An epic goal is one of the most exciting parts of a soccer game. However, it’s no secret that scoring a goal is also one of the trickier parts of the game. When you’re faced with a great goalkeeper, it’s hard to get around them to score a goal. As with most things, you can improve your finishing skills with a bit of hard work and practice. Being a good striker involves not only kicking the ball properly but also the ability to make decisions under pressure. To support you in developing your soccer finishing skills, we’ve gathered the best finishing drills to take you to the next level. Whether you’re a new player or someone more experienced, all soccer players can benefit from incorporating these finishing drills in their training.
Before we discuss the drills themselves, it’s important to be familiar with the key skills relating to striking. The first element is shot power. Shot power involves striking the ball at a great velocity which gives the striker an edge over the goalkeeper. By implementing this skill, you give the goalkeeper less time to react and are more likely to score a goal. Shot technique and accuracy go hand in hand with shot power. It’s important to pay attention to how you’re striking the ball and adopt an accurate technique. After all, all the top soccer players play with precision and accuracy at all times. The last key skill of a striker is vision and anticipation. A good player will be able to effectively read the game and predict the moves of other players. By being able to predict the move a player will make before they make it, you’ll be able to get an advantage over the opposing team. Now that we’ve identified some of the most important skills of a great striker, let’s talk about the best finishing drills that help players improve on these skills.
Receive and Shoot While Sprinting
Shooting while moving at high speeds is one of the challenges of soccer, and this drill helps players improve this skill. Setup involves 4-5 cones placed at a 2m interval. The first player begins by running forward and going around the cone at top speed. Once they reach the last cone, the soccer coach gives them the ball and they must attempt to shoot. The aim of this drill is to make an accurate shot and get the ball past the goalkeeper while maintaining a high speed of play. It mimics the conditions of a game where players will have to balance speed with accuracy while shooting.
Receive, turn and drive to a restricted shot
This soccer finishing drill helps players stay alert during finishing situations. The opportunity to score can come at any time, so players need to be prepared for these opportunities. Four cones are used to mark the shooting line, target spot, and goal post corners. At the coach’s signal, the first player begins making passes at a fast rate. The coach will blow the whistle again and the player who has the ball must approach the goal. They must aim to shoot at the two rings at the goal corners. Technique and accuracy are a key focus of this drill. If you need more practice with shooting, don’t forget that the Playform app has plenty of shooting drills to help you hone your skills.
Switching play distance shot
In this soccer finishing drill, players learn to shoot from any area outside the box. Players are arranged 5 on 5 with one goalie. At the soccer coach’s signal, the players begin making a series of passes to each other and at the coach’s second whistle, the team with the ball must make a shot either from the red line or their current position. At the same time, the other team must attempt to prevent the team with the ball from scoring. Since this drill involves pressure from the defensive team, it helps to create a real game-like situation. In a real soccer game, players will have to get past defenders in order to make a shot. With this drill, players will become more comfortable with dodging defenders while attempting to score a goal.
2 on 2 goal
Game-like conditions are always the most effective type of soccer drill. By participating in drills that mimic the conditions of a real soccer game, players will be more prepared to play a real game. This drill uses a 2v2 situation in the attacking third and challenges attackers to score in under one minute. Meanwhile, the defenders must defend their goal from the attackers. The pair of players that complete the task will be the winners. This drill helps players to attack and defend in 2v2 situations and learn how to create space for a shot. Players will develop a sense of healthy competition and challenge themselves to improve their attack and defense. Since this soccer drill is fast-paced, players will have to find a balance between the accuracy and speed of their shooting.
Conclusion
Incorporating these finishing drills into your training will help you make the first step toward becoming a better striker. The more you practice, the better you’ll become at this skill. The practice may not make perfect, but it definitely makes progress. If you want to squeeze more soccer finishing drills into your training, Playform has you covered. Our app has all the shooting drills that you may require, and there’s always new and exciting stuff in the works. If you want to add a competitive edge to your training, our competitions allow you to practice your soccer skills while competing for the top spot on the leaderboard.
Playform’s collaborations with top soccer players ensure that you’re always learning from the best. Since the app is created by soccer players for soccer players, you can rest assured that you’re getting the best training from people who love soccer. Combine our soccer drills into your training plan to become a better striker. With Playform, reaching your fullest potential as a soccer player has never been easier.
