Shooting

Volleys & Half Volleys

Strike a dropping ball cleanly

Shooting
Finishing
First Touch

Volleys & Half Volleys is a 15-minute shooting drill for 3-14 players, suitable for Under 10 to Adults at 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
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Goals Needed
Striking Technique

Duration

15 min

Players

3-14

Pitch size

Penalty area

Ability levels

Intermediate / Advanced

Pitch diagram

Pitch set-up: Volleys & Half VolleysGKCS123Penalty area

Volleys & Half Volleys — Goalkeeping set-up — serve, save, reset · Penalty area

Step 1 of 3Server throws for a half volley, shooter strikes low.

  1. 1. Server throws for a half volley, shooter strikes low.
  2. 2. Progress to a full volley and then a side volley.
  3. 3. Eight reps per type, both feet.
  • Cones mark the area
  • Full goal
  • GK = goalkeeper
  • C = coach serving, S = second server
  • Ball
  • Cones mark the keeper's starting positions
  • Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
  • Keeper distributes back to the server
  • Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble

Objectives

  • -Strike a dropping ball cleanly
  • -Keep volleys down and on target
  • -Time the body position to the ball flight

Setup

  1. 1Full goal with a keeper.
  2. 2Server with a ball supply 8 yards from the shooter.
  3. 3Shooting cone 12 yards from goal.

Coaching instructions

  1. 1Server throws for a half volley, shooter strikes low.
  2. 2Progress to a full volley and then a side volley.
  3. 3Eight reps per type, both feet.

Coaching points

  • -Get side on with the shoulder pointing at goal
  • -Knee over the ball to keep it down
  • -Contact the ball at the top of the bounce or below the waist
  • -Ankle locked and toe pointed down

Common mistakes

  • -Leaning back and ballooning the shot
  • -Swinging too early or too late
  • -Standing square to the goal

Where this drill fits

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