By following these tips, any striker can improve his or her game. Strikers or forward-oriented players, in particular, will find them useful. But these techniques and tips can be applied to most positions on the soccer field.
They can help identify the qualities you already possess that could help you score more goals, and more importantly identify the areas you are lacking and how to improve them.
Here are 25 tips for soccer strikers to improve their game.
1. Plan & Maintain a Practice Achedule
Prior to any practice, it is important to determine what you’ll work on. Your skills will not improve if your practice sessions are unorganized. Too many players you just pass the ball around or do nothing but dribble. The best strikers Identify weaknesses and try to turn them into strengths
Set aside a specific time for training. For example, if you are serious, you could devote an hour a day to it. Block off specific times during that hour for practicing a specific skill. For example, you might decide to spend 20 minutes practicing ball control with your off-foot.
2. Get a Handle on The Basics First
All strikers must master the basic drills first. Finesse shots and advanced dribbling will come later. If you haven’t mastered the basics, you will not be able to perform these advanced moves.
Without the ability to dribble and pass, players like Lionel Messi would not be able to weave in and out of defenders with little bother, without having practiced using both his feet. In the absence of a proper shooting technique, Ronaldo wouldn’t be able to squeeze the ball under the crossbar with ease.
3. Practice As You Intend To Play
Some players are renowned for their dedication to training. Spain’s Xavi Hernandez seemed to have an easy time of it in the match. As soon as he receives the ball, he looks at everything around him with his head up.
He makes playing look easy because of his dedication to training. His vision is not limited to just a few meters; he has a good sense of the whole field and makes passes in places hard to see.
4. Develop Your Whole Body
Observe professional soccer strikers, and you’ll see the incredible shape they are. Top players are not in condition solely because they practice, play, and run up and down the field.
Your body quickly becomes more robust and faster from eating well and exercising regularly. You need to train your whole body to be able to support your legs.
While your legs are doing most of the work, a full-body workout can also prevent injuries by exercising correctly. I listed some of the best exercises for soccer players in this post.
5. Cultivate Your Creative Side
Strikers tend to be some of the most creative players on the pitch. Sometimes when I’m watching TV, I watch boring games where they just seem to pass the ball from one spot to another. The difference in those games is usually because a striker isn’t afraid to do something different to change the game.
The majority of Brazilian players are very creative. Brazilian strikers usually take a step up on their opponents, thanks to their creative masterminds. These players always see opportunities where others do not. In addition, they can dream up plays that other players simply cannot execute.
6. Experiment With & Master Different Techniques
There is no denying that playing in a more striker position in soccer is more technically demanding. To become a better striker, there are more techniques you need to learn and eventually master. A good example is Cristiano Ronaldo, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
From a technical perspective, he is the complete striker, a great dribbler, shooter, and passer of the ball. Never mind his incredible ability to jump and score with his head. These are just some of the things that make him one of the greatest strikers ever.
7. Speed Kills Even The Best Defenses
Faster is always better. By far, this is the most critical part of a striker’s game. Every day, the game of soccer becomes more and more rapid. Defensive players are no longer perceived as slow.
Players who are faster tend to be separated from the rest. If appropriately used, their speed will provide you with a distinct advantage unlike any other. Soccer is more than just running fast and shooting, as some belief. You have to switch directions quickly as well as change the speed.
You can look at players like Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as examples. In addition to being fast, their skill lies in knowing when and how to use speed while combining it with the other skills I discuss in this article.
8. Fuel Your Body
During 90-minute games, strikers burn an average of 1500-3000 calories. A proper diet isn’t the only way to stay energized during a match. It’s also important for strength training and endurance.
It is impossible to become a better player without taking care of your body and mind. Maintaining a healthy diet will keep you energized, focused and will minimize the risk of injury.
9. Compose Yourself
Most people don’t realize how important this skill is in the overall development of any soccer player, not just strikers. As defined by dictionary.com, composure is “the feeling of being calm and in control of oneself.”
What is the best way to develop my composure? If you want to build your composure, you should start by understanding what you can control and what variables are outside your sphere of influence.
Try not to lose your composure or worry about things you cannot control, such as the referee’s decisions, opponents’ wasted time, and your teammates’ mistakes.
10. Be More Precise
Strikers need accuracy and precision. It is vital to train and develop accuracy, regardless of whether one is passing or shooting. A striker cannot afford to make too many mistakes.
It is essential for them to be precise when they have the chance to score. One example could be in a counterattack. Making quick decisions and passing accurately is imperative for attackers, or the play will end, and they will miss the opportunity.
11. Learn To Play Smart
There is no doubt that the best strikers are intelligent as well. As a result of our school system, we are taught that only smart people get good grades. They do not acknowledge the existence of multiple intelligences and the necessity of developing one before playing a sport like soccer.
There will be multiple possible courses of action in a real-life gaming situation. Make the right decision by thinking fast and making an intelligent decision in the team’s best interest.
I believe that intelligence is an aspect that develops over time. You will become more competent in soccer as you gain experience, train, and play more games.
12. Make Sure You’re Aware of Your Surroundings
Soccer players, including strikers, must have a clear vision to succeed. It is impossible to play soccer with blinders on. Since we were little kids, we have always been told to keep our heads up when dribbling the ball.
By doing this, we could see the whole soccer field and have a better perspective on it. Vision can be learned. It is a matter of learning to play heads-up soccer and watching what is happening around you other than just focusing on the soccer ball.
13. Build Self-Esteem.
Strikers must have the confidence to succeed. Especially when finishing play, a striker must be confident in his abilities and know he can achieve great things. My most valuable tip for developing confidence is self-talk.
Your most important daily conversation is with yourself, and what you say to yourself matters more than you might realize. During the most challenging times, strikers who will learn to support and motivate themselves will score more, especially if everyone around them no longer does?
14. Patience Will Pay off
Even the world’s best strikers have dry spells. You can’t consistently score for your team. The striker’s job is to score goals, but sometimes you have to wait for your chance. It’s not uncommon for teammates to get desperate after not scoring a goal in one or two games, which is more detrimental than helpful.
When you’re at your best every match and season, the goals will come. You will still have bad games no matter how good you are, so don’t worry about it.
15. Be Selfless
A great striker sacrifices for his team, in addition to scoring goals. It’s impossible to be a good striker if you just wait for the ball to come to you. Some of the world’s best strikers are always keen to help their teammates in other aspects of the game, including defense.
In my previous post, I discussed how important it is for players to be intelligent. When the team is winning, it doesn’t matter whether you’ve scored or not. As a striker, you have to sacrifice and help the team in defense as well.
16. Make Swift Decisions
There is a difference between speed and quickness. By speed, I mean the velocity at which you can run. As opposed to that, quickness refers to your ability to think and make decisions while playing. It is necessary to develop quickness of thought and action to be able to play all these things.
In soccer, for instance, creativity is of no benefit if it cannot be executed quickly. After a swift-thinking defender has already taken the ball away from you, you can’t execute any creative plays. Playing requires a quick mind and a quick body, so it is essential to develop both.
17. A Team That Works Together Scores More
Soccer is a team sport. A single player cannot play the game on their own. As a striker, you should understand that your priority should be your team, not yourself. When you can’t score goals but can contribute to the team, that is even better.
You should pass the ball to your teammates if you know they are in a better position to score, taking as few touches as possible. For example, the act of dribbling on its own is entirely useless, but when combined with a well-timed pass, it can unlock even the best defense.
18. Commit To The Process
Above all, elite strikers are entirely committed. Everything we’ve said up to this point is critical, and every additional suggestion we discuss will be beneficial as well. However, like with any area of sport, you are unlikely to succeed unless you commit to developing and working on it at every possibility.
You must commit to something like this; it is the most crucial component. All of the other elements I outlined above, as you would with everything else in life, will never occur unless you are sure you can put in the work.
The only way to become a great striker is to put in the effort every day. Put in the work, and the goals will take care of themselves.
19. Become The Complete Player
In modern soccer, everyone attacks, and everyone defends. It is a myth that strikers just stay up the field and wait for a pass to score. The strikers must pressure the other team’s possession to force them to lose the ball.
If another player gets out of his original position, a good striker has to cover his space. It is becoming more and more common to see strikers even defending in corners!
20. Decide What Role You Want To Play
Discover your responsibilities and the hypothetical boundaries of your position. However, if you’re a central striker, your zone is not on the right side of the offensive third. Receiving passes and picking up loose balls require you to remain in this area of the field.
You are responsible for moving the ball and positioning yourself to score when your team is on offense. If you’re defending, you should retreat to the center circle or close to it.
21. Develop Your Ability To Read Other Teammates.
Predicting the next move and location of the ball and players will provide you with a clear picture of the play. It will help you position yourself in the best possible position to receive the ball, block an opponent, and provide assistance.
Being a fantastic soccer player entails more than just scoring goals. It’s about being ready to assist your team.
22. Become a Student of The Game.
Taking notes while you observe pros and watching soccer matches is an excellent way to improve. It’s similar to studying for a school exam. You must learn how the game functions as a whole because when you are on the field, you understand what to do. Take notes on how the players move.
Remain aware that professionals do not constantly try to pass the ball straight at the other goal but instead take their time controlling possession. Before advancing, the players would frequently pass the ball sideways and backward to find a free player.
23. Practice Drills & Get To Know Your Weak Foot
You most likely have one stronger foot that you use to pass and shoot. However, to increase your talent, you must be able to manage the ball with both feet. Being able to handle the ball with both feet expands your capacity to pass, move, and score more as a result.
Because many players are predominantly right-footed, using your alternative foot will frequently confuse and put off an opponent.
24. Compete Against Opponents Who Are Stronger Than You
Playing against people who are better than you will force you to improve. You’ll also be able to examine how maneuvers, passing, shooting, and so on are correctly executed.
You’ll have difficulty progressing and improving if you simply play against folks of your skill level or lower. When you play against better players, you won’t have time to grow lazy or complacent.
25. Don’t Try To Keep The Ball All To Yourself
If you never pass the ball back, your teammates will stop passing it to you. If you consistently miss shots or lose the ball on the run, your teammates will not give you the ball. Keep in mind that you are not a celebrity and that you cannot win on your own.
Make smart passes and learn to let the ball go when it’s time. You’ll probably get the ball back more often if you don’t hoard it and instead learn to pass.
Tips For Other Soccer Positons: