Instep Shooting Drill
Partners face off across the grid and drive instep shots at the tall cones in the middle — knock one over for a point, and the first to 5 wins the match.
The instep drive — laces, toe pointed down, ankle locked — is an essential way to strike a shot, and scoring on cones turns the technique into a game.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
20 min tonight · Pairs
- Ages 4–10
- Pairs
- 20 min as the drill is written
- Tall cones, balls
Grab Six to ten tall cones — your pick — and a ball for every pair.
Build Mark out a grid 25 by 25 yards and stand the tall cones in the middle of it.
Place Partners on opposite sides of the grid, facing each other, one ball between them.
- 1
Organize the players
Divide the team into pairs and send partners to opposite sides of the grid, facing each other with one ball. Stand your 6 to 10 tall cones in the middle.
“Find your partner — you're on that side, they're on this one. Those cones in the middle? Targets.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Show the strike — the ball is driven with the instep, the shoelaces, toe pointed down and ankle locked. Knock over a cone and that's a point; any player on the side can return the ball the same way. First to 5 points wins the match.
“Laces, toe down, ankle locked — drive it through the cones. Knock one over, that's a point. First to five wins.”
- 3
Play
Watch the technique rep by rep — the non-kicking foot beside the ball and slightly behind it, pointed at the target, and players landing on their kicking foot so the full body weight transfers through the strike. Keep the focus on accuracy.
“Plant foot at your target — and land on your shooting foot. Let your whole body drive it!”
Look for The full instep strike — shoelaces, toe pointed down, ankle locked — finished by landing on the kicking foot.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Stand the fallen cones back up and play the next match to 5.
“Cones up! New game — zero to zero.”
If the cones never fall, tighten the grid while they play — a shorter drive gives the technique a chance to land.
Go deeper · 2 notes
Why it works
A point only comes from a well-struck, accurate instep drive, so the match keeps every rep pointed at the technique — laces, toe down, ankle locked, and the body weight carrying through the ball.
What they learn
The instep drive — striking with the shoelaces, toe pointed down and ankle locked, the plant foot beside and slightly behind the ball pointed at the target, landing on the kicking foot for full weight transfer, and accuracy.
Where does this come from?
SoccerXpert — their published drill library.
A published drill library. Useful and widely used, but not a governing body — so it fills gaps rather than leading.