Shooting

In Essential Soccer Skills, Bob Bridle shows and explains many individual skills. He says, "like dancers and singers, soccer players' bodies are their instruments, their means of performance and expression" (DK 60). Following this, one of the skills he teaches in the book is the outside hook shot. Within soccer games, you use many types of shots in order to score. I know many forms of hook shots, but the outside hook is by far my weakest. I decided to go out and practice this shot several times the way that my book had explained it. Bridle states, "for an out swinging strike, connect with the outstep, on the base of the ball" (96). Using this detail I focused on what Bridle was saying and focused on my form. After several tries, I was able to begin curving the ball more than I could before. I will continue to practice this shot, and use it in my soccer career.

He also shows a very similar explanation for the in swinging hook shot. He writes about how you hit the ball with the same placement on your cleats, but different area on the ball. On a regular shot you would hit the ball directly towards the middle of the ball in both vertical and horizontal directions. With a curve shot in swinging you strike the ball toward the lower outside quarter section of the ball. This will make it so the ball curves as you strike around it. I have pretty good experience with this shot but after practicing with some of the steps the book says, I found another way to complete this shot. This gives me a wider range of shooting ability for games. I intend to continue to improve my curve shot both inwards and outwards.

Bridle includes simple steps to a regular shot also. Commonly during games when I shoot the ball it goes over the crossbar. Bridle gives specific details about how to prevent this from happening. Though I get lots of input from my coaches about the way I shoot and how to improve, it is always good to get a unique perspective on how to do something. That's what this book includes. It shows me different ways to do the skills I wish to master. I will continue to use these viewpoints in my soccer future.