelling. In my opinion, demonstrated ability should guide progression alongside the coach's judgement. Where space allows, organise clear shooting lanes and rotate passing and retrieval roles. Agree on where each player stands and when the next attempt begins before starting the target game.

How Can You Explore Power And Defensive Pressure?

Keep a fixed target when exploring a firmer shot, with your coach choosing the intended contact cue. Record where each attempt finishes and compare the shots with your placement attempts under similar conditions. In my opinion, the target should remain central to power practice because it gives the stronger shot a defined purpose. Keep each foot's attempts identifiable, and discuss the pattern with your coach before changing the shooting angle or the receiving task.

For a moving finish, ask a partner to send a ground pass across the shooting area towards an agreed finishing position. When appropriate, a coach can introduce a defender from a marked starting point and specify when the defender may engage. Introduce a goalkeeper or time limit separately from the defender. In my opinion, keeping the passing route familiar gives the coach a clearer comparison when observing how the shooter responds to defensive pressure.

How Should You Organise And Record A Session?

Organise the session around stationary placement followed by receiving and shooting, adding a target game when your coach considers the progression appropriate. Agree on the available practice time and allow for retrieval and discussion between exercises. For solo practice, use the stationary ball and marker gate exercise. Choose the setup around the available clear space, then retain the ball and gate positions during the comparison block so the target remains consistent between attempts.

Write down the drill and target alongside target hits and total attempts for each foot. Note whether a defender or goalkeeper participated, because those conditions help describe the exercise you are comparing. Bring a specific observation to your coach, such as shots starting wide after a receiving touch, then agree on the next task while keeping the other parts of the exercise familiar.

Where Does Curl Master One Fit Between Sessions?

Use Curl Master One for contact and spin control practice alongside placement exercises and moving finishes on the pitch. The device works with a standard ball and requires no app or subscription. Ask your coach to identify the striking surface cue for home practice, then discuss the intended contact during your next coached session. In my opinion, the strongest reason to get Curl Master One is to give contact practice a defined place between those sessions.

Curl Master One is intended for players from around age eight through to adults. Players aged eight to twelve should practise with an adult nearby. Keep goal placement and receiving exercises in your programme while using the device for focused contact work. Get Curl Master One, agree on the contact cue with your coach, and make that cue the focus of your next home session.

Bring Contact Practice Home

Practise soccer contact and spin control with Curl Master One using a standard ball.

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