The 4 Biggest Mistakes When Shooting

Doing the wrong drills or doing the right drills in the
wrong way is a recipe for disaster. And I see the biggest
mistakes when players are training to increase their shooting power. 
Most players (and coaches for that matter) don't realize
these small mistakes can literally sabotage your shooting power.  

When I coach kids on increasing their shooting power
I'm constantly correcting their mindset and their technique.

So today I present to you the 4 biggest mistakes in shooting for power:
1. Bad angle - When players hear a coach ask them to shoot with
their laces they think they have to run straight at the ball. 

Taking a bad angle to shoot the ball is super common.  And its the biggest
culprit to limiting your shooting power. 

When looking to add additional power to your shots you want to think
and line up more like a field goal kicker... taking a better angle
will give you the set up you need to blast super powerful shots.

2. Poor Planting - While some players plant behind the ball (which limits your power)
others add an unnecessary hop or super long stride on their
last step to the ball making it impossible to plant the right way for maximum power.   

They mistakenly believe this is somehow going to help them add power.  

The secret is really to move smoothly to the ball and plant your
foot in front of the ball so you can generate the greatest force on your strike. 
3. Stopping - I see players constantly putting the brakes on when
taking their shots.  They run up to the ball, plant their foot,
and STOP their momentum as they kick!

Then they are frustrated when keepers have such an easy time knocking down
or catching their shots.  

Remember a body in motion creates momentum and momentum

is your key to increasing power!

4. Striking the wrong part of the ball - Kids teach themselves at a
young age that to kick the ball far they need to kick it up in the air.

Because they are so small they think the only way to get the ball up in the air is to sweep their leg from low to high and hit the bottom of the ball. 

And as they practice this method they build the muscle memory
they need to consistently kick the ball higher but also take mediocre and weak shots. 

This doesn't mean they will never score a goal - it just means
they will never generate the power they want in their shots to make a
keepers think twice about stopping their shots!

Unfortunately even advanced players make these mistakes when shooting
dead ball shots and on breakaways.  I see it all too often. 

But there is a better way.  And when you learn this way you'll become
advanced and much more powerful much quicker.

If you can avoid the mistakes listed above while using the supremely awesome mental techniques I teach at my Shooting for Power bootcamp your progress will come faster

and easier.
All the best,

Coach Nolan