Wide Channel Long Range Zone

Objectives

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

How to set it up

1. 1Mark out the working area at 41 x 36 yards. Put a cone on each corner so the boundary is obvious to the players.
2. 2A shooting zone marked 22-28 yards from goal in a 41 x 36 yards area.
3. 3Mark five-yard channels down both touchlines with flat cones.
4. 4Plenty of balls at the edge of the zone, keeper in goal.
5. 5Place the goals before you start and check the run-off behind them is clear and safe.
6. 6Kit for this practice: Balls, Cones, Full Goals. Keep a supply of spare balls beside the coach so a lost ball never stops the practice.
7. 7Split 4-16 players into two or three even groups. Run two stations side by side if you have the space, so lines never grow beyond four players.
8. 8Set the area up before the players arrive, then walk them through the shape once at a jog before the first live repetition.

How to run it, step by step

1. 1Get the players into position and walk the first repetition through slowly so everybody knows where they start and where they go.
2. 2Player receives on the edge of the zone and takes one touch out of the feet.
3. 3The strike must be hit before leaving the zone.
4. 4Rebounds are live for a follow-up finish.
5. 5The practice is started by a pass into one of the wide channels.
6. 6End actions only count when the ball has travelled through a wide channel first.
7. 7After their action each player follows their pass and joins the back of the next line, so everybody rotates through every position in the practice.
8. 8Every repetition finishes with a strike at goal. As soon as the ball leaves the striker's foot the next player starts, so the practice keeps flowing.
9. 9Freeze the practice once or twice per round, make one coaching point to the whole group, then restart immediately.

What each player does

Working player

Takes the repetition: receives, executes the shooting action and finishes the sequence at match pace.

Server

Delivers a consistent, firm ball on the coach's call, then collects a spare ball ready for the next repetition.

Goalkeeper

Sets before every strike, works the save, then distributes to restart the next attack rather than kicking the ball away.

Waiting players

Stand behind the start cone with a ball ready, watch the repetition in front of them and step in the moment it finishes.

Coach

Stands where the whole picture is visible, serves or calls the start, and makes one clear point per freeze.

Timings and organisation

• -Run 4 rounds of roughly 4 minutes inside the 14 minute slot.
• -Give 45-60 seconds of rest between rounds so the quality of the work stays high, and use that gap for your coaching point.
• -Rotate roles at the end of every round so each player works, serves and defends across the practice.
• -If the practice is too easy, move to a progression rather than adding more repetitions. If players are struggling, drop to a regression for one round and then build back up.

Common mistakes

• -Shooting from impossible angles
• -Ball bouncing before the strike
• -Everything funnelling into a crowded middle
• -Standing still and watching instead of moving into the next position