Shooting for grassroots football coaches
Everything we have on shooting — in one place.
Shooting sessions cover technique, composure under pressure, and finishing variety. This page collects every shooting drill, session, and article from the SimpleDrills library into a single hub — 14 drills, 7 session plans, 0 background articles.
14drills·7sessions · Ages U7–adult
The shooting philosophy
Shooting drills should look like shooting situations — under pressure, with a goalkeeper, with a defender. The shooting drill that lines players up to take 30 unopposed shots at an empty goal trains a skill that doesn't exist in matches. The SimpleDrills shooting library skews toward opposed, moving, decision-laden finishing. Volume matters too — every shooting session should produce 25+ strikes per player.
14 shooting drills
Drills focused on shooting as the primary technical or tactical theme. Each drill includes setup, run time, equipment, and age range.
Colour Goals
Four mini-goals marked with different coloured cones. Coach calls a colour — players must dribble and shoot at…
First Shots — Mini Goals
U7s love scoring goals. They don't love being told to 'plant your standing foot next to the ball, lock your an…
First Shot on Goal
U8 shooting confidence is built through successful repetitions, not technical instruction. Most U8 shooting dr…
Target Shooting
U8 players who are told to 'shoot at goal' aim at the goalkeeper or the centre of the goal. A specific target …
1v1 vs Keeper
Every grassroots match has 10+ moments where an attacker arrives in the box with a chance to score. Most are m…
Receive, Turn, Shoot
Most U9-U10 finishing drills isolate the shot. Player walks up to a stationary ball, strikes it, queues again.…
Finishing Under Pressure
The shooting drill that just lines players up to take 30 unopposed shots teaches finishing in a vacuum. Real f…
Multi-Direction Finishing
Most shooting drills work one angle and one serve type. Real matches don't — shots come from anywhere, off any…
Through-Ball Finishing
The through-ball-and-finish is the most-scored goal type in modern football — at every level from grassroots t…
Kit for shooting coaching
Quality grassroots kit for running shooting sessions. Amazon links — OneLink routes you to your local marketplace.
* Amazon affiliate links. SimpleDrills earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.
7 shooting session plans
Full 45–90 minute session plans organised around shooting. Each session is structured into time blocks with coaching cues and equipment lists.
U8 Shooting and Goals Galore
U8s love scoring goals more than anything. This is the session built around that — every drill ends in a shot, every kid…
U9–U10 Shooting — Fun First
A 45-minute shooting session for U9–U10 that builds instep contact and finishing confidence through competitive games ra…
U10 Shooting Practice
A 45-minute session focused on composure under pressure and finishing 1v1 with the keeper — the two highest-leverage fin…
U11 Finishing Variety
A 60-minute session focused on finishing from different angles, serves, and scenarios — the variety that translates trai…
U12–U13 Shooting Session
A 60-minute session building shooting technique and decision-making — driven shots, first-time finishes, and shooting un…
11v11 Finishing Session
A 60-minute session integrating shooting and finishing into full-pitch play for adult and U16+ squads. Everything leads …
Adult Finishing and Shooting — 60 Minutes
A focused 60-minute finishing session for adult squads. Driven shots from range, cut-back finishes, 1v1 against the GK, …
Coaching shooting from U7 to adult
U7 — Volume over technique
Shooting at U7 is mostly accidental. Set up mini-goal targets and let them shoot from anywhere. Praise every attempt. The inside-foot push-shot is what most U7s can manage and it's appropriate. Volume matters far more than technique.
U8–U9 — Accuracy first
U8 and U9 can learn the difference between an accuracy shot (inside foot) and a power shot (instep). Use cones as targets. Plant-foot position is the most coachable detail. Every U8 should leave a shooting session having struck 30+ balls.
U10–U11 — First-time strikes
Shooting expands to include the first-time strike. The decision (one touch vs two) becomes part of the coaching. Conditioned games where the first goal is worth one and the first-time goal is worth three change behaviour immediately.
U12–U13 — Scenarios
Shooting work moves into match contexts — finishing off crosses, finishing through-balls, 1v1 against the GK. Pure technique drills give way to scenario drills. The coaching shifts from striking technique to composure: 'pick your spot, then strike it'.
U14–U18 — Composure
Shooting work assumes the technique. The work is composure, decision under pressure, and finishing variety. Headers, volleys, half-volleys, first-time strikes — exposure to the full range matters. Standing-still finishing drills become a waste of time.
Adult amateur — Rapid-fire
Adult amateur shooting benefits from rapid-fire repetitions — 30 strikes in 10 minutes — followed by application in conditioned games. Adults retain shooting technique they once had; the work is reactivation, not teaching.
?FAQ
What is Shooting for grassroots football coaches?
Shooting sessions cover technique, composure under pressure, and finishing variety. This page collects every shooting drill, session, and article from the SimpleDrills library into a single hub — 14 drills, 7 session plans, 0 background articles.
Is this free to use on SimpleDrills?
Yes — all coaching content on SimpleDrills, including this page, is free to view, print, and use with your team.