How to Play Forward in Soccer
Learn to shoot quickly while still maintaining accuracy., Practice putting the ball on net immediately out of the air., Focus on trapping the ball out of the air with your entire body., Practice challenging defenders one on one, getting around them...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 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 off a trap from a pass.
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. -
Step 2: 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. , You will have to be good at trapping, bringing the ball from the air to the ground smoothly, because a lot of the game for a forward comes from long balls and aerial crosses.
You want your touch to end on a time, setting 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 trapping and hitting the ball back.
Hit against a wall, drilling shots or crosses at a hard surface and reacting quickly to trap the rebound., 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." You don't always get to beat a defender straight up
-- sometimes you have to shield and control the ball with your back to goal, too.You can work on moves by yourself.
Set up a box and work on dribbling, cutting, and throwing movies at full speed, staying inside the box to work on control. , The infamous Arjen Robin 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. -
Step 3: Focus on trapping the ball out of the air with your entire body.
-
Step 4: Practice challenging defenders one on one
-
Step 5: getting around them without teammates.
-
Step 6: Develop both feet into dangerous weapons of scoring.
Detailed Guide
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 off a trap from a pass.
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.
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. , You will have to be good at trapping, bringing the ball from the air to the ground smoothly, because a lot of the game for a forward comes from long balls and aerial crosses.
You want your touch to end on a time, setting 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 trapping and hitting the ball back.
Hit against a wall, drilling shots or crosses at a hard surface and reacting quickly to trap the rebound., 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." You don't always get to beat a defender straight up
-- sometimes you have to shield and control the ball with your back to goal, too.You can work on moves by yourself.
Set up a box and work on dribbling, cutting, and throwing movies at full speed, staying inside the box to work on control. , The infamous Arjen Robin 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.
About the Author
Anna Allen
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow pet care tutorials.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: