Sprint, Suck It In, Kick a Goal.

Focus

Skills under pressure, Goalkicking, Fun.

Skills

GoalKicking.

Purpose

When midfielders and defenders sprint forward and take an attacking mark within goalscoring range, they will often be spent after the run, resulting in inaccuracy in front of goals. This drill makes players sprint forward to present a marking option, then relax and compose themselves before concentrating hard to kick the goal while fatigued.

Difficulty

Players

12⁺

Balls

1⁺

Cones

Setup
One player mans each of cones C1, C2 and C3 and takes a ball with them. Assistant coaches stand behind the goals to return the football to 1-3 players kicking-in (depending on numbers) in the goalsquare. The rest form a line behind C0.
Step 1
Starting at C0, player (A) sprints to C1. The player at C1 handballs their ball high in the air so (A) must run hard, jump and take the mark.

The handballing player on the cone then stands the mark
Step 2
(A) has up to 15 seconds regain composure by taking deep breaths, relaxing, concentrating on kicking the goal, then takes a set shot.
Step 3
Once the ball has left their foot, (A) must sprint to C2.

Assistants return balls to the players in the goalsquare

The ball is then kicked-in to a player on the one of the cones

Players manning the cones must call for the kick-in if their station is lacking balls
Step 4
At C2 the exercise is repeated, i.e the player marks a handball from the player at the cone after a sprint, lines up to take a shot, steadies, and goals
Step 5
The player sprints to C3 and has a final set shot before sprinting back to C0 and calling out their score / 3
Step 6
For senior players, introduce a second or third ball for added difficulty. You will need one extra spare ball at each station for every extra ball used, so 2 balls at once requires 6 footballs, 3 balls at once requires 9 footballs.

Players at the cones must ensure they have enough spare balls at their station to keep the exercise flowing
Step 7
After a few minutes, stop and change the players on the cones with the goalkickers. You may choose to also rotate the players kicking-in, or leave them to practice their kicks from defense.