Wide Channel Long Range Zone

Objective

• -Strike cleanly from outside the area
• -Judge when the long shot is on
• -Improve technique on the driven ball

Setup

1. 1A shooting zone marked 22-28 yards from goal in a 41 x 36 yards area.
2. 2Mark five-yard channels down both touchlines with flat cones.
3. 3Plenty of balls at the edge of the zone, keeper in goal.

How to play

1. 1Player receives on the edge of the zone and takes one touch out of the feet.
2. 2The strike must be hit before leaving the zone.
3. 3Rebounds are live for a follow-up finish.
4. 4The practice is started by a pass into one of the wide channels.
5. 5End actions only count when the ball has travelled through a wide channel first.

Progressions

• +Defender allowed into the channel to make it live
• +Raise the demand once the group is consistently successful

Regressions

• -Channel is a free zone with no defender at all
• -Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

• -Switch the ball to the far channel before the end action
• -Run the practice on the opposite side of the pitch

Common mistakes

• -Shooting from impossible angles
• -Ball bouncing before the strike
• -Everything funnelling into a crowded middle