Diagonal Shooting Warm-up

Pass a diagonal ball, get it laid off into space, and run onto it for a one-touch shot — then take the lay-off job yourself.

A shooting warm-up lives on technique — a controlled approach, the plant foot set in a good spot beside the ball, and a strike that finds the target.

Ages 9+Two lines, plus a lay-off player each10 minCones, balls, full-size goal

Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive

Grab: Cones, a good supply of balls, and a full-size goal to shoot on.
Build: Build a 10-by-10-yard grid just beyond the edge of the penalty area.
Place: Split the team into two lines on the far cones. One player from each line steps up to the near cone — they're the lay-off player.

Show me the setup picture

A 10-by-10 grid just outside the penalty area — two lines on the far cones, a lay-off player at each near cone, the goal beyond.

One thing to remember: A controlled approach to the ball, the plant foot set next to it, shooting with the appropriate foot — both of them, by the end — and putting the ball on target.

How it runs — the whole game in one sentence

Pass diagonally to the lay-off player across from you, run onto their lay-off, and hit a one-touch shot — then you take the lay-off spot while they shag the ball and rejoin the line.

1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Two lines on the far cones, balls with the players. Step the first player from each line up to a near cone as the lay-off player.
Coach says
Two lines back here. First one from each line — step up, you're the lay-off.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
Walk one rep — the shooter passes a diagonal ball to the lay-off player across from them, who lays it off into space for a one-touch shot on goal. The shooter takes the lay-off spot; the lay-off player collects the ball from the goal, shags any miss, and rejoins the line with a ball.
Coach says
Pass it across, follow your pass, hit it one touch. Then you're the lay-off — they chase the ball.
3Play▾
Coach does
Alternate the two sides — one line shoots, then the other — and keep the rotation rolling so the reps never stall.
Coach says
Steady run-up — plant beside it, hit the target!
Look for: The plant foot — a controlled approach that sets the plant foot in a good spot next to the ball before the strike.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
Make sure the players switch lines during the drill so everyone shoots with both feet.
Coach says
Swap lines! Both feet get a turn today.

If it's not working

If the one-touch strikes never come clean, freeze a rep and ask the shooter where their plant foot landed — let them say it, then run it again.

Want to go deeper? Optional — not needed to run the game.

Why are we doing this?

It is simple on purpose — a pass, a lay-off, a run, a one-touch strike — so the controlled approach, the plant foot, and hitting the target get grooved before a shooting practice or a game asks for them under pressure.

What are they learning?

A controlled approach to the ball, the plant foot set next to it, shooting with the appropriate foot — both of them, by the end — and putting the ball on target.

How can I change it?

Easier: Have the lay-off player pick the ball up and toss it in the air for a volley or half-volley.

Harder: Have the lay-off player flick the ball into the air for a volley or half-volley.

Next: Shooting Combo — three shots in one trip — a move, a 1-2, then a live defender.