Lay-off and shoot

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Soccer drill · Under-9 and up

The shooter plays into a target player standing on the edge of the box with their back to goal, moves to one side for the lay-off and hits it first time. The target player spins and follows in for the rebound. It is the shooting drill that looks like a match, because in a match the shot usually comes from a pass.

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Time
15 minutes
Players
4 or more: a goalkeeper, a target player and a line of shooters
Equipment
  • 2 cones
  • 1 full-size goal
  • 1 ball per shooter

Setup

  1. Put a cone at the top of the D, just outside the penalty area. The target player stands on it with their back to goal.
  2. The shooters line up with a ball each at a second cone, about 30 yards from goal.
  3. The shooter passes into the target player, moves to one side, and the target player lays it off square into their path.
  4. The shooter strikes it first time. The target player spins and follows in for any rebound.
  5. Shooter becomes the target player, and the target player joins the line. Run it from both sides.

Coaching points

  • Firm pass into the target player, along the ground, to their front foot.
  • Move as soon as the pass goes. Arrive just after the lay-off, so you strike a moving ball on the run.
  • Lay-off: cushion it with the inside of the foot, into space in front of the shooter rather than at their feet.
  • Strike through the middle of the ball with your laces, ankle locked and toe down, head still. Hit the target before trying to bend it.
  • Follow every shot in. Keepers spill shots, and the rebound is the easiest goal of the day.

On the run sheet: Pass firm into feet, move to the side for the lay-off, strike it first time with your laces, follow in

Progressions

  1. Shooters may only use their weaker foot.
  2. Add a defender who starts behind the shooter and chases, so the strike has to be quick.
  3. Swap the lay-off for a one-two: the shooter passes, the target plays it back into the box, the shooter finishes inside the area.

How it runs

The shooter starts with the ball about 30 yards out and passes firmly into the target player on the edge of the box. As soon as the pass goes, the shooter moves off to one side. The target player cushions it square into the shooter's path, and the shooter strikes it first time from about 20 yards. The animation shows the rhythm: pass, move, lay-off, shot. While the ball is travelling, the target player turns and follows it in, and the goalkeeper steps across to set for the shot.

Keep the line short. Two or three shooters a side and a fresh ball each means a shot every few seconds, so nobody stands around and the goalkeeper gets real work.

Why it beats a shooting line

A shot from a stationary ball, after a long run-up, almost never happens in a game. Most shots come from a pass, struck early, with the body moving. This drill practises that. The shooter learns to time the run onto the ball and to strike it without stopping it first. The target player gets the hold-up and lay-off work a striker needs as well.

The mistakes to watch for

Shooters who stop the ball before shooting. Leaning back, which sends it over the bar. A lay-off played at the shooter's feet rather than in front of them. And nobody following in.

More soccer drills

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It lands on your practice plan already timed, with the coaching cue printed under it, next to your own plays.

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