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Home/Training Drills/Shooting Drills/Curled First-Time Finish
ShootingIntermediate

Curled First-Time Finish

Finish first time with a curled inside-foot shot into the far corner. Time the run to meet the square ball in stride, open the body, and bend it away from the keeper with placement and pace.

Create your own drill
Live animationSHO
Duration
10 min
Total drill time
Players
3
Recommended
Pitch
44 × 36 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U9-U10
Any format

Setup & instructions

A server plays a square ball across the top of the box, a striker times a run to meet it in stride and bends it first time with the inside of the foot into the far corner. Open the hips, wrap the foot around the ball, and aim for placement and curl over power. Serve from both sides and rotate roles.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Curl beats power because the ball keeps moving after the keeper has committed. A driven shot travels in a straight line, so a keeper who reads it early and dives correctly reaches it. A curled shot is still changing direction while he is in the air, which means he dives to where the ball was heading rather than where it finishes. That is the entire mechanism and it explains why the far corner is the target.

The body has to be open before the ball arrives. Hips turned towards the far post allow the inside of the foot to wrap around the outside of the ball, which is what generates the spin. A player square to the ball can only push it straight, and will produce a soft shot down the middle no matter how hard he tries to bend it.

Timing the run is what makes this a first-time finish rather than a set-and-strike. Meeting a square ball in stride keeps the momentum in the shot, and it denies the defence the second that a controlling touch would give them. Checking to receive is the common fault: it feels safer, and it turns a first-time chance into a blocked one.

Contact is with the inside of the foot, wrapping across and around the ball rather than through the middle of it. Follow through across the body.

The trade-off is real: a curled shot carries less pace, so against a keeper who has not committed it is easier to save than a driven one. This is a finish for when he is moving, not for when he is set.

How to run this drill

  1. Serve a square ball across the box. Played from the side so the striker meets it in stride. A ball arriving from behind or directly at him removes the angle the curl needs.
  2. Time the run and do not check. Meet it in stride. Checking to receive feels safer and turns a first-time chance into a blocked one by giving the defence the extra second.
  3. Open the hips towards the far post. Body shape set before contact. Square to the ball, a player can only push it straight, however hard he tries to bend it afterwards.
  4. Wrap the inside of the foot around it. Contact across and around the outside of the ball rather than through the middle. That is what generates the spin that keeps it moving in flight.
  5. Follow through across the body. The leg continues across rather than towards the target, which is the opposite of a driven strike and is what sustains the curl.
  6. Use it when the keeper is moving. A curled shot carries less pace, so a set keeper saves it more easily than a driven one. This is a finish for a committed keeper, not a balanced one.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Time the run to meet the ball in stride, do not check
  • Open the hips and body toward the far corner
  • Wrap the inside of the foot around the ball to curl it
  • Placement and curl over power, aim for the far side netting
  • Follow through across your body to generate the bend

Common mistakes

  • Meeting the ball flat-footed instead of in stride
  • Hips closed, so the ball cannot be curled across goal
  • Hitting through the middle of the ball with no bend
  • Going for power and dragging it wide of the far post

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Add a defender or keeper starting nearer the front post
  • Vary the pace and angle of the square ball
  • Take one touch to set before curling for a harder version

Regressions

  • Curl from a stationary ball first to groove the contact
  • Serve slower so the striker meets it comfortably
  • Remove the keeper and aim at a target in the corner
Equipment
Cones×1
Full Goals×1
Markers×1
Tactical principles
curled finishbending the ballinside foot finishfirst time finishfar corner finishshooting drillfinishing drillplacement over powercurling shotu10 finishing drill
Audience
U9-U10

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