Goal Scoring - 3 Steps To Goal Scoring Success
Goal scoring is the life blood of football / soccer.
Without goals the game can be dull (especially forthe fans).
It’s no surprise then, that goal scorers - strikers - that can score goals consistently - are paid huge sums of money ranging into the millions.
Not to mention the massive sponsorship deals with multi-million pound corporations. And of course the recognition that comes from being a world renowned goal scorer.
So how come only a few strikers actually make it?
What sets them apart? What is the difference between a striker that ‘makes it’ and a goal scorer that doesn’t?
To find the real answer to this question we must first look at and find a proven and consistent goal scorer and then look at their history.
We must also then look at other proven goal scorers and strikers from the past and see if there are any commonalities they share - is it the food they eat, the boots they where, the aftershave?
Of course it’s none of those. Although some players would say they prefer certain types of boots to others and infact do say the boot improves their performance…but I’m not convinced that’s the only factor. I would say it plays a tiny part in their success.
Through the research I and our coaches have done we’ve found 3 major areas that ALL the great strikers of the past and present have in common. I have tied to condense these steps so you take action towards them now and help your child or player gain the worlds MOST WANTED soccer / football skill.
Let’s discuss them to give you an idea of how you too can improve your game, improve your players’ game and improve your childs game.
Step No.1
Starting Young: yes it’s obvious but boy is it important in developing world class strikers. And the major reason why it plays such a huge part is that if our child shows an interest in football / soccer at an early age and we encourage that interest, we are likely to see our child develop faster and better.
Children play to impress their parents, coaches or elders first.
They don’t tend to play for themselves at a young age (3-5). So, if, as parents and coaches we can do a good job of guiding and nurturing that will to play, we start to see the beginnings of the MOST powerful kind of motivation - self-motivation.
Once a child becomes self-motivated and shows a want and desire to play and play well we have the seedlings of a potential future superstar.
Of course that seedling needs good nutrituos soil - the right advice; and just the right amount of water - the right tools; and plenty of sunshine - positive encouragement to bring them along.
The right advice stems from the knowledge of the parent or coach until the player is able to find his or her own route for getting good information that will help him or her grow and develop.
Parents and coaches need to be well aware of the skills needed, the technical ability required, the physical demands and VERY IMPORTANTLY, the mental and emotional strains and coping methods our players WILL need.
The last two (mental and emotional skills) take over at ages 9 onwards (in the UK) as this is the age where children need to sign for the academy they choose. The only difference between players at this level and age is of mental and emotional response to the stresses and strains of football / soccer. All players that get chosen for academies will have a certain level of skill that has impressed the scouts and coaches. The ONLY differentiating factor is how they handle the emotional and mental side of the game.
To put it simply - those that can handle it will go much further. Those that can’t will get ‘let go’ at the first opportunity.
If you have given your child or player the methods to cope with the mental and emotional sides to the game then you will see them progress much further.
I’m afriad many parents and coaches are totally unaware of these requirements or leave them to chance. In either situation if that describes where you’re at then do something about it now BEFORE the inevitable heartbreak.
It’s not complex, in fact it’s very easy but it gives your child or player key skills which if they haven’t got then they will be very limited to how far they can go.
As potential strikers you must be mentally tougher than most on the pitch because you are at the sharp edge of the game. In fact the game rests on your shoulders so you MUST have the knowledge to cope with the demands of being a striker or goal scorer.
Step No.2
Children have a built in safety detector when it comes to goal scoring.
First they think by hitting the ball as hard as they can they will score more goals. And second they tend to aim for the biggest part of the goal - the middle - so the ball at least goes towards the goal.
Of course, your job is to help your child and players to aim for the corners of goal because that’s where they will score goals.
So to encourage children to aim for the corners of the goal and first to pass the ball into the net (opposed to blasting it down the middle) we should copy the greats….
Each world class striker I have studied has used some form of target practice to learn, fine tune and develop accuracy. They continue this throughout their careers. Almost like a master swordsman keeping his blade sharp.
They have learnt and developed this skill using a visual target area to aim for.
This has ranged from painted circles on walls to hanging tyres from trees to jumpers hanging off crossbars.
There has been many creative ways of getting a target area to practice at! Most importantly, having some form of target practice is essential for developing accuracy.
The more visual the target area, the better, as this will help younger children and younger players gain accuracy quicker. If we are also able to create a progressively challenging environment (i.e. different sized target areas) then children that develop quicker will never get bored of this vital part of being a top level striker.
What’s So Good About Target Goals?
Having a ready made target goal can help children:
Target goals also offer players the opportunity to vastly improve decision making skills which is another important element of great strikers and top goal scorers.
A high quality target goal should also offer a book of games that parents, coaches and children can use to get more out of their target goal immediately.
The target goal is only one aspect of goal scoring but knowing how to use the target goal for the benefit of your child or players is every bit as important, if not more so.
Soccer Parents click here for high quality target goals for the back garden / yard
Soccer Coaches click here for high quality training ground target goals
Step No.3
Resillience - Strikers are tough cookies. There’s no doubt about it. If you want to be the best striker you’ve got to be mentally tough as well as physically tough.
Goals scorers have to be able to take a lot of criticism - not necessarily from the coach but from fans and well meaning parents.
Fans will give you stick if you’re not producing the goals. They can turn on you in an instant and declare you’re rubbish, you’re incompitent, you’re a fool, we paid too much for you etc etc. As a striker your player or child MUST have the tools to be able to cope with such criticism.
A loving parent who didn’t go to the game will almost always ask, “did you score” or “how many did you score this week” That in itself can put pressure on young strikers. They will feel that pressure even more when they’re out of form and not scoring.
A coach may criticise his strikers by shouting remarks from the touchline or making comments during training. Some coaches even believe that negative criticism makes the player tougher.
They hope by always putting the player down he will become resillient to to the remarks and build a thick skin to protect himself.
I say there are easier, more fun and much better ways to build resillience in goal scorers and strikers.
And these methods will allow the coach and parent recognition for the hugely important part they play.
Wouldn’t you rather be recognised as the parent or coach that was pivotal to your child or players success? Or would you rather be known as the one who put them off the game for ever.
A soccer parents and a soccer coaches part is immensely powerful in a players ability to rise to the top. So doesn’t it make sense that the soccer parent AND soccer coach both have the knowledge to give to their children and players?
I know that by constantly knocking a player he will eventually get burnt-out. He will get to a point where he can’t take it anymore and decide he doesn’t enjoy the game any longer and walk away.
Self esteem and confidence are huge components in a strikers battle armoury. And he or she that has the most weapons and knows how to use those weapons on match day….WINS.
Helping to build resillence in your child or player gives them the ability to cope with:
So you’ve given your player or your child the right environment to thrive.
You’ve given them the right tools to help develop and fine tune goal scoring skills and now you’re starting build their confidence and self esteem to unshatterable levels.
Is that all we need to do? Of course this system and process is iterative meaning we have to be constantly winning on all fronts. And there is no better action you can take than to DO.
Positive re-inforcement is key to success. Focus is a must and fostering and nurturing a love for what they do is possibly THE biggest motivator that will keep you and your child or player going through the good times and the bad.
Make no mistake - the journey is long, it’s tough and its’ full of ups and downs.
So our job as caring soccer mums and dads and modern football coaches is to provide our children and players with the right tools for the job, the right environment to become goal scoring legends and the right coping methods to be able to deal with the good times and the bad times.
Resources for goal scoring legends in the making:
Mental Toughness
Soccer Parents click here
Target Goal
Target Goal for children back garden / back yard
Target Goal for training ground / junior football soccer clubs / soccer schools
For building confidence and resillience and for promoting the coping methods this article talks about please see Mental Toughness resources above.
I hope this short article on goal scoring has given you a quick insight into helping your child or your players develop the MOST in demand skill in football / soccer.
The world is seeing a great shortage of world class stikers at present.
It’s a constant battle for clubs who are willing to pay huge amounts of money for the one who can score goals.
And that presents a massive opportunity for those coaches and parents that are willing to help their child or young players now.
If you want to help your child or players rise to the top and be challenging for that spot then make their journey to goal scoring success easier.
Prepare them well and reap the benefits of this amazing skill.
Imtiaz Jamil