Children Football Lessons Singapore

7 ways to improve your football shooting skills

Football is a game that requires a combination of skills such as dribbling, passing, and shooting to be successful. Among these, shooting is a crucial aspect of the game and the ability to score goals can make all the difference in a match. In this article, we will discuss ways to improve your football shooting skills by utilizing other football skills.

  1. Improve Your Dribbling Skills

Dribbling is a skill that is closely related to shooting. Good dribbling skills can help you create more space and time to take a shot. When dribbling, try to keep your head up and look for opportunities to take a shot. Incorporating dribbling drills into your shooting practice will help you improve your coordination, balance, and agility, all of which are important for a good shot.

  1. Practice Your Passing

Passing is another skill that can help you improve your shooting. Good passing skills can help you create opportunities for yourself and your teammates to take shots. In addition, practicing passing can help you improve your accuracy and timing, which are crucial for a good shot. Try to incorporate passing drills into your shooting practice to improve your overall skills.

  1. Work on Your Ball Control

Ball control is an essential skill for any football player, and it is especially important for shooting. Good ball control will help you get the ball into the right position to take a shot. Practicing ball control will also help you improve your touch and feel for the ball, which arecrucial for a good shot. Incorporate ball control drills into your shooting practice to enhance your skills.

  1. Increase Your Fitness Level

Fitness is an important factor in shooting. A good shot requires power and accuracy, both of which are influenced by your fitness level. Being in good shape will help you generate more power and maintain accuracy throughout the match. Try to incorporate fitness drills such as sprints and agility exercises into your shooting practice to improve your fitness level.

  1. Develop Your Vision

Having good vision is crucial for a good shot. You need to be aware of your surroundings and look for opportunities to take a shot. Try to keep your head up and scan the field for potential shooting opportunities. Visualize yourself taking a shot and scoring a goal. This will help you develop the mental toughness and composure needed to score goals in real matches.

  1. Practice Different Types of Shots

There are many types of shots in football, including the standard shot, volley, chip, and curve. Practicing different types of shots will make you a more versatile player and give you more options in different situations. Incorporate different types of shots into your shooting practice to improve your overall skills.

  1. Work on Your Timing

Timing is essential for a good shot. You need to be in the right place at the right time to receive the ball and shoot. Work on your positioning and anticipation to ensure that you are in the best position to take a shot. Incorporating timing drills into your shooting practice will help you improve your overall skills.

In conclusion, improving your football shooting skills requires a combination of skills such as dribbling, passing, ball control, timing and more. Incorporating these skills into your shooting practice will help you become a more effective shooter and help your team win more matches. With consistent practice and dedication, you can enhance your skills and become a better football player.

Group Football Classes

8 ways to improve football skills

The first fundamental that we have to master is dribbling, which is the act of advancing the ball past opponents. To hone this skill, practice dribbling with both feet until you can do it equally well. Try keeping the ball close to your feet for better control and practice sharp directional changes. Using cones or markers to create a dribbling course and give yourself a time limit to add some variety to your practice sessions. Click here to learn how to improve your dribbling skills!

Secondly, football is also about teamwork. Learning to pass and receive the ball will allow you to collaborate with your teammates and move the ball more efficiently. Practice and master different types of passes; short, long, through, and diagonal passes to name a few. Focus on mastering the techniques for each pass, including which part of the foot to use, until you are able to execute each pass with intention and precision. You should also work on receiving passes with various parts of your body and move smoothly into play.

Scoring is the main point of any game of football. Practicing shooting from various positions on the field with either foot can help you deliver powerful shots under pressure during a game. Master different types of shots and focus on your form for each, working to ensure accuracy and power, which will help you successfully make your shot. To see how you can improve your shooting skills, click here.

Any sport requires good physical fitness to help you perform well on the field. Endurance, strength, speed, and agility are all traits that can enhance your game. Include regular cardiovascular exercise such as running, swimming, and interval training to improve your endurance. Strength training such as weights, squats, and lunges can help build strength in your legs and core, allowing you to run better and shoot more powerfully. Finally, drills like ladder and cone drills can help you improve your agility and move past your opponents.

Football is also a game of strategy. Gaining insights into the tactical aspects of the game can help you make your decisions on the field. Watch professional matches and try to figure out why players make the decisions they do. Build up your repertoire of techniques and strategies by reading books and articles, and see them in action by watching live games. When with your team, you can try out the different formations and positions so that you can get a feeling of how these strategies work for yourself.

The team that you train with can also affect your results as playing with better players can push you to become better yourself. Look for opportunities to play with people better than you such as joining a football club or team. Your teammates can provide you with valuable insights and fresh skills that will help you hone and sharpen your skills, pushing your game to the next level.

Working on your weaknesses will help you become a better player. Learning to take criticism with grace and work hard to improve areas that you are weaker in will allow you to improve. Your coach and teammates will be able to give you tips and it is up to you to work on these areas
with drills and exercises.

Finally, having a good attitude will make you an asset to your team. No one likes someone who is negative and unfocused, hence developing and maintaining a positive attitude and an encouraging demeanour can endear you to your teammates. Furthermore, it is easier to bounce back from setbacks and challenges when you are optimistic, enabling you to reach greater heights. 

GoalKick Football Academy

Tips and Tricks for Football Beginners

World Cup got you into a football fever? Want to try your luck at a new sport? Here are a few tips and tricks for beginners to get started in football!

1. Know the game
Football is a competitive team sport played between two teams of 11 players. Each team aims to score goals into
their respective goalposts at opposing ends of the football pitch, guarded by a goalkeeper. A game lasts 90 minutes
and is split into two halves of 45 minutes each, with a 15 minute half-time in between. Additional minutes may be
given at the end of the second half in cases of ties or for penalty shoots.
Of course, if you are a casual player wanting to enjoy the sport amongst friends, any area of flat ground with ample
space, and makeshift goalposts would do! Play for as short or as long as you desire, make up your own rules, and
most importantly, have fun!

2. Fitness first
Playing football involves sprinting at high speeds, turning and switching directions rapidly, and running long distances for extended periods of time. Stamina and physical strength is key to be on your A-game throughout the match and play better for your team. Lower body strength is needed for explosive sprints and quick footwork, while a strong core makes sharp turns easier and safer. Stronger arms and shoulders help in body checks and tackles.
To improve your fitness, try to incorporate strength and cardio-based workouts into your schedule. Doing
high-intensity interval training (HIIT), mid to long-distance runs for endurance and stamina, and weight training in the gym regularly would help build a stronger base for your body to perform better, and ultimately, enjoy the sport
more.

3. Ball work and ball movement
You will often hear terms like shooting, dribbling, trapping and control when playing football. If you are entirely new to the sport and have no idea what they mean, here’s a quick lowdown:

  • Dribbling: To keep control of the ball while running. Click here to read on how to improve your dribbling skills!
  • Tackling: To take the ball away from an opponent using your feet
  • Shooting: To kick the ball with the aim of scoring a goal. Here are ways to improve your shooting skills, https://footballtraining.sg/blog/7-ways-to-improve-football-shooting-skills/
  • Passing: To kick the ball towards your own teammate. Read this on ways to work on your passing skills.
  • Trapping: Gaining possession of the ball when the ball is in the process of being passed or not under the
    control of any player
  • Control: To be in possession of the ball
    There are hundreds of other such terms used in football. Take your time to pick them up through reading, tutorial
    videos, or playing with your peers.
    Ball work is what you do with the ball when you have it, and ball movement is what you do when you don’t. Being
    able to gain control of the ball on the pitch or from the feet of an opponent, knowing which teammate to pass to,
    and having an idea of how to set up for a potential goal would be essential skills to learn and practice as you start
    playing.

4. Teamwork and communication
As with any team-based sport, working together and communicating is crucial to playing a good game. Try to get out of your shell and learn to sound out, or even yell at your fellow teammates when you’re passing the ball to them, telling them the position you want them to receive your pass in, which opponent to mark, which passing lanes to cut
and who to avoid (Don’t worry, they will thank you for it!). As you progress and get better, you might even form
your own unique calls and commands within your team, and learn the specific terms that professional footballers use like high press, switch play and clear it.
Football is a social sport, and as such, talking, yelling and commanding is all part and parcel of the game. Be confident, be loud and be bold!

5. Learn from the legends
What got you into wanting to start playing football in the first place? Was it watching ‘The Flying Dutchman’ Van
Persie, Ibrahimovic’s bicycle kick, or the extraordinary career of Messi?
These legends are the cream of the crop in the football world, and they never fail to amaze us with their flair and
unique gameplay. Football is not just any sport, but one with much artistry and creativity in the techniques that can be used to score a goal. While you may just be starting out learning that you strike the ball with the area around your big toe’s knuckle for a standard shot, watching the very best showcase their talents may be a great way to stay motivated and continue learning when it gets tough. Countless compilation videos and commentaries on legendary moments in football history may help inspire you to go further. But, for a start, keep your training simple, digestible and specific to the base-level skills you first need to master.

Football is by far the most popular sport in the world with a claim to 3.5 billion fans worldwide. Use these tips and tricks, learn from the best, and always remember to have fun and make good memories playing! Allez!

dsc09193_52748687910_o Large

8 ways to improve your dribbling skills

Dribbling is a fundamental foundational skill in football, and the main focus of it is to get past the defender while maintaining possession of your ball so that your team has a chance to score a goal. These are a few ways to get better at this skill.

1. Spatial awareness
It is an easy mistake for beginners to make to only focus on looking at the ball down at their feet. This leaves you open to getting tackled by your opponents as you would not see them coming and therefore not have enough time to avoid or redirect your path. Remember to look ahead regularly when you dribble to scan the pitch and decide your next move depending on your relative position to your teammates and opponents, while making sure you still have control of the ball. This may be challenging at the start, but with enough conscious effort and practice, it would become second-nature to any player.

2. Drills
During football training sessions, utilise various cones and markers on the pitch to practice drills that improve your dribbling skills. Crucial aspects include ball sense and control, turning and pivoting. By placing the cones in various configurations, you can start practising various drills such as the straight cone dribble, one-on-one controlled dribble and random dribble drills.

3. Core
To prepare your body for the rapid turning and pivoting with the ball during dribbling, it is essential to strengthen your core. This can be done through static holds and dynamic exercises such as plank poses, Russian twists, dead bug and shoulder taps. By building up your base core strength, you will be able to execute your dribbling more safely, quickly and effectively.

4. Balance and strength
Besides core strength to help with your twisting and turning, you should also try to build up your balance and body strength. While dribbling, you will encounter a lot of pushing and tackling from your opponents. It is important that you avoid getting pushed off the ball by being able to maintain your balance and resist these forces.

5. Keep the ball close to you
Dribbling can be broadly grouped into confined and long-distance dribbling. To practice dribbling in tight spaces and keeping the ball close to you is different from long-distance dribbling as they require different skill sets. Confined dribbling will demand more precision in your footwork which may be difficult to get used to at first. Remember to practice switching the ball from your left to right foot quickly and accurately to stop you from losing possession of the ball to your opponent.

6. Receiving the ball
To be able to even start dribbling, you first need to be able to receive a pass successfully from your teammates. While this may sound easy at first, there is a lot that goes into perfecting this skill. Your first touch when you receive the ball is crucial. This involves the direction you receive it in, the direction you cushion the ball to, and the area of the pitch you want to receive the ball in. This also requires synergy and communication between teammates, and practising this over time would help your team to improve overall on your teamwork, and success in setting up a goal together.

7. Learn from the experts
Dribbling is an art form within football, and the best way to improve is to watch those who’ve got it down to the last detail. Well-known dribblers include Neymar, Messi and Maradona. These professional players have perfected their arts and are widely celebrated to be the best in this aspect. Apart from this, you can also hire football coaches to train and teach you all the necessary techniques needed. 

8. Practice makes perfect
Lastly, with any skill set, it is important to keep at it and continue learning and practising the right forms and techniques to get better over time. While it may be daunting to start and challenging to persevere, especially when faced with imperfection and disappointment in the beginning, having the passion and drive to keep moving forward will help you reach your goal of getting better at dribbling over time. Keep in mind to start practising correctly from the beginning so that you don’t waste your effort and time trying to correct your mistakes down the road, and you will get there sooner or later.

Happy dribbling!

GoalKick Kids Football Lessons sg