Teaching the Instep Drive
Jonas T. Holdeman, Jr.
Knoxville, Tennessee
The instep drive can be a very effective technique for scoring goals. To use it for maximum impact requires extensive practice using the correct mechanics. Coaching the elements of this technique are described.
Introduction. Accurate, hard-driven shots are most difficult for a goalkeeper to stop when their trajectory is unpredictable. Spin stabilizes the path of the ball; though the path may curve, it curves in regular way. A ball struck hard, without spin (a knuckle ball), appears to wander unpredictably as it approaches making it difficult for the goalkeeper to play confidently. Any good striker must have this shot as part of his bag of tricks.
A young player quickly learns some form of an instep kick. Frequently it involves more toe than instep. There are many things for the new player to learn, and seldom is enough time and effort spent to learn any one of these properly. Through practice, bad technique becomes ingrained and habitual; practice makes permanent, not perfect. Habits are very hard to break. With good, effective coaching emphasizing the points presented here and hard work with daily practice on the part of the player, expect it to take six weeks or more to develop good skill using the instep drive.
Effective coaching. Effective coaching requires technical knowledge, good communication skills and good observational skills on the part of the coach. Learn the coaching points given below and teach them to the player. Observe the player's execution and correct improper form. Insist on accuracy, insist on perfection (the players might not like you for this). The way taught here may not be the only precise way to strike the ball, but it is the best way for the majority of players to learn to be most effective in the quickest manner.
Teach these points one or two at a time. Each training session, emphasize perfecting two points in different combinations. After making a coaching point, give the player a number of tries before providing further corrections. This is pure coaching, one on one. It is difficult to work with more than two or three players at a time.
Coaching points. Provide a small target. Practice should always include the demand to hit the target. Behind the target should be a wall to return the ball, or a net stretched tightly across the goal. Work with several identical balls with the same inflation to provide identical response. Several balls allow more working time and less time retrieving balls.
In all cases, the toe is down and locked, on contact, and follow-through. The toe never comes up. Strike the ball on center and follow through the center of the ball. Contact must be on the instep or shoelaces. The kicking foot should be pointed down and straight ahead; the foot must not be rotated to the side. Contact should be at the peak of the arch, midway between the ankle and the base of the toes, at a point called the center of percussion, or sweet spot. You know it when you hit it.
It is difficult for a player with shoe size larger than nine to strike a number five ball on the sweet spot with the toe pointed straight down and not kick the ground. If the foot is too long, contact will be made closer to the toe if the foot is, indeed, pointed straight down. Three variations are possible: the foot can be turned to the inside, the foot can be turned outside somewhat (but the knee must not be turned out or contact with the ball will be made with the inside of the instep), or the whole body can momentarily lean to the side, away from the kicking foot.
Approach to the ball should be straight on in relation to the kicking foot. In relation to the center of the body, the path of approach would be alongside of the ball.
Bring the arm opposite the kicking foot across the body as the ball is struck. This maintains dynamic body balance and helps prevent the kicking foot from crossing the body. For maximum effect, the arm must be kept straight or extended, not bent at the elbow.
The plant foot should be somewhat ahead of the ball with the plant leg bent. Placing the plant foot ahead of the ball may seem awkward at first, but will become more comfortable with practice. In a break-away situation, with the ball rolling away, the foot should initially be planted even further ahead of the ball, so by the time the ball is struck, it will have caught up and will be more alongside the plant foot.
Lengthen the stride in preparation for the kick. This puts the kicking leg in a more natural kicking position; the leg is initially cocked further back. Shortening the stride gives a clue that the ball is about to be struck and takes more time, giving the goalkeeper time to prepare or set up to take the shot.
On follow-through, land on the kicking foot. This allows the transfer of more momentum from the body to the ball, resulting in harder shots. In wet conditions there should then be no fear of the plant foot slipping as the body momentum is checked. Again, this becomes more comfortable with practice.
The head must be steady when the ball is struck. The player looks up briefly to locate his target, then down to the ball. The contact point on the ball is selected and struck, driving the ball at the target. Once contact has been made, there is nothing the player can do, physically or mentally to affect the path of the ball. The ball will either go in the goal or it won't. The player must not be compelled to look up to watch the ball. This quick head motion simply disturbs his balance.
As training progresses, when the player can reliably hit the target with a hard shot without spin from a distance of 20 yards with the ball rolling rapidly away, the remainder of the training is psychological to develop confidence. Now shots should be taken at a goal with a goalkeeper. The target must be just inside the post. The player must be able to mentally block out the goalkeeper, as well as defenders close by, when shooting.
Summary. Points to observe: approach to the ball, plant foot, toe down, stride, point of contact, follow through, landing, head. Coaching environment: work with a small target, coach only a few points at a time, demand precision and accuracy, be patient. Accurate shots win games.
Acknowledgement. This article was inspired by a coaching presentation given by Greg Meyers, head soccer coach at the U.S. Naval Academy, given at a clinic held by the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association.