5 Drills for Strikers to Capitalize on Solo Training

The great players who differentiate themselves from the good players are the ones who take personal responsibility for going above and beyond. And here at Girls Soccer Network, we strive to be great players. An important way to go above and beyond in your training is to add some extra training time by doing solo workouts. Solo training has many advantages, as it allows you to set your own pace and decide your own drills. For strikers, solo training gives the opportunity to prepare for scoring goals without the additional pressure of goalkeepers, defenders, coaches, or an audience. Solo training gives a low-distraction environment to hone your lethal skills so that they come naturally in high-stakes moments.

Need some inspiration? Below are five effective drills for strikers to capitalize on solo training.

Pass Receiving

Strikers need to be deliberate when receiving a pass. Before the ball is at your feet, you should already have a plan of where to take it. Your first touch should direct the ball toward space where you can find a shot on goal. You can practice this in a solo training by passing yourself the ball off a rebounder or wall. Here are three exercises to practice pass receiving:

1. Receive and cut left: Pass the ball forward while facing the wall or rebounder head-on. When the ball returns to you, take a sharp, controlled touch left. Use the outside of your left foot. You should be explosive as you cut left, allowing you to outpace a defender.
2. Receive and cut right: Do the same as item 1, but when the ball returns to you, use the outside of your right foot to cut right.
3. Receive and turn 180 degrees: Pass the ball forward while facing the wall or rebounder head-on. When the ball returns to you, take a touch that allows you to turn 180 degrees to face the opposite direction. Practice turning in various ways, taking touches with both right and left feet.

Creating Space in Front of Goal

When you are looking to score, each touch should place you closer to finding that shot opportunity. This means you must be aware of a defender’s presence so you can keep the ball from their feet to find space to shoot. For this drill, keep multiple balls on hand so you can repeat this exercise multiple times before retrieving the balls:

1. Place a cone about 12-18 yards in front of a full-size goal.
2. With your back to the cone (so you are facing away from the goal), lob the ball upward or pass it to yourself off the wall or rebounder.
3. When you receive the ball, take a touch away from the defender while turning to shoot on-goal. You should take only one touch to find space before shooting the ball.
4. Shoot the ball.
5. Repeat until all balls have been used.

Ground Shot Accuracy on the Dribble

Shots to the corners of the goal are the hardest for a goalkeeper to block. Practice low-ground shots as follows:

1. Place one cone inside of the left goalpost and another inside of the right goalpost. You will be aiming ground shots between the cone and the goalpost, so the closer the cone is to the post, the more difficult the shot will be.
2. Place eight balls along the top of the 18-yard box.
3. Starting with the left-most ball, dribble quickly, then shoot a low ground shot to the far-post corner (“lower 90”) with your left foot. Shoot before 12 yards in front of the touchline (use the penalty spot for reference).
4. Continue through all eight balls, always shooting to the far post with your left foot.
5. After completing all eight shots, reset the balls along the top of the 18-yard box.
6. Repeat the drill for all eight balls, now shooting low to the far post with your right foot.

High Shot Accuracy on the Dribble

Shots far from the goalkeeper are the most difficult to block. Practice high shots as follows:

1. Hang two towels (or pinnies) on the goal net in the upper left and right corners of the goal. You will be aiming shots to hit the towels, so the more tucked in the corner, the more difficult the shot will be.
2. Place eight balls along the arc at the top of the 18-yard box.
3. Starting with the left-most ball, dribble quickly, then shoot high to the far-post corner (“upper 90”) with your left foot. Shoot before 12 yards in front of the touchline (use the penalty spot for reference).
4. Continue through all eight balls, always shooting to the far post with your left foot.
5. After completing all eight shots, reset the balls along the top of the 18-yard box.
6. Repeat the drill for all eight balls, now shooting high to the far post with your right foot.

Set Piece Accuracy

Set pieces can be game-changing. Direct free kicks in the attacking third of the field present a unique scoring opportunity. If shooting from a free-kick, strikers must be accurate to avoid hitting the ball into the wall, off-target, or directly to the keeper. Practice accuracy as follows:

1. Place one cone inside of the left goalpost and one cone inside of the right goalpost.
2. Hang two towels (or pinnies) on the goal net in the upper left and right corners of the goal.
3. Place a ball at any location in the top third of the field, outside of the goal box. Keep the other seven balls nearby. Practice taking eight free kicks from that location, aiming for the corners of the goal.
4. Retrieve the balls and take them to a new location. Practice taking eight free kicks from that location, aiming for the far-post corners of the goal.
5. Repeat and vary the location of the free kicks.

Ready to bring a training partner into the mix? Check out useful partner passing drills here!

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