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Mac Daddy Shooting Drill

      One of my favorite shooting/finishing drills was given to me by Franklin Lawson during a soccer camp he did in Anchorage several years ago. It is referred to as the "Mac Daddy of all shooting drills" shortened to Mac Daddy drill.

 

Setup:
Divide up the team into 2 even teams. Team one lines up about six yards outside the left goal post. Team 2 lines up about 6 yards outside the right goal post. Place a cone somewhere around the 18 yard mark roughly even with the left post. Coach has a supply of balls (around 5) at his feet.

Game:
On coaches signal the first player on team 1 makes a bending run from the end line around the cone on the 18. Also on the signal the first player on team 2 makes a run behind the goal, around the left post and enters the goal area to be the goalie. As the player from team 1 rounds the cone and starts toward goal the coach has played a ball and the player takes a 1st touch shot. As soon as the shot is taken the next player on each team starts their run so we end up with a new goalie and a new shooter taking a 1st touch shot.

Play for a period of time keeping track of shots scored. Game ends when time expires OR coach runs out of soccer balls to play to the shooter. This means that if you shank a shot or kick it over the goal you have to chase down your ball and get it back to the coach in a hurry. I also allow the keeper to punt the ball out if they make a save. The teams quickly get competitive and remember if someone sent their ball flying. While this sounds like a line drill after the first 20 seconds it becomes a conditioning exercise as everyone is chasing down misplayed balls and getting back in line. There needs to be some communication as a player may
need to send a long pass to get a ball back ready to play. This requires a teammate to get ready to receive the ball and get it to the coach.

At the end of time the 2 teams switch roles and team 2 gets to shoot while team one defends. I usually run it from both sides to simulate right side and left side runs. Hopefully encourage left foot and right foot shots. I can vary where I serve the balls from to simulate other option. I also vary the cone placement and distance for age of team.

This is the favorite end of practice for both my U11 girls team as well as my HS varsity team. It is easier to run than explain.

Kenneth Dodson
Chugiak Soccer Club
Eagle River, AK