Goal kick soccer drills

Making the most of goal-kicks is not easy, you often find the ball going straight back to the opposition because the kicker has just kicked it as hard as he can.

Use these goal kick tactics to help your players.

Take the pressure out of goal-kicks

I’m always thinking up new ways to get the ball from the penalty area upfield without it going straight to an opposition attacker who simply whacks it back at you. I find it a challenge to think about goal-kicks because they can give possession to the other team and all your hard work is gone.

Key soccer coaching tip

A good coaching tip here is that the quality of the initial pass from the goalkeeper is important.

The opposition hold the key to kicks

Building up from the back is a soccer tactic used by many successful teams. If the opposition is playing a deep defensive game near to their own goal, there is little point in playing the ball high and long, especially as the attacking team will be outnumbered.

However, if you have players who are capable of wining the ball in the air, then you may want to use the long goal-kick. Flick-ons can be useful especially if players make timed runs behind the player heading the ball.

Three drills to coach goal-kicking success First goal-kick soccer drill

• The goalkeeper plays the ball out wide to the fullback who drops back into space.
• He plays it forward to the midfielder who passes inside to the central defender.
• The central defender can bring the ball forward into space.

Second goal-kick soccer drill

• The goalkeeper plays the ball out wide to the winger/midfielder dropping back into space.
• He plays it back to the full-back in space.
• The fullback can bring the ball forward into the space in front of him.

Third goal-kick soccer drill

• The goalkeeper sees the opportunity to take a quick goal-kick as the opposition has not yet taken up their defensive positions.
• He kicks the ball hard towards the centre-forward.
• The centre-forward flicks the ball into the space behind for a fellow attacker to run on to.

Key soccer coaching tip:

The pace and angle of the delivery will determine the outcome.

Click here for soccer coaching tips to improve your goalie’s drop kicks.