Shooting Warmup

Three teams race shooting challenges from the edge of the 18 — hit the back of the net on the fly, then hit the crossbar — every player shooting in order with their own ball.

This warm-up works long-range passing, accuracy, and finishing — and the shoot-and-retrieve hustle doubles the whole thing as fitness.

Ages 8+Three equal teams15 minCones, 1 ball per player, full-size goal

Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive

Grab: Cones and a ball for every player — plus your full-size goal.
Build: Place cones at the top of the 18 and in each corner of the 18 — a shooting station per team.
Place: One team behind each cone, every player with the ball they're responsible for all day.

Show me the setup picture

Cones at the top and corners of the 18 with a team lined up behind each, every player with their own ball, the goal in front of them.

One thing to remember: Long-range passing and shooting, accuracy, finishing, and proper shooting technique — with leg strength and fitness built in.

How it runs — the whole game in one sentence

Each team races the challenge from its cone — in numbered order, own ball only — and the first to ten (or the most when four minutes run out) takes the round.

1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Divide into three equal teams and send each to a cone. Every player keeps their own ball for the whole exercise. Have each team number off from one — that is their shooting order.
Coach says
Three teams, three cones. Number off — that's your order, and your ball is yours all day.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
Walk the first challenge — the shot must hit the back of the net in the air; a bounce before it goes in doesn't count. After every shot, that player retrieves their own ball fast and hustles back, because the team shoots in order — if number one is off chasing a miss, everyone waits for them.
Coach says
Back of the net, on the fly — no bounces. Shoot, chase your ball, hurry back — your team's waiting on you.
3Play▾
Coach does
Run each exercise for four minutes or until a team completes it ten times — first the no-bounce goal, then hitting the crossbar. Teams shoot as fast as they like as long as it's the right player with the right ball. Watch the technique and have every shooter aim for a particular area of the goal.
Coach says
Fast as you want — right order, right ball. Pick your spot and hit it!
Look for: A picked target — shooters aiming for a particular area of the goal, not just swinging for power.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
Award the round to the team with the most completed exercises, then rotate teams to a different cone and angle. Change the service in later rounds — volley out of the hands, half-volley, or juggle twice and volley. The team with the most wins at the end skips the penalty — push-ups, sit-ups, or sprints.
Coach says
Rotate — new angle! This round it's volleys out of your hands.

If it's not working

If the balls never get there in the air, let players take a touch first or move the cones closer — then work back to the full distance.

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

Why are we doing this?

The order rule makes every shot accountable — a miss and a slow jog back cost the whole team, so accuracy and hustle both matter — and the challenges themselves demand real striking quality: the back of the net on the fly, then the crossbar.

What are they learning?

Long-range passing and shooting, accuracy, finishing, and proper shooting technique — with leg strength and fitness built in.

How can I change it?

Easier: Let younger players take a touch or move the cones closer — and warm them up first, since it takes a little more for them to get the ball off the ground.

Next: Shooters and Shaggers — the same no-bounce finishing, now a pair competition through an arc of five cones.