10 Most Common Shooting Mistakes in Soccer / Football

Over the years, we've seen a lot of bad shots. So that's why today we've worked hard to put together what we think are the 10 most common shooting mistakes in football. The most common mistakes that keep young players from scoring goals. You're watching AllAttack. Your toe hitting the ground. When players are first learning to shoot and they're trying to kick the ball with power, one thing that will often happen is that their toe will end up hitting the ground. So that's why if you're struggling to shoot with power, it's important to lean your upper body away from the ball. That way you'll be able to turn your leg and your foot so that your toes are pointed outward, allowing your foot to clear the ground. Getting under the ball. When players first start kicking the ball hard, they'll often end up hitting the ball too high. Why? Because they'll often hit low on the ball, which will send your shot upward. So that's why in general, you should hit the ball directly in the middle or just under the middle of the ball. Because that will keep the ball under the crossbar. Power over placement. In our experience, young players have a tendency to value shooting with power over the placement of the shot. But here's the problem. While real powerful shots are great, if you hit them near the goalkeeper, they're probably still going to be saved. Whereas if you place the shot perfectly in the corner, then you'll probably score, assuming the shot has at least moderate power. So that's why you should focus more on the placement of your shots first, then focus more on power later. Not being on your toes. When a ball is coming toward you and you want to shoot it first time, if you're not on your toes and light on your feet, then you won't be able to adjust your feet quickly enough to get into a good shooting position. So that's why even if you're not moving quickly, you want to be on the front of your feet. Because this will allow you to adjust your feet quickly to any ball that comes your way. Not looking at the goal before shooting. If you don't look up at the goal before you shoot, you're going to run into two main problems. One is that you won't have a good visual idea of where the goal is, making it more likely that you miss your target. And two is that sometimes the goalkeeper will cheat to one side of the goal. So if you don't check their position, you might end up hitting it right near them. So that's why most of the time, if they can, players will look up just before they shoot and visualize their target, then look back down at the ball again while they're striking. Long run-ups. Many beginning players think that a longer run-up will equal a more powerful shot. This isn't true. See, after a few yards, you really won't be adding that much extra power onto your shot. And in fact, it will actually just make it more difficult to hit the ball properly. So that's why when practicing your shooting, we recommend shortening your run-up and focusing on technique instead of power. Only practicing with a dead ball. If you only practice your shooting with balls that are not moving, then you're not preparing for a real game. See, in real games, the only time you'd actually shoot a dead ball is from a direct free kick. But that really only occasionally happens. The vast majority of the time you're shooting a ball, it will be when the ball is moving. So while it's okay to practice with a still ball at first, over time it's essential to practice with the ball moving, as it would be in a real game. Focusing on the wrong technique. Sometimes young players will watch cool videos of advanced shooting techniques like knuckleballs, trevelas, or topspin, then immediately go out and try to do them. And while that's great, you probably don't want to start there. See, techniques like the knuckleball, the trevela, or topspin are extremely difficult to do well, especially if you're not already strong with more simple techniques like power or curve. And not only that, those advanced techniques are really not as important as the basic ones. Because the basic ones are the ones you'll usually be using in real games. So at first, we recommend starting with the basics, then moving to those more advanced techniques later. Not enough repetitions. When practicing their shooting, many players will have one ball, take a shot, slowly walk to pick up their ball, then return about three minutes later. If you do this, you're not getting enough practice. Because the simple truth is, the best way to improve a shooting technique is to simply repeat it over and over and over again. And so whether that means using a wall, getting multiple balls, or simply shooting close to goal and running to retrieve your ball, the important thing is that you maximize the amount of shots you're taking. Because the more you take, the more you'll improve.