U-Littles Introduction | Applicable Activities | Circuit Approach

Shooting With U-Littles

Now we're talking! Shooting practice is the ideal activity for very young players. The different shots are easy to organize, players enjoy scoring goals, and they quickly learn the whole point of the sport.

For each shot, you'll need a parent or coach to organize the short line of players, and another to retrieve the balls that miss. If balls must be served to the shooter, you'll need another adult play this role.

Be sure to include shots from the different groups: shots while dribbling, two-touch shots, and one-touch shots. All these shots are also described in the regular shooting section. Here are the shots that are easiest for U-Littles to practice.

Shots While Dribbling

The L-Shot

Players won’t always be facing the goal when shooting. Sometimes, they’ll be dribbling away from the goal to get away from defenders. With the L-shot, a player must dribble in an L shape before shooting—as if moving away from a defender.

Three cones represent the defender, about fourteen paces from the goal. A short line of shooters, each with a ball, begins five paces beyond the cones. The first shooter dribbles to within a step of the middle cone, then turns sharply to the right in an L-shaped path. Once outside the cones, the shooter takes a right-footed shot.
The other shooters take the same shot, and get back in line. The next time through, players turn left for a left-footed shot. The shooting continues until players have had four tries with each foot.

The Dribble-By Shot

A shooter might be dribbling parallel to the goal, and the dribble-by shot provides this experience. Since the cone setup is the same as for the L-shot, both shots can be practiced at the same time. The line of shooters is to one side of the cones, stretching parallel to the goal line. Each shooter has a ball.

The first shooter dribbles quickly past the cones, and then shoots with the right foot. The shot must come from beyond the last cone. The other shooters quickly follow. Rather than getting back in line, the shooters form a new line on the other side—and dribble back for the left-footed version.

Two-Touch Shots

The Box Shot

The box shot is a simple way to create a two-touch situation. The shooters line up outside a box, facing the server. One by one, they receive a pass, push the ball into the box, and shoot right-footed. After each shooter has had three tries, the shooters and servers change their locations to practice the left-footed version. Later, the passes can come from other directions, and the shooters can begin at other sides of the box.

One-Touch Shots

The Golden Roller Shot

A golden roller is the one-touch shot of a rolling ball. The server rolls or kicks the ball across, and the shooter moves forward and shoots. The serves can be slow or fast, and they can roll smoothly or bounce. As always, the shooters alternate feet. Serves can also come from the other side, time permitting.

The Give-and-Go Shot

The give-and-go shot uses a simple combination before the shot. The server stands about fifteen paces from the goal, facing a short line of shooters. The first shooter passes to the server, who sends a one-touch pass to the shooter’s right. The shooter breaks forward, and shoots with the first touch. The next time through, players break to the left for the left-footed version.

The One-Hopper Shot

With the one-hopper shot, the server tosses the ball about ten feet into the air, so that it takes a high bounce. The shooter then takes a right-footed shot before the ball bounces again. The second time around, players take a left-footed shot, the throws coming from the same location. The server can also toss balls from the other side.

One-hopper shots tend to sail high over the goal at first. Encourage your players to contact the upper half of the ball, or to delay contact until the ball is close to the ground—two ways to keep the shots down.

The Volley

A volley is the one-touch shot of a ball in flight. The shooters face the server, who tosses balls from a few steps away. The first shooter shoots with the right foot, without letting the ball bounce. Each shooter takes three shots in a row to save time. Server and shooters then switch sides for the left-footed version.

Volleys can take different trajectories as they leave the shooter’s foot. They can be driven on a line, bounced down into the ground, or lofted over the Keeper’s head. When time permits, cover all these variations.

Penalty Kicks

A penalty kick is a one-touch shot of a stationary ball. Is it really necessary for U-Littles to practice this shot? Probably not, but it can't hurt. As they get older, the ability to make penalty kicks is valuable.