Teaching Football Skills Shooting Shooting The aim of the game is simple: score goals. To score goals, your players need to develop both good shooting technique and a positive attitude toward taking shots whenever they have a good opportunity. If you do not shoot, you will not score. Athlete Readiness The beginner player is able to kick in the general direction of the goal, but without any consistency or power. They usually kick the ball with the toe or, awkwardly, with the inside of the foot. The player may slow down or stop before attempting to shoot and finds it very difficult to shoot a ball that is rolling across the body. The intermediate player has a positive attitude toward taking shots and is able to shoot with a reasonable degree of accuracy. This player is able to shoot with the top of the foot (instep) to generate power. The player will occasionally connect successfully with a rolling ball but has learned to increase success by controlling the ball before shooting. The player is still likely to lose composure and effectiveness under pressure and has not mastered the advanced skill of volleying the ball out of the air. Teaching Shooting 1. When shooting, approach the ball slightly from the side, not straight on. This allows the foot to make a more natural and effective strike on the ball. 2. Place the nonkicking foot at the side of the ball. 3. Swing the kicking foot backward with a bent knee. 4. Keep your eye on the ball and head still. 5. Swing the kicking foot forward with knee pointing down. 6. Kicking foot follows the ball as the knee straightens. 76 Special Olympics Football Coaching Guide Created: February 2004