Pass, Touch, Shoot

There is nothing more celebrated, in all of sports, than scoring a goal.

It is, for all intents and purposes, the point of the game.

For that reason it's understandable that the joy and excitement scoring a goal brings, creates an equal portion of anxiety and tension, in particular for beginner players.

Scoring a goal is hard. It's supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be hard enough that one person can't do it alone. That's what makes it so valuable, makes the mixture of thrill and relief when you watch the ball billow the back of the net out so palpable.

As is true with all things is soccer, and possibly in life, there's really only one way to get better and that's through practice.

This practice is intended to teach and train the three most important parts of the game that will lead you and your team to scoring more goals.

Your passing. Your touch. And your shot.

Passing is the most important skill in soccer. It's more important than dribbling, than shooting, than anything else.

We're going to teach you how to pass properly. What it means to put a pass on your teammates foot versus putting a pass into space for your teammates to run on to, how and when to make a dangerous, threatening pass, and when to make a safe one, and how to make yourself available to be passed to. (That last point is the one most people fail to grasp).

Touch is the part of the game I see beginners and intermediate players struggling with the most.

Touch covers everything from how you receive a pass, to how well you move the ball off your feet either to dribble, to make another pass, or to shoot.

It is one of the most frustrating places to be to feel like the ball is just going to bounce off of you every time it comes your way. This practice is designed to help you get out of that place, and to control the ball with your touch.

Shooting is where it all pays off.

In this practice we're going to cover not just shooting, but finishing in general. How to score not only with your feet, but also with your head, what to do on free kick and corner kick situations, and understanding that most often you don't need a lot of power to make a shot good.

All you need to do is to pass the ball into the back of the net.

By the end of the practice, you'll have built all the fundamentals you need to be an effective attacking force for your team, wherever you play on the field.

See you on the green. Until next time.

- Coach James