One of my favorite
shooting/finishing drills was given to me by Franklin Lawson during a
soccer camp he did in Anchorage several years ago. It is referred to
as the "Mac Daddy of all shooting drills" shortened to Mac Daddy
drill.
Setup:
Divide up the team into 2
even teams. Team one lines up about six yards outside the left goal
post. Team 2 lines up about 6 yards outside the right goal post. Place
a cone somewhere around the 18 yard mark roughly even with the left
post. Coach has a supply of balls (around 5) at his feet.
Game:
On coaches signal the first
player on team 1 makes a bending run from the end line around the cone
on the 18. Also on the signal the first player on team 2 makes a run
behind the goal, around the left post and enters the goal area to be
the goalie. As the player from team 1 rounds the cone and starts
toward goal the coach has played a ball and the player takes a 1st
touch shot. As soon as the shot is taken the next player on each team
starts their run so we end up with a new goalie and a new shooter
taking a 1st touch shot.
Play for a period of time keeping track of shots scored. Game ends
when time expires OR coach runs out of soccer balls to play to the
shooter. This means that if you shank a shot or kick it over the goal
you have to chase down your ball and get it back to the coach in a
hurry. I also allow the keeper to punt the ball out if they make a
save. The teams quickly get competitive and remember if someone sent
their ball flying. While this sounds like a line drill after the first
20 seconds it becomes a conditioning exercise as everyone is chasing
down misplayed balls and getting back in line. There needs to be some
communication as a player may
need to send a long pass to get a ball back ready to play. This
requires a teammate to get ready to receive the ball and get it to the
coach.
At the end of time the 2 teams switch roles and team 2 gets to shoot
while team one defends. I usually run it from both sides to simulate
right side and left side runs. Hopefully encourage left foot and right
foot shots. I can vary where I serve the balls from to simulate other
option. I also vary the cone placement and distance for age of team.
This is the favorite end of practice for both my U11 girls team as
well as my HS varsity team. It is easier to run than explain.
Kenneth Dodson
Chugiak Soccer Club
Eagle River, AK
