The Exercise: Red drives the ball with his instep (laces) through two discs or flags to grey, white should initially serve as a passive goalie and become more active as the exercise progresses. Red and White would then switch positions. Grey should immediately prepare the ball as quickly as possible and accurately drive the ball between the 2 discs “guarded” by Red. Grey and White would now switch positions. Exercise continues.
Possible Variations: Ask the goalie to be fully active, ask the players to drive the ball along the ground, ask players to chip the person in the middle. Ask players to land on their kicking foot (follow through).
Coach should focus on Proper Technique for instep:
- Toe down & ankle locked.
- Head should remain steady as you strike the ball.
- Placement foot should be facing your partner.
Observe how the players’ approach the ball. It shouldn’t be a straight line, instead a slightly angled approach similar to that of a field goal kicker.
Note: the players are in different colors simply to enhance the explanation, although you may want to have the players in different colors if you progress to exercises that involve three teams. If you have a group of 4 players, have the extra player start behind the player who initially has the ball, this will help keep the rotation moving smoothly.
