Progressions for Becoming a More Efficient Shooting and Finishing Team

with Jay Entlich,
Columbus State University Women's Head Coach;
2024 Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year (9x total);
2024 Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Champions (15x total);
2024 Peach Belt Conference Tournament Champions (10x total);
2022 Final Four appearance;
2018 USCA Southeast Region Staff of the Year;
2015 NCAA Division II National Runner-Up;2x USCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year (2005, 2008);
Carolina Courage (Women's United Soccer Association) Head Coach in 2003;
University of Tampa Head Coach from 2000 to 2002;
2001 Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year;
played college soccer for Virginia Tech;
United States Soccer Federation "A" license

Scoring more goals is the intent of all teams. This video focuses on how you can make that happen for your team. Jay Entlich shows how to create a goal scoring session using three phases and teaches players to recognize why they are missing shots on frame. Using a progression of free shooting, shooting with defense and shooting in a small-sided game, your players will learn when and how to take their best shot on goal.

Each progression contains variations that allow you to utilize the same rotation. This cuts down on lost time and confusion as you progress through each drill.

Developing Runs off the Ball

Starting with a non-defended shooting drill, Coach Entlich breaks down finishing into three different phases. He emphasizes the two main components of finishing:

Technique - how you strike a ball.

Tactics - when you shoot the ball and how to put yourself in the best place to finish.

He keeps instructions "over the top" and keeps play moving and active. He clearly demonstrates when and how to "show" for the ball and when to spread the field for wide play. Your players will learn the visual and verbal cues to improve shooting.

Combination Play to "Go to Goal" and Increase Scoring Opportunities

The progression of activities moves from unopposed to 1v1 and builds in a logical progression to 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 and 5v5. The activities get more complex as more players are added, but the coaching points made in the unopposed and 1v1 play are applicable as the numbers increase. Coach Entlich moves the session along from discussing angles of the target forward and their preparation touch, to players competing in restricted areas against defense to apply what they learned in the first two phases.

Practice builds up to players being put in situations where they have to make decisions on when to take shots and finding the best opportunities to finish. The progression includes many teaching movements:

• Don't hit under the ball.
• Don't reach for the ball on a shot.
• Try to stay central as much as possible when putting a shot on frame.

Developing the Outside Attack Option

Coach Entlich spend considerable time showing and teaching the use the outside attack option from player positioning to the supporting runs by players off the ball. His progression is easy to follow and very logical. Your players will learn the importance of stretching the width of the attack for added chances to play the ball into dangerous shooting spaces.

Coach Entlich has an answer for all finishing problems and provides specific tips for how to take on a defender and get a shot off. This is a great video for any coach looking to improve their team's effectiveness around the net.

53 minutes. 2016.