Shooting Straight

Set up a target such as a wide can to kick into, and train the ball to be straight and low to the ground.

As an Introduction to the body mechanics of kicking with the laces, you can start with

 Learning Soccer Juggling in Steps

Here's a common and useful coaching tool I found last summer.

This type of can makes a perfect target for a soccer ball

Learning to kick a soccer ball takes time, concentration, and practice.  Practicing poor technique will lead you as astray as a ball played into touch.


You can learn to kick by straightening your approach, improving your contact, and continuing your follow-through.


Set up a target such as a round can to kick into, and train the ball to be straight and low to the ground.  You can teach yourself to kick with the side of the foot and with the laces.

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Here is a series of videos of an Athens Soccer Academy Individual Training student in his second week.  At the start of the week 1 sessions, he had these things to change about his kicking style:

he was

• approaching the ball from an angle and following through with his swing across his body,
• making contact on the inside edge of his laces and further down than his sweet spot,
• compromising power, and he was struggling to consistently hit straight balls of more than seven yards.

So we see him here in his second session, after we have learned to kick a ball straight into the air, as in  Player Perspective: Technical Juggling.  That is why it makes sense to start with that skill.


Today he starts to work on a straight approach and follow-through for balls on the ground.

Shooting Straight 1

In Shooting Straight 1: we see an Athens Soccer Academy--www.athenssocceracademy.com Individual Training student in a training session.  If you would like to read the essay and follow all of the videos in this Striking Series, visit on YouTube.

How to Soccer--http://t.co/5sRGABRE.

Athens Soccer Academy and How To Soccer hold a Seasonal Raffle for free soccer equipment. To become eligible, submit a video of you doing any How To Soccer Video skill as a video response on YouTube.



Change                                                      the                                               Game

Unfortunately a jackhammer is operating nearby and some of these videos sound like a construction zone.

Yet you can get the idea that a straight-on approach, clean swing, good contact, and a consistently straight follow-through at the target will produce a straight ball.

Shooting Straight 2

Here he is kicking into and through the buckets...

Shooting Straight 3

This student still has some things to correct, but he has come a long way in one week.  Next, he should remember to keep his toe down throughout the kick and begin to lean over the ball.


As he continues to train, he will begin to feel more confident and put more power into this kick.  One day he may drag his toe into the ground, and thereafter remember to bend at the ankles, knees, and hips.


For now he is developing a smooth swing with a straight ball coming off of it.



There is a learning dynamic at play between this boy and his ball.


As a coach I can instruct him to get better, but then all week long his soccer ball could stay in the bag, and he could grab it only next week as an after-thought as he runs out the door to come and start all over.

Shooting Straight 4

But this player loves the game; he is like many others around the world who will soon discover his sweet spot and how to drive a ball.  He has begun to unlock the mythical  Instep Drive.

This player will likely find much success off the field, and he has the tools to have success in his games.

As we can hear from the video, this player makes a perfect student as he is thinking about the activity he is engaged in.  He is paying close attention to what his body is doing and the results of the ball.  His intelligence will serve him well in this game, as will his dedication.


These are some of the traits that mark success....What are some of your favorites?  We at How To Soccer would like to know.  Send a picture postcard, poem, or video about what you think makes a champion for your chance to win a skillball Spring 2013.  All of the contact information is on the YouTube page referenced in this article.

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Shooting Straight 5

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