Shooting

Volley And Half-Volley Station

Strike a moving ball cleanly

Shooting

Finishing

First Touch

Volley And Half-Volley Station is a 14-minute shooting drill for 3-14 players, suitable for Under 9 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, full goals. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.

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Shooting

Finishing

First Touch

Technical Practice

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Full Squad

Youth Friendly

Adult Suitable

Goals Needed

Duration

14 min

Players

3-14

Pitch size

18 yard box

Ability levels

Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced

Pitch diagram

Volley And Half-Volley Station — Finishing set-up — serve, receive, shoot · 18 yard box

Step 1 of 3Server tosses the ball for a volley or half-volley finish.

1. Server tosses the ball for a volley or half-volley finish.
2. Alternate feet and serving height.
3. Six strikes each then rotate.

Cones mark the area
Full goal
GK = goalkeeper
C = coach / server
Ball
Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
Shooter becomes the next server
Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble

Objectives

-Strike a moving ball cleanly
-Keep volleys down and on target
-Judge the drop of the ball

Setup

1Server on the edge of the box with balls in hands.
2Shooting cone twelve yards from goal.
3Keeper in goal, queue behind the server.

Coaching instructions

1Server tosses the ball for a volley or half-volley finish.
2Alternate feet and serving height.
3Six strikes each then rotate.

Coaching points

-Get side on with the shoulder pointing at goal
-Ankle locked and toe down
-Strike through the top half of the ball

Common mistakes

-Swinging too early
-Leaning back
-Head lifting before contact

Equipment needed

Balls

Cones

Full Goals

Age groups

Under 9

Under 10

Under 11

Under 12

Under 13

Under 14

Under 15

Under 16

Adults

Progressions

+Two-Touch Limit: drop to one touch in the central area
+Weak Foot Only: add a defender to raise the pressure
+Tempo Clock: cut the clock to four seconds
+Add a competitive scoreline for the last round

Regressions

-Two-Touch Limit: allow three touches while the picture is learned
-Weak Foot Only: static, unopposed reps before adding movement
-Tempo Clock: extend the clock to ten seconds
-Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

-Two-Touch Limit — Players are limited to two touches — one to control, one to release.
-Weak Foot Only — Every touch, pass and finish must be with the weaker foot.
-Tempo Clock — The ball must reach the end action inside six seconds or the rep restarts.
-Scan and Cue — The coach shows a colour or number and the receiver must call it before their first touch.
-Shadow Pressure — A shadow defender applies half pressure and can win the ball only after the first touch.
-Score Challenge — Run it as a timed competition — pairs or teams count successful reps and compare scores.
-1-to-1 Session — Run as an individual session: coach serves, one player works through the reps with rest built in.
-Flip the practice to the opposite side of the pitch