Soccer, or football as it's known the land of its birth, is a game where 22 men kick a ball around a pitch for ninety minutes, after which the Germans win and everyone goes home. The object of the game is put the ball into the opposition's goal while minimising the amount of times that they score against you. The team with the most goals wins.

Shooting is the art of putting the ball in the goal, put simply it is the most important skill a football team must posses. A team that can't shoot can't win. This article will give you some tips to help you shoot for success and become the shooting star of your team.

The best thing to have up your sleeve when learning to shoot is confidence. A wise man once said, a confident shooter is a capable shooter, and he was right. If you strike with confidence and a sense of purpose you're far more likely to hit the target with venom and power than if you're not confident. There's nothing more useless to a team than a striker low on confidence, they will spurn chances and waste opportunities for their team. Have faith in your mad skills and believe that when you pull the trigger that the shot will go in.

Shooting can be done with the head or foot. Shooting with the feet is the most common way of scoring a goal. Most goals are scored from close range, inside the penalty box, therefore it is vital that you practise shooting from a small distance. You won't be given much time in the box so you'll have to be able to take your shots quickly. Football favours the man that can think on his feet and often a degree of improvisation is required to successfully complete a shoot maneuver. Try getting a friend to pass a ball to you at different angles and speeds and then attempt to shoot into a goal first time, without taking a touch. A wise man once said, surprise is your friend and those that shoot early are most likely to catch the early morning bird. This applies.

It is also possible to take shots from outside the penalty area. These shots from long range are known as long range shots because they are shots taken from long range. To successfully perform one of these beauties you must strike the ball cleanly. Getting a good connection is the most important thing here, many people try to hit the ball too hard which results in a bad slice or a nasty hooked shot. For the advanced shooter you can try striking across the ball to bend it in the air. A bent shot can fool the keeper and enable you to find a path to goal that would be otherwise blocked.

Shooting is a fine art and the best things you can do is to shoot early to surprise the goalkeeper and to strike cleanly and confidently. Power will come with practise and it is always better to get a shot on target than to miss. Remember this and you will prosper.