By Mike Saif
Diamond Shooting
I was talking with someone recently who wasn't happy with the shooting and finishing drills he was using with his team. Most of them included having players in lines. My recommendation to him was to change his line drills and use more small-sided games for shooting to make it more game realistic.
This has been one of my favorite shooting games for years. I got the game from my Dad when he coached at Leeds United with Howard Wilkinson. Apparently it was one of their favorites too.
The field setup is the size of two penalty areas with lines angled from the six-yard box to the corner of the penalty area. Having these lines angled forces the players inside toward the goal, which in turn forced them to shoot. Without angled lines, players could easily be forced wide into crossing positions and the game would have fewer shots.
The teams can be organized in a number of ways. Most often I would have 3v3 plus goalkeepers. One player from each team would be limited to the attacking half and the other two players would have to stay in the defending half making it 2v1 in each half. But it could be made into 3v1 or 3v2 in each half.
We would have 4 or 5 teams and the teams not playing would be behind the goals collecting balls. We would play the first team to score wins and stays on the field or if no team scores within two minutes, both teams are replaced. If the level of shooting wasn’t good, I would sometimes have the rule that if you shot over the crossbar, your team lost and came off the field.
The players really loved this. It is a fast paced, exciting game and lots of fun.
Progressions/Variations
● Players can move into any half
● Can only shoot from own half
● Counts double if target player is used in build up to score
● Can only shoot with one-touch
● Goalkeepers can or can’t shoot
Coaching Points
● Look to shoot as often as possible - you are always within shooting distance
● Keep shots low
● Have a good first touch before a pass or a shot
● Look to use your target player if needed
● Target players can only score if they steal the ball
● Target players can score from a pass from a teammate
By Mike Saif
Founder and President of WORLD CLASS COACHING, Mike has coached 12 State Championship teams and coached the 87G Dynamos to a USYS National Championship.
