The secrets of shooting

Is there a better feeling than putting the ball in the top corner of the net?

Scoring goals feels good, which is why shooting is often at the top of the list for players wanting to develop their footballing ability. At Strive, our one-to-one elite coaching sessions can be tailored to focus on shooting techniques that will help you hone your attempts on goals, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if this is something that you’d like my help with.

The two things that we are looking for from every shot is power and accuracy. If you can put the ball exactly where we want it, with maximum amount of power - chances are you’ll score. Now we’ll break that down further and look at each aspect of shooting.

Preparing for a shot

When preparing for a shot, there are different ways to use your foot to give you the power or accuracy that you are after. I’ll look at how using the side of your foot, the laces or a hybrid of the two can impact your shot.

1. Side foot. The side of your foot is not only the largest surface area of your foot but is also the flattest, so use this if accuracy and precision are the priority. Look how Messi uses the inside of the foot to perfectly place this freekick into the corner of the goal with plenty of curl - watch here.

2. Laces. Your laces (I still call it using your laces even if your boots are laceless!) are narrow and rounded so it’s harder to maintain accuracy but you can put a lot more weight through the ball, so laces are perfect if you’re wanting to prioritise power. Watch how Ronaldo perfectly uses his laces here to put the ball in the top corner - watch here.

3. Hybrid of the two. If you’re looking for the best of both worlds then the hybrid is perfect (the best way to find this is the bony part of the knuckle on your big toe).

Approaching the shot

The touch before you shoot, also known as the approach, is just as important as the shot itself. There are two variables with this touch: the angle and the length. For me - around 4 steps away is perfect, it allows me enough space to run on to it to get enough power behind the ball without it being so far away that it turns into a 100m sprint. 

The angle of the shot

The angle of the touch is where it gets a little more complicated, because shooting in a straight line is very hard (fig.1). Without getting too scientific, our leg wants to swing across our body (for right footers: right to left, for left footers: left to right). Therefore as a right footer, your touch should always towards the right in relation to the goal, like fig. 2.

The angle will often determine which part of the foot you should use. If the ball is now on a 90 degree angle to the goal (fig. 2), using your laces to get the ball where you want it to go will be very difficult.

Therefore, using the inside of your foot or the “hybrid technique” will be best. By approaching the ball on this angle, you can now shoot in both sides of the goal compared to only one side of the goal in fig.1. Effectively, for a right footer, the ball can only go to the left of where you approach - shown by fig. 3 and fig. 4.

Practicing shooting

With everything in football - practice is key. My personal preference is to always have a larger angle to the goal (similar to fig.2). 

For me it is all about options - having a larger angle to the goal allows you to shoot into both sides and use two shooting techniques. With a larger angle you can also start to add in some disguise to the shot. 

Advanced shooting skills

Once you are confident and competent with various shooting techniques, can you keep your hips open to the far post to make it look like you will shoot there but cut it back into the near post? Mbappe and Messi are two players that do this incredibly well. Watch in this video how Mbappe opens up his body and hips to make it look like he is going to shoot into the far corner before firing into the near post.

Teaching shooting techniques and the subtleties of how to add disguise are something I put a lot of focus on during my one to one sessions with players who want to improve shooting. Book a session now if you want to improve your shooting!

Monthly newsletter - Feb 2023

Hi there,

Welcome to the second edition of my monthly newsletter, where I’ll be keeping you updated on what’s happening with Strive, my thoughts about the prem and other cool stuff I’ve seen. 

A DIFFERENT KIND OF 1-2-1 TRAINING…

So far this year I’ve been doing lots of coaching, but the client has been a bit different to those I normally teach. At the beginning of the year I got a Goldador puppy (Golden Retriever crossed with Labrador Retriever), called Nelly. She’s very cute but also incredibly cheeky! Since I can take her out of the house for walks that definitely helps with burning off excess energy - though I think that I’m more tired than she is!

WHAT I’M LIKING AT THE MOMENT

I spoke a little about Arsenal and their incredible form and fluid play style last month, so other than them - I have been really impressed with Brighton & Hove Albion, who currently sit 7th in the Prem (2 games in hand on 6th). Amongst their most impressive players are Alexis Mac Alister, fresh off lifting the World Cup with Argentina, Solly March, the teenage sensation Evan Ferguson and the ridiculously impressive Kaoru Mitoma.

Mitoma, who signed from J1 League team Kawasaki Frontale in 2021, has racked up 7 goals and 2 assists so far this season including stand out goals against Liverpool and Everton. 

Mitoma’s ability to drift in from the left, beat multiple players and get shots away at goal is any wingers dream, but how does he do it? Well, while at university he wrote a thesis on dribbling! Here’s what he found: “I learned that the good players weren’t looking at the ball, they would look ahead, trap the ball without looking down at their feet. That was the difference. I was one of the better dribblers at that time, but not exceptional. I am conscious of shifting the opponent's centre of gravity. If I can move the opponent's body, I win.".

Mitoma’s comments feed into the 3 point ‘recipe’ that I talk about in my sessions:

1. Disguise, to shift the defender to one side.

2. Change direction, to push the ball away from the defender.

3. Change speed, to get away from the defender.

To learn a more about my coaching approach or to book a 1-2-1 elite session, click the button below.

You’ll have seen VAR has been back in the press after the mistakes made by Lee Mason at Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Brentford. Mason, as the Video Assistant Referee, has since left the referees' body PGMOL by mutual consent and admitted human error in the incident where he forgot to draw the guidelines to check for offside. Arteta was understandably furious, which spilled over into the Aston Villa game where he was captured mocking the referee Simon Hopper.

In this regard, football feels miles behind other sports, which have evolved to effectively incorporate new technologies into the game. In rugby for example, refereeing staff now wear headsets throughout the game. Not only can fans hear any VAR discussion and debate, dialogue with players can also be heard. This undoubtedly increases visibility and accountability on decisions, and also helps increase respect - as players are discouraged from swearing and shouting at refereeing staff. 

We can all get hot-headed during a game (watching or playing) but it’s important to remember the person behind the referee. This comes at the same time as a BBC 5 Live survey of 9000 referees revealed that nearly all respondents had experienced some form of verbal abuse, with many telling of physical abuse such as spitting, punching or headbutting. The majority of these referees are at a grassroots level, which should speak to all of us in how we communicate with referees. It’s easy to roll our eyes at Arteta but the responsibility is with everyone in football (parents, this goes for you too!) to be respectful. Only then can we really see football evolve and adapt to the times. I think rugby is a good example of how referees can be treated in a fair way!

WORTH A WATCH

Mbappe shines and Messi scores added time winner from a free kick! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTZks07S35E

Jan Vertonger wears a microphone during a competitive football match for Anderlecht - very interesting to hear!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vecb_CETAi0 

That’s it for February! Please let me know if you’ve got any feedback or comments!

Thanks,

Jesse 

Monthly newsletter - Jan 2023

Hi there,

As the memory of Christmas fades and I’ve finally eaten all of the Quality Street in the house, I’m attacking the New Year with fresh energy and ideas for how to make 2023 the best year yet! Starting with a monthly newsletter, I’ll be keeping you updated on what’s happening with Strive, my thoughts about the prem and other cool stuff I’ve seen. 

A word of thanks

I wanted to start by saying a big thank you to all of my clients and those who supported me in 2022. It was a fantastic year for Strive as we cemented relationships with many of our clients and saw many of you make huge leaps in your performance. We also started our residency at London Colney, which meant that we had a consistent base for delivering one to one football coaching sessions. 

Our group coaching sessions during school holidays were a huge success and offered a fun, supportive environment for players to develop their skills during the holidays. 

Exciting developments for Strive!

Following a phenomenal 2022, I’m hoping to expand the business in 2023, starting by recruiting some new football coaches. These new recruits will support me in delivering elite one to one coaching, at London Colney but also the surrounding areas. Expanding my team will mean we can deliver more one to one sessions, whilst maintaining the same exceptional standard that all of our clients are used to. It will also mean we can consider expanding our reach further into Essex, London, Hertfordshire and Luton. Please don’t hesitate to recommend someone if you think they could be a good fit for Strive!

What I’m liking at the moment

Wilfried Gnoto was bought for a bargain £3million by Leeds United and has been performing above and beyond ever since. In spite of his stature, Gnoto shows explosive pace and enthusiasm, which spills over into his performance. Not to mention his smile! Overall, he’s a joy to watch!

Chelsea’s season has been interesting to watch and I’m keen to see how the newly acquired squad members gel with one another as the season progresses - I’m particularly excited to see how Mudryk performs as I’ve known about his quick feet and exciting forward play for quite a while now. As much as it’s a cliche, it’s an important reminder that there is no “I” in “team”, and the best performing teams are the ones who collaborate well and have strong communication. At Strive, team dynamics are something that we focus on during our group coaching sessions. We can help players develop a stronger bond with one another, which improves performance during games.

On the subject of team performances - Arsenal are well worth a mention. The job that Mikel Arteta and his staff have done at Arsenal is something all football fans can admire. Their free-flowing style paired with sheer pace, explosiveness and technical superiority makes them the best team in the league at the moment. I’d like to specifically highlight Martin Odegaard - the way he reads the game both off and on the ball is incredible, paired with his ability to both score and create goals makes him the complete attacking midfielder.

Worth a watch

This stunning goal by Polish amputee player is an absolute worldy!! Watch it here

The most epic scenes from the film Shaolin Soccer has me in stitches! Watch here.

That’s it for January, I hope you’ve enjoyed my first newsletter. Let me know what you think and what you’d like to read more of!

Thanks,

Jesse

5 ways to improve your football game in 2023

With a new year already well underway, we thought now would be a good time to reflect on some of the ways you can improve your football performance in 2023.

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Identify your goals

One of the best and easiest ways to improve your football performance in 2023 is by identifying clear goals for the year ahead. Be specific about what they are and how you are going to achieve them, so that your plan is not overwhelming or vague. For example, if your goal is to train harder this year, think about how you can realistically achieve that goal.

Could you increase training from once, to twice a week? Could you extend your training sessions from 60 to 90 minutes? Could you put your phone away during training so that your mind is focused on your game? Suddenly your objective is specific and much easier to achieve!

BE OPEN TO feedback

Hearing feedback can be hard, especially when you’ve been working hard or if you’re having a tough day. But embracing feedback and suggestions for improvement will have a huge impact on your football training and game performance. Try to take the feedback practically and think about the positive impact it could have on your performance, rather than viewing it as a criticism. At Strive, we see constructive feedback as one of the most effective ways to improve your game and personal performance. If you’re not sure about the feedback, ask the person to clarify or elaborate.

Keep fit

Sure, your football training is important, but it’s not the only type of training that you can undertake to improve your game. Stamina is a key component of fitness and will put you in the best position to last the full 90 minutes of a game. Cycling can be fantastic in helping with this - not only is it a fun way to develop stamina and leg strength, but it’s also a great form of non impact training - so get out on two wheels!

Enjoy the game!

A recent study by Warwick University found that when we enjoy something, we improve our performance on average by 12%. Apply this theory to your football training by having fun, relaxing and enjoying the game and this will pay dividends in your performance.

Commit to regular one to one training sessions with Strive

Our elite football training sessions are tailored to the individual, meaning we can coach you to achieving your goals and staying focused on the areas that you need to improve. Book a session today to start 2023 in the best way possible!