Weak-foot finishing
Transcript
A weaker foot you can trust saves you a touch in the box. Here's a drill to train it. Warm up first. You need a goal, or two cones set four metres apart, and six balls. Line the balls up ten metres out. Watch. Step in and strike it into a corner with your weaker foot. First, keep it on the grass, not up in the air. Then, pick your corner before you strike. Switch corners every shot. Our target is three sets of six, weaker foot only. Collecting the balls is your rest. Then take the free test at footballreach.com.
What it trains
Finish with either foot in the box, instead of taking an extra touch onto your stronger foot. The FA says around 60-70% of goals in senior football are scored from inside the box. In one small study of 39 players aged 15-20, the 18 who used only their weaker foot in training (except full games) for 8 weeks improved on football skill tests with both feet.
Set up
- A goal, or 2 cones
- Cones 4 m apart
- 6 balls in a line
- 10 m from the goal
How it works
- Warm up first. Set up a goal, or two cones 4 m apart, on flat grass.
- Line up 6 balls 10 m out (anywhere from 8 to 12 m works).
- Pick a corner, step in and strike the ball along the ground into it with your weaker foot.
- Shoot all 6, then collect the balls. Collecting them is your rest.
- Do 3 sets of 6, weaker foot only (our target).
Coaching points
- Keep it on the grass. Drive the ball low so it stays on the grass all the way in. With cones there is no bar, so only a shot along the ground counts.
- Pick before you strike. Choose your corner before you step in, then strike for it. Pick a different corner each time.
Not this
Shots that rise into the air. Keep every finish on the grass.
Dose
- 3 sets of 6, weaker foot
- Collect balls as rest
Our target: Our target: 3 sets of 6 weaker-foot finishes a session. They count toward the plan's 200 weaker-foot passes and finishes a week. Both are Football Reach targets, not FA rules.
Harder / Easier
Harder
Move back to 12 m or bring the cones in to 3 m. Older players can then add a follow-through: land on your kicking foot, moving toward the goal. With a partner, finish first time from their pass along the ground.
Easier
Move closer (8 m, or nearer for under-10s) and start with a toe poke or the laces, then the side-foot.
Safety
- Flat grass with nobody in or behind the goal and clear space behind it: never a road, a window or a neighbour's wall. A partner passes from the side, out of the line of the shot.
- Any goal, including a portable one, must be anchored or weighted down. Never climb or swing on a goal.
- Ground finishes only: the ball starts on the grass every time, no volleys.
Sources
Not sure which skill to work on first? The free Football Reach test gives you a Player Development Score and shows which of the four corners of your game to work on next, in about two minutes.
Take the free test
