Shooting is one of the hardest things to do in football, we speak to Westfield Matilda Sarah Walsh about it
Girls FC fan Maddi wrote letting us know she is really looking forward to the new season starting this year. She was wondering if we had some tips on how she could improve her ability to get more shots on target.
Girls FC brought in shooting expert Sarah Walsh to give Maddi and the rest of our budding football stars some tips! Over to you Sarah…
Hello Maddi,
Thanks for sending in your question, hopefully I can answer it effectively enough to help you move forward with your football.
First of all, the fact that you are finding space and getting yourself into these great positions to take shots on goal is a great achievement in itself, so well done.
In terms of getting these shots on target, the old saying ‘practice makes perfect’ couldn’t be a more fitting phrase for the solution to your problem.
At training, find a teammate who can lay balls off to you to finish outside the box, similar to the ones you are receiving in games.
Aim for the corners of the goals and set yourself a target to achieve. For example, you might want to start with 50% success rate.
You can then advance further by adding a keeper in goal and a passive defender (no tackling) to close you down just before you take the shot to add additional pressure.
You mentioned that a lot of your shots are going over the bar and by several metres. This is usually a result of leaning back too far when connecting with the ball.
When striking the ball, try to lean your body over it and keep your foot over the ball (not under), which will help prevent you scooping the ball too high.
Also try and experiment with striking the ball with your laces and inside of your foot (placing the ball) to help improve your technique.
I hope this helps, good luck with your up and coming season!
