In terms of football, not much beats watching a player hit an unstoppable volley into the back of the net, without the ball touching the ground. Seeing the player striding forwards, pause for a moment and finally deliver a perfect shot on goal!
The impressive volley is seen as quite a difficult skill to pull off in football, especially in a high-pressured environment like a competitive match. When it works, it is brilliant – and when it doesn’t, it is important to remember the bravery the player has displayed in the attempt.
Hitting a full volley doesn’t have to be hard though. We’ve put together a guide breaking down the skill and technique required to strike a volley with accuracy and direction. With a little practise, you’ll be hitting a volley in no time and improving your game.
BE PREPARED
The difficulty when setting yourself up for a volley is that it can be hard to judge when and where the football is going to drop. Most volleys that go wrong are the result of a player misreading the flight of the football. You need to be prepared so be on your toes and move your feet quickly to get in a good position to strike the ball.
PLANT YOURSELF
Balance is crucial when it comes to volleying. Make sure your standing foot is firmly planted on the ground and that you feel confident in your position. Being off balance when striking the ball can lead to it flying off in completely the wrong direction. Spreading your arms will also help you to remain steady when striking the football.
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE BALL
Always focus on the ball. Getting a clean strike revolves around connecting with the centre/top half of the football. If you are distracted by a defender or looking towards the goal, then you aren’t concentrating on where you want to be hitting that football. Given the unpredictability when the ball is in the air, this is especially important.
CONNECTING WITH THE FOOTBALL AND FOLLOWING THROUGH
The reason that a lot of volleys fly over the bar is due to the player getting underneath the football, resulting in it flying into orbit.
Raise your striking foot high and try to connect with the centre/top half of the ball. By coming down on it – as opposed to lifting it, you’ll be ensuring that the football doesn’t rise. This will mean that the chances are it will hit the target and you may even score!
To ensure your volley stays low you should also look to get both your head and knee over the ball as well as ensuring that you are not leaning back when striking the ball.
When hitting a full volley, it’s useful to think of your foot as a golf club. When you play golf, the power and the direction come from the follow through of your swing and it’s exactly the same with a volley. Hit the football with the laces part of your foot and to generate power and direction.
DON’T LOOK UP TOO EARLY
Once you’ve hit the ball with the correct part of your foot, the temptation is to look up to (hopefully) watch the ball flying into the top corner of the goal. Looking up too early can disrupt your balance and misplace your follow through, which can undo all the previous good work of the volley. Keep your head down until you’ve completed the entire move – you don’t need to watch; your teammates can tell you what a wonder goal it was!
PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT
The reason that the volley can be difficult to master is because it must be perfect, otherwise it won’t work. That’s where training is essential – the only real way you’ll perfect it each stage is by practicing your volleys relentlessly. Bring a bag of footballs to your local park, pitches or astroturf and get practicing.
HOW TO PRACTICE? WHAT NEXT?
The good news is that all you need to practice volleying is a wall and a ball. Start by standing a few feet from a wall, dropping the football in front of you and then volleying it as it bounces up. Keep concentrating on your technique as you play little one-touch volley passes with the wall.
As you get better, you can move further and further away from the wall before eventually trying to hit specific targets on the wall to improve accuracy. As you build your confidence, you will be able to start practicing full-volleys in training or even matches.
Remember, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
We hope that you have found this guide helpful and that you’ll continue working hard to become the best player you can be. Take a look at this list of tutorials to help you on your football journey– it’s the perfect place to start now that you’ve mastered the full-volley. Check out our guide on how to hit a half-volley so that you are prepared for every match situation!
