The Shooting Competition Drill

Onside - Training

Focus: Shooting / Crossing Drill

Number of Players: +8

Age: +U8

Level: Easy

Setup:

Place three cones approximately 5 meters from the box, ensuring a 10-meter gap between each cone.
Assign a minimum of two players to each cone—one player prepared for shooting and another ready to lay off the ball for the shooting player.
Position a goalkeeper in the goal.
Position a crossing player (or coach).
Adjust distances between cones based on the age and skill level of the players.

Why Use This Drill?

The Shooting Competition Drill provides players with a great chance to take multiple shots on goal in a dynamic and competitive setting. The competitive aspect of the drill inspires players to actively seek the ball during the cross, striving to score and accumulate points to outperform their teammates. The inclusion of crossing enhances players’ skills in timing their runs into the box efficiently and strategically moving into the box to get the ball.

How It Works

In this drill players engage in a 3-player battle, therefore it’s ideal to have 6 or 9 outfield players plus 1 crossing player (who can also be the coach). If your player count doesn’t align with this, you can opt for an everyone-against-each-other approach.

The objective for the players can be set between 10 to 20 points, depending on the player level and the chosen points system.

The three initial players, stationed at the cones, engage in a competition to score the most goals. Each of these players initiates a one-two with their teammate and takes a shot on goal from outside the box, earning 1 point for each successful goal.

After all three players have taken their shots, they move into the box, anticipating a cross. If any of them scores from the cross, they gain an additional point. The ball is considered out of play only if it goes beyond the line or is cleared out of the box.

Following the cross, the players rotate positions with their other teammates, who then repeat the process. After both players from one set of cones have taken their shots, there’s a rotation to ensure every player gets the opportunity to shoot from every position.

To add more excitement to the cross, consider making a goal resulting from the cross count as 2 points. It’s essential to conduct crosses from both sides for a well-rounded drill.