Shooters and Shaggers
Pairs team up — one shoots for no-bounce goals around an arc of five cones while their partner shags balls behind the goal — and the first three shooters through the arc win.
Shooting on target, leg strength, and the instep drive — struck with the shoelaces — are exactly what a goal that can't bounce demands.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
15 min tonight · Pairs (a shooter and a shagger)
- Ages 4+
- Pairs (a shooter and a shagger)
- 15 min as the drill is written
- Cones, balls, full-size goal
Grab Cones and balls — no keeper for this one, so the goal stays empty.
Build Build an arc of five cones in front of the goal — about 10 yards out for younger players, 18 and beyond for older, more skilled groups.
Place Shooters start at the first cone; each shagger waits behind the goal, shagging only for their own shooter.
- 1
Organize the players
Pair the players up — one shooter and one shagger per team, and shaggers only chase their own shooter's balls. Shooters line up at the start cone; shaggers head behind the goal.
“Find your partner — one shoots, one shags. Shaggers, behind the goal — you only chase your shooter's ball.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk the rule — at each cone, the shot has to fly straight into the goal without touching the ground. A bounce or a miss means the shooter gets the ball back from their shagger and shoots again from the same cone; a clean no-bounce goal moves them on to the next cone.
“In the air, no bounce — that's the only goal that counts. Make it, move on. Miss it, same cone, go again.”
- 3
Play
Let shooters take turns around the arc — the first three to score from all five cones win. It seems slow to start; stick with it, because as it gets going the players work hard and friendly competition takes over. Watch the strike itself.
“Good angle to the ball, plant beside it, lock that ankle — drive it!”
Look for The plant foot — set beside the ball, not too close and not too far, with the ankle locked through the strike.
- 4
Switch and repeat
When the round ends, switch — shaggers shoot and shooters shag. To get everyone shooting at once, drop the shaggers — every player keeps their own ball, half starting at the finish cone and working backward while the other half works forward.
“Trade jobs — shaggers, you're shooting now!”
If they can't lift the ball, change the goal — hard shots with real pace count — and keep the arc moving.
Go deeper · 3 notes
Why it works
The no-bounce rule quietly demands the instep drive — you can't put it in off the ground without laces and leg strength — and the pair format keeps the balls coming back while friendly competition elevates the whole game.
What they learn
Shooting on target, leg strength, and the instep drive — striking with the shoelaces.
What's next
Shooting Warmup — the same in-the-air finishing, now a three-team race with a crossbar round.
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.