Toe Poke Finish

Set-up

A flat wall with nothing breakable near it, and two cones a big step apart against it to make a goal. A line about eight steps out is where every shot starts. A school or church hall is ideal; a living room is not, because even a low shot comes off a wall hard. Shoes on, always, since the strike is made with the front of the shoe.

What you need

• 1 soccer ball
• 2 cones

The ground: 30 × 15 ft (about 9 × 5 m). One child can run it alone in a backyard. The space and equipment check lists every drill that fits the ground you have.

How to run it

1. Set up. Two cones a big step apart against a flat wall make the goal. A line about eight steps out is where every shot starts.
2. Still ball. Ball on the line. One short step in and strike through the middle of the ball with the toe of the shoe.
3. Keep it low. The foot follows through towards the gate, not upwards. Every shot should stay below knee height.
4. No backswing. The leg barely goes back. The toe poke is quick because it has almost no wind-up, so keep it short.
5. Rolling ball. Play the ball off the wall to yourself and finish first time with the toe as it comes back.
6. Count it. Ten shots, counting how many go through the gate below the knee. Write the number down.

Coaching points

• Strike through the middle of the ball, or the toe lifts it over the gate
• A short leg swing is the whole point, so it is quicker than a laces shot
• Shoes on every time, because the contact is the hard front of the shoe

What to watch: The toe hitting the floor first. If the toe bends back on contact they are striking the ground before the ball, so move them a half step closer and slow it down.

Common mistakes

• Striking under the ball, which lifts it over the gate
• A big backswing, which makes the shot slow and loses the whole point of the toe poke
• The toe catching the floor before the ball, bending it back
• Trying it in socks or bare feet, which hurts
• Standing too far from the ball, so the leg reaches and the contact is weak

What good looks like

A good target: 7 of 10 toe pokes through the gate from eight steps, every one below knee height.

Progressions and variations

Making it harder

• Level 1: Still ball from five steps, aiming only to keep it low
• Level 2: Still ball from eight steps, through the gate
• Level 3: Seven of ten through the gate below the knee
• Level 4: Rolling ball off the wall, finished first time
• Level 5: The weaker foot for a full set of ten
• Level 6: A sole roll to set the ball, then the toe poke, as one movement

Alone, with a sibling, or in a group

• Solo: ten shots and a count, then ten more with the weaker foot.
• Sibling: one rolls the ball in from the side and the other finishes, then swap.
• Co-op: a line of shooters taking turns, with the gate shrinking after every full round.

Adjusting it by age

• U14: Start from five steps with a wider gate and a still ball. The only goal at first is a low shot made with the toe and a short swing, so praise a low miss over a lucky high goal.
• U18: Shrink the gate, add a defender's cone at a step's distance, and have them finish within a second of the ball coming off the wall. Mix toe pokes with laces shots so they choose the right one.

For the parent running it

• Two cones a big step apart against a wall make the goal. Shoes on, always: this strike is made with the front of the shoe. Shoot from about eight steps out.

Safety

• Shoes on every time, and a wall with nothing breakable nearby; this is a hall or garage drill, not a living-room one

More on training safely at home: Safety at Home.

Why it matters

None