By Chris Kouns
USSF A License (USSF Coaching Education Instructor) – NSCAA Premier Diploma (NSCAA Coaching Education Associate Staff Coach) – Head Women’s Soccer Coach – Georgia Gwinnett College
This session will improve your player's ability to score from an angle wide of the goal.
Set-Up
Players will be grouped around a big goal in four different positions. Inside the goal will be targets in the net that they should strive to hit.
Execution
They will take turns finishing from those angles and then rotate to the next angle where the process will continue.
Coaching Points
As players come into goal at an angle they should look to finish with the foot farthest from the goal as that foot should bring the ball into the net as opposed to away from the net.
When finishing at angles look to use the inside area of your toe or foot so that there will be a curve to the ball and not give the goalkeeper a straight ball to deal with.
Placement over power should be the priority when finishing from angles.
Part 2
Setup
Utilize a similar set up to last activity, however, this time introduce a dummy defender between the finisher and the target.
Execution
The finisher must dribble at full speed to take on the dummy, then they must take a touch wide of the dummy and with their next touch strike the ball on target.
Coaching Points
When finishing from angles the touch to the side of the dummy must be at an angle which will allow the player to continue running and not change direction drastically.
Because of the tight space in the box the touch wide should happen about a yard from the dummy and within two steps the ball should be struck utilizing the same technical points as the last activity.
Part 3
Setup
On the end line there will be two full size goals with goalkeepers. To the side of the goal there will be a rectangle grind (approximately 30 by 20) where there will be 3 v 3 + 1.
Execution
For five minutes the grid will be run with a set defending team and a set attacking team. The attacking team is trying to isolate players or create the numbers up that will allow them to finish from the angle provided by their grid.
At the end of the five minutes the teams sap and the defenders now attack.
At the end of that five minutes the two grids will switch sides so the players will repeat the activity coming to goal from the opposite angle.
Coaching Points
Try to space attacking players so that there will be space to attack behind them and allow for a shot on goal.
Try to minimize the time and space it takes to get a shot off from the angle. With the GK only watching one grid there is a built in disadvantage already for the finisher. So, the more unexpected the shot the better.
Due to the fact the GK may try to cheat and cover the far post make sure finishers pay attention to the space at the near post and finish in that area if it is available.
By Chris Kouns: USSF A License (USSF Coaching Education Instructor) – NSCAA Premier Diploma (NSCAA Coaching Education Associate Staff Coach) – Head Coach Georgia Gwinnet College Women’s Soccer (GA)
