1v1 skills to beat the goalkeeper

Everyone finds it exciting when a player goes through 1 on 1 against the goalkeeper... if it's your attacker you are on the edge thinking is it a goal, but if your team is defending you are looking for your goalkeeper to smother the shot. Attackers should score but often they will not due to a number of reasons like taking too long to shoot, missing the target, hitting the keeper with a shot and even slipping over.

A lot of things are happening in the mind of a young player and it's not always easy to keep a cool head and score. Many factors come in to play, and you need to put attacking players into situations where they have to re-enact as many times a possible the situation and let the players sort this out in their heads.

So what is happening... I listed the skills that go into a player getting through with the ball 1v1 against the goalkeeper:

1. Receive the ball by winning it back (interception, tackle) or receiving a pass
2. Get the ball under control
3. An effective skill like a dribble, turn or a step over
4. Make the decision to go it alone
5. The ability to look up to see where the goal was
6. Another decision to shoot or go around the goalkeeper
7. Shooting with power and direction, fast feet to get around the keeper

That’s a considerable list for young players to process whilst on the run.
So what does that mean for your coaching session? Each player should have practiced counter-attacks, performed 1v1 decision-making, and played out drills that use control of the ball, dribbling and shooting.

And when I think about it, any one of my players should have the skills to beat the keeper in a 1v1 because we work on all those things.

Try getting your players to score great goals over and over again until it comes naturally to them with the Gale force goals session below.

A lot of teams now play with a lone striker supported by players from midfield. The modern striker must have a number of attributes. These include running deep to receive the ball, holding the ball up, dribbling at speed and shooting with either foot. This session aims to improve these skills in a number of 1v1 exercises. Try the session Lone Striker from our Smart Session range.

Gale force goals
The lone striker