Soccer is a game that requires a wide range of skills that are honed during the practice (all sort of soccer training drills) and competitive plays. Players need to be able to dribble, pass, shoot, and defend. They also need to have good stamina and be able to run long distances. However, the team wins only when it scores. And it scores if its players have a diverse skills set for an offence play and create scoring opportunities.
In this article, we’ll give you some tips on how to improve your scoring game, including crossing and finishing, headers, tackles, receiving and turning skills.
Crossing is used to get the ball into the box. If a player gets open on the wing and sees their teammate has the ball, they’ll look to make a run towards the goal. This is to create space so they can receive the ball in a dangerous position. Crossing is an essential skill in soccer. If you’re an attacking player, you need to be able to cross the ball so that your teammates can finish the play. If you’re a defender, you may need to cross the ball if your team is a goal down. The best way to improve your crossing is to practice it. Make sure you have the right technique and use your body to shield the ball from the defender. You’ll also want to work on your crossing speed. You want to get the ball to your teammate as soon as possible.
The first thing is to decide which foot you want to use for the cross. This is a very important thing to keep in mind. The reason why you want to use the right foot is that you want to create a line with the defense. This will create loads of space for your teammate. If you use your left foot, you’ll create a wall with the defense. Thus, you won’t create as much space to work with.
The next thing is to decide how you want to send the ball. Here are some of the things you can do to create a good cross:
* Stay square to the goal to create an angle with your teammate.
* Send the ball over the defense and into the path of your teammate.
* Send the ball into the box.
* Send the ball with pace.
Please, find below some video with the crossing drills in football you can master on your own or with your teammates.
Finishing drills are one of the best ways to improve your shooting technique. Football target practice will help you to improve your vision as you’ll be looking for ways to get into scoring position. You can use a small goal or you can use a cone as a target. You’ll want to start each session with a warm up. After that, you can work on finishing drills. You can practice shooting from different areas of the field. For example, you can work on shooting from close range, shooting from the edge of the box, or shooting from outside the box. We also have a deep dive on football shooting drills if you want to focus only on this part of your offence game.
You can also work on shooting with different types of passes or combine crossing and finishing drills together with your partner to improve both skills. You can use short passes, you can practice one-touch passes, or you can work on crossing and finishing. After that, you can work on finishing one-on-one situations. You can work on these finishing drills with a teammate or a friend. You can also do these drills on your own.
Here are some tips on how to improve your finishing skills:
* Stay calm when you’re inside the box. Don’t panic and don’t rush your shot. Take a moment and look at the goalkeeper. Choose your spot wisely and don’t rush the shot. This will help you get more goals.
* Be confident and don’t doubt yourself. If you’re confident, you’ll be able to finish most of the chances you get inside the box.
* Look for the best possible angle for your shot. If you’re able to hit the ball in a way that the goalkeeper can’t reach it, you’ll get goals.
* Find out what's the best type of soccer ball for you. There are different types of soccer balls. Some are designed for youth, some are designed for indoors, while others are designed for outdoors.
* Choose the right foot. Using your right foot is better than using your left foot because you’ll be able to create a better angle.
* Practice your finishing drills on a regular basis.
Great way to train dribbling and finishing skills is also to play small-sided games on a regular basis and include them into your soccer practice plans.
To improve your header ability, you’ll want to focus on strengthening your neck muscles. You’ll also want to practice getting your head over the ball and timing your jump correctly. If you’re playing indoors or outdoors, you can practice these heading drills using a soccer ball. If you’re on a synthetic surface, you can use a tennis ball. If you’re on a grass surface, you can use a softer ball like a sponge ball. Basically, you can do these drills against a wall.
You can also do these drills with a partner. You can have your partner pass the ball to their forehead and then return the ball to you.
When you’re inside the box, you’ll need to win many balls that are coming from crosses. Therefore, it’s very important to learn how to win headers. Not all players have the ability to win headers. If you’re the one who can’t win headers, it’s better for you to stay outside the box. Here are some tips on how to win headers:
* Stay focused and don’t look away from the ball. It’s easy for a player to lose focus and look away from the ball. When you’re focused and looking at the ball, you’ll be able to jump higher and win the ball.
* Be tall and strong. If you’re short and weak, it’s hard to win headers. If it is the case it’s better to stay outside the box.
* Stay close to the box. It’s important that you’re close to the box when the ball is on its way down. This will give you the chance to jump higher and win the ball more easily.
* Practice your jumping skills and headers. You need to jump higher and be able to win the ball with your head. You can do these drills to help you improve your headers.
When your teammate sends a cross inside the box, you need to be ready to receive the ball. This skill is important for all positions, but it’s especially important for the forwards. Receiving skills are also very important in youth soccer. Here are some tips on how to improve these skills practicing receiving drills:
* Stay close to the box. If the ball is on its way down and you’re away from the box, you won’t be able to receive the ball. Stay near the box and look for the cross inside the box.
* Look for the ball. It’s important that you look for the ball. If you don’t look for the ball, you won’t be able to receive it.
* Watch the ball and keep your eye on it until it reaches you. Don’t look away from the ball until it reaches you. This way, you’ll be able to catch the ball with ease.
* Be ready to catch the ball. When the ball is on its way, squeeze your hands together and be ready to catch the ball. Don’t close your hands too early because the ball may go over your head. Don’t close your hands too late either because the ball may pass you.
* Try to catch the ball with your thumbs up. This way, you’ll catch the ball with ease and won’t drop it.
If you’re a defender, you may need to win the ball back at some point in a game. There are different types of tackles you can use to win the ball back. You can use a sliding tackle, a standing tackle, or a rugby tackle. To improve your tackling ability, you’ll want to practice these different types of tackles. You can do these drills against a wall or the side of a goal. You can also do them with a partner. When you’re practicing these tackles, you want to make sure that you keep your head up. This will reduce the risk of injury. After you learn how to use these tackles, you can practice them in a game situation. You may need to use tackling to win the ball back in certain situations.
Here are some tips on how to improve your skills by experimenting with these tackling soccer drills:
* Stay focused. Don’t get distracted and don’t lose focus. Stay focused on the ball and the opponent and don’t get distracted by anything else.
* Run towards the opponent. When the ball is on its way and the opponent is near it, run towards the opponent. This way, you’ll be able to tackle the opponent and take the ball away from him.
* Get inside the opponent’s feet. Stay close to the opponent and get inside his feet. This is the best place to tackle the opponent.
* Time your tackle. When you’ve gotten inside the opponent’s feet, it’s time to tackle him. Timing your tackle is important. Tackle the opponent before he has a chance to kick the ball. This way, you’ll be able to take the ball away from him.
* Use your body to win the tackle. Tackle the opponent with your body. This will help you tackle him more easily.
When you’re in possession of the ball, you’ll often have defenders trying to dispossess you. If you’re pressed by an opponent, you may need to turn with the ball and use your body to create space. You can also use these turning drills when you’re defending the goal. You’ll want to work on keeping your body between the ball and the goal.
You can use cones or a partner for these turning drills. You can practice turning on the spot and using your body to shield the ball. You can also practice turning with the ball against a wall.
These are some of the most effective soccer drills that can help you improve your skills. However, it’s important to note that you’ll need to practice these soccer turning drills regularly and it helps to train them together with the dribbling drills as it creates more intense game-like situations.
If you’re slow at turning, you’ll be easily beaten by an opponent. Here are some tips on how to improve your turning skills:
* Get in the habit of turning your upper body. You’ll be able to turn better if you turn your upper body. Don’t turn the lower part of your body. This will help you turn quicker and better.
* Practice turning at high speeds. The only way to get good at turning quickly is by practicing this skill a lot. Make sure you turn at high speeds in practice.
* It’s best to practice this skill outside on a field with real grass. This will help you get better.
* Stay balanced at all times.
As you can see football target practice has different dimensions and skills needed to successfully create scoring opportunities. Whether you play as a striker, middlefilder or defender, you have to train football crossing drills, finishing and heading drills, tackling and turning drills on a regular basis.
You can do it on your own or join one of the football training camps presented on our platform.
