Goal Scoring: The Shooters Mentality

AtlSkillz, checking in once again to chat a little more about Goal scoring and the shooting taking attitude. I find that there are several things that cause players to have poor shooting accuracy or even worse, not shoot at all. One of the biggest is the fear of missing. This is a mental constraint that you need to relieve you and your teammates of. Here are some ways to do that.

• Praise your teammates for taking a shot – this will boost their confidence and make them more likely to try a shot next time they get a chance.
• Always stay positive, even when you or a teammate misses – this will help confidence and improve team spirit.
• And remember it’s better to shoot and miss than not to shoot at all.
  

Another reason why players have poor shooting or choose not to shoot at all is their lack of confidence in there technique or ability. There is only one way to improve technique and that’s practice, practice, practice! Fortunately, the techniques used in shooting are the same as those used in passing. So as your ability to move the ball progresses – through use of the sidefoot, instep (laces) and even outside of the foot to swerve the ball – so will your shooting. So through practice and repetition your technique will improve and you will be able to focus on other aspects that will increase your scoring ability. For example:

• Always observe the keeper’s position – asking yourself has the goalkeeper left a gap you as an attacker can exploit?
• Selecting the best technique that will give you a better chance of scoring – side of the foot for greater accuracy, or instep drive(laces) and good “follow through” for power.
  
• Remember to plant your non-kicking foot alongside the ball
• Keep your head down, eyes on the ball. This is accomplished because you have already taken a moment to observe the goal keepers positioin.
  
• Maintain your balance and keep your body over the ball
• Keep your eye on the ball in order to make contact with the middle to top half of the ball
• And always, always keep your composure. This is one of the most important things to remember. It can make the difference in making a split second decision to turn nothing into a goal scoring opportunity.

And last but not least, just get your shot on target. “Hitting the target” is obviously the most important aspect of scoring goals. Here are a few more tips that will allow you to increase your goal scoring probability.

• Shoot wide rather than high – there’s a greater chance of getting your shot on target or causing the goalkeeper to adeflection that could result in another goal scoring opportunity.
• Shoot low – it’s harder for a goal keeper to reach shots along the ground because it’s further for them to travel to get down.
• Shoot across the keeper – it’s tougher for them to hold these shots, and means they could divert the ball back into the path of another attacker once again creating a goal scoring opportunity.