Soccer: Strike on a Volley

When you think about a competitive sport, such as soccer, you think of winning. And the only possible way to win a soccer game is to score goals. Now there are multiple ways to score a goal, for example you could simply score a 1 v. 1 goal. However, there are much more skilled and advanced ways to score a goal, such as a volley. A volley is a complex shot, but as long as you have proper coordination, a volley can be a great way to score a goal.

Now there are two types of volleys, there is a regular volley that does not hit the ground before you strike, and then there is the half-volley where the ball has a short bounce before it is kicked. For this concept, I focused on a regular, full volley.

When it comes to a striking a volley, you want your hips to be aligned with the ball and the target. You also want to make sure your body is balanced, your eyes are on the ball, making good contact with the ball, and pointing your toe down so your toes are below you ankle (42). Making sure that I was constantly watching the ball allowed me to create good contact that then enabled me to successfully strike the ball.

Once I practiced my volley using the little information above from Andrew Latham, I used some more precise details that helped me hit a much stronger volley. "On contact, strike the ball with your laces and lock your ankle joint. As you bring your foot through the ball, keep your toes below your ankle at all times. This will stop the ball from going in the air" (43). Keeping my toes down and hitting the ball with my laces made my volley much stronger and more accurate because I was able to keep the ball down.

Practicing these techniques and ideas has improved my volleying abilities and now I am able to strike the ball on a volley much stronger than I was able to before. The volley gives more opportunities to score a goal because it is a new skill that can be used for different goal scoring situations.

One question that I had when it comes to shooting and scoring goals is, which type of shot do you believe is easiest to score off of? For example, a header, ad volley, etc.

Latham, Andrew. Soccer Smarts for Kids: 60 Skills, Strategies & Secrets. Rockridge Press, 2016.  

How to become a better shooter.

Solomon Kairu
Period 4
Hi. My name is Solomon Kairu and this is my first blog for the IRP Book for Quarter 2. What I chose as my book is "Basketball" by Clive Gifford. The main reason I chose this book is because basketball is sport that has been interesting me. I originally didn't like basketball much and I didn't start getting interested in it until the summer of 2015. I'm using this book to help improve my skills. To help improve my game. This book will help you improve your skills greatly, whether you are playing competitively on a AAU basketball team or just for fun with family and friends.

To start off this blog lets talk about shooting. Shooting is one way to score a point in basketball. Your shooting distance can determine how many points you get. For example if you shoot behind the 3 point line you will get 3 points. However, if you shoot inside the 3 point line you will only get 2 points. Since shooting is the main way to score points in basketball, besides layups, it's an essential and important skill for all players to have. "All players can contribute to a team with accurate shooting to score. The set shot is made with feet on the ground and chest square to the target" (Gifford 26). What this means is that all players on the court can greatly help the team win games with a good shooting accuracy to score 3 pointers. Scoring many 3 pointers and shots can lead to your team's victory. To have good shooting form, your chest area needs to be facing the hoop and your feet must be facing the hoop also. Your shooting hand should be underneath the ball while your weak hand stays to the side of the ball to guide it. After releasing the shot your shooting arm should look as if your wrist was being flicked.

This article has impacted me positively because I've improved my shooting accuracy more. I airballed less than I originally did and came closer to the rim than I did at the beginning. But remember this. Shooting isn't the only way to score. The other more easy way people can score points in basketball is layups. But that's a topic for next time. So now my question to you is this. Do you want to improve yourself and your game?