What should a striker do

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No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Learn to shoot quickly while still maintaining accuracy.

The faster you can pull off a shot, the more deadly you'll be up top. You should work on a two-touch shot. Your first touch creates space to swing your leg, either to the side of a defender or as you receive the ball.

The second touch is the shot itself. If you can take these two touch shots, you'll be able to push the ball to the side of a defender and fire off a shot before they can even react. Once you feel good on these quick shots, creating space and striking rapidly, work on it on the run, dribbling towards goal, taking a touch, and shooting. Practice putting the ball on net immediately out of the air.

Typically, this is a header on goal or a "volley," which is when you strike the ball before it hits the ground. Difficult but essential, a great forward can redirect an aerial ball towards the goal without settling the ball, which gives the defense time to react. You can practice this easily with a friend hitting your crosses and corner kicks, but keep some things in mind. Follow through towards your target. For headers, this means your shoulders will turn to face the goal. For kicks, the indicator is usually your hips, which will turn with the shot to face goal on accurate finishes.

This skill is almost useless if you're standing still. Always jog, move, or attack the ball on the run, even in practice. It is rare to have time to stand still in a game with the ball approaching the box. Focus on controlling the ball out of the air with your entire body. You will have to be good at controlling the ball from the air, which means bringing the ball from the air to the ground smoothly. This is because a lot of the game for a forward comes from long balls and aerial crosses.

You want your touch to end with the ball about a foot in front of you so that your next touch can immediately pass, shoot, or dribble. Good ways to practice include: Juggling is a great way to practice full body touch, but only if you challenge yourself. See how high you can get the ball and still maintain control.

Hit long balls with a friend. Start about 20 yards away, and slowly get further and further. As you get better, pick up the speed between controlling and hitting the ball back.

Hit against a wall, drilling shots or crosses at a hard surface and reacting quickly to trap the rebound. Practice challenging defenders one on one. You must be able to get around them without help from teammates. Once you have the ball, you must be able to dribble around the defenders and to the goal by using a variety of "moves" such as the Maradona, the step-over, or the scissors.

Some good dribble moves are shoulder feint and step over. Not all forwards need to play silky, technical soccer like Messi, but you need a few ways around a defender to make them step up and respect you instead of hanging back and waiting for you to pass.

Get a close friend or teammate and challenge them to 1v1 drills. Simply make a thin rectangle and alternate attacking and defending.

Crossing the opposite end line with control of the ball is a "goal. Set up a box and work on dribbling, cutting, and throwing moves at full speed, staying inside the box to work on control. Develop both feet into dangerous weapons of scoring. The infamous Arjen Robben aside, there are few dangerous forwards who can only use one foot. Feeling comfortable on both your left and right foot greatly expands your toolkit, as good defenders will punish you if you only have one side of the field to use.

Whenever doing drills, do them with both feet, and spend extra time developing your shooting and passing skills on your "bad" foot. It will never be as good as your dominant foot, but you'll give defenders fits if you can cut to the other direction and make a clean pass with your weak foot. Method 2. Watch for the shot at all times, staying hungry for a goal.

A forward's number-one goal is to put the ball on target. Even if they don't score, shooting on target creates corners, deflections, and rebounds that lead to goals and put defenses under pressure. Your mindset should always be to create the space needed to pull a shoot off for either you or your teammates.

Note that you want your team to shoot, not just you. Some forwards will get lots of direct chances, others will feed their partner forwards with good chances and take only a few themselves. Dart, weave, and sprint into open space to create defensive chaos. A mobile striker is the most dangerous. It is not just the ability to run fast either.

Asoccer player needs what I term "Football Speed" which is a combination of the following speed elements:. Points one and two above are critical and can be trained by sprint running specialists, however, it's important to note that sprinting for soccer is vastly different to sprinting for track - so make sure you speak with people who understand the difference.

Shot accuracy is a combination of technique and deliberate practice. Concentrated, focused, deliberate practice Consistently undertaken.

There is no quick fix with this one. Weekly training with 30 - 50 shots on goal building on shot accuracy leads to success. If they had the same conversion rate as Manchester city they would have scored 44 goals.

While moves are not as common in a game as you might expect, they are key to a players confidence. A player should have their favourite move.

A move must be permanent i. Wingers will require different moves from those playing centrally, determining whether to take your defender down the line, or to cut inside relies on perception, decision and execution, whilst the sneaky "chip" should be included in any great striker's repertoire. Knowing where to place yourself on the field and having an awareness of space is critical for strikers.

While width is a striker's friend, mobility runs is a striker's best-attacking weapon. Playing with defenders i. Whilst an effective ploy, this is also a striker's version of fun - it can be awesome to watch a great striker at work.

To be a great striker is great fun. The adrenaline rush when you score is fantastic. This self-belief is important in a position where goalscoring is a must. This helps create goal scoring opportunities for them and their teammates. Physical Attributes to Trouble the Opposition Strikers come in all shapes and sizes… But all of them have at least one physical attribute that helps them to stand out in the crowd.

The best players have a combination of the two. Make the Ball Stick Regardless of their physical attributes, strikers need to make the ball stick when they receive it. Play For the Team At times a striker needs to sacrifice themselves for the team. Playing as a team player is a crucial attribute of the best strikers. So, what exactly are their specific responsibilities out on the pitch? Stay Up Top and Act as an Outlet Playing furthest forward on the team, the striker must remain upfield and not drop too far back in search of the ball.

This helps to create time and space for their teammates. Lose their marker If they pass the ball out wide in the final third, the striker then needs to make a run into the penalty box and create havoc with their movement. They should look to get ahead of their defender and on the end of any cross coming their way. This is best done by varying up their runs to the front and back post. Score goals!

With their elite anticipation skills, dangerous movement, and fantastic finishing skills… Strikers are expected to get on the scoresheet. Practice Makes Perfect The best strikers need to strike the ball well Study how to kick the soccer ball and then get outside and practice, practice, practice. Timing and Positioning are Key Although finishing is an important skill for any striker, it is almost useless if you are not putting yourself in the right positions and making the right runs.

This gives you the edge over your opponents. There is no magic formula for becoming a top goal scorer, there is simply advice, good training and you must create new challenges for yourself and identify areas in which you can improve to become a goal scoring striker. Football is a great source of happiness and self-fulfillment and you will do well if your heart's in it.

Make sure that you always remember to have fun, celebrate and enjoy the game! Strikers can be very hard working players and will score goals in return. Scoring goals is fundamental to matches and they make football a thrilling game to play and watch. Good practice, personality, enjoyment of the game and drive for continuous improvement are key to being a goal scoring striker and hitting the target every time! We Make Footballers have helped over players sign at professional academies and over children join grassroots teams, our football training has helped them become the best players they can be.

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