The finishing journey · ages 12–16+

The finish often starts before the strike

Composure in front of goal is a set of trainable habits — placement, body shape, timing — not a gift.

On this page

  • Three common miss patterns to record without guessing.
  • Placement and power as decisions, not fixed rules.
  • Body shape before the ball arrives.
  • A pressure-finishing game that rewards the full action.

Stay to the end: a counted finishing game that scores the decision, shape, and target.

1The real miss

Why do you miss chances you finish easily in training?

Review the action before contact. Rushed body shape, eyes leaving the ball, or power chosen without a target are common reasons a finish breaks down. Record which one happened instead of treating every miss as the same problem.

Start with the target choice before contact. ↓

2Placement

How do you choose a useful target?

Choose the target from the actual picture. A low corner, an across-goal finish, an earlier contact, or one more touch can each be useful in the right moment. Power is one tool; it does not replace an early target decision.

Placement vs power — session clip

SUGGESTION — same chance finished twice: blasted at the keeper, then placed low across him; freeze on the keeper's reach.

From a real session: 'Just pass it into the corner — open up your hip and kick it around. The power isn't from all my body, it's just from the hip. You can't lean — it needs to come from your hip.' Hip closed, the ball curves back toward the keeper; hip open, the corner is yours.

Placement is a decision. Your body has to be ready to obey it. ↓

3Body shape

What can you prepare while the ball travels?

Adjust the feet, organise the hips for the intended target, and keep the head steady enough to see the ball. Earlier preparation gives the player more options. A late square arrival can reduce the contact and targets available.

The early-shape cue: know your finish before the ball leaves the passer's foot. If you're deciding during the touch, you're already rushed.

Now see whether the decision and shape survive added pressure. ↓

4Try it today

What's the pressure-finishing game?

  1. Target-call round: take ten suitable finishes and call the target before the final preparation steps. Score one for a balanced strike towards the called zone.
  2. Shape round: take eight serves with a small movement before the ball arrives. Score the final two adjustment steps and balance at contact.
  3. Decision-change round: a partner changes the target call on four reps. Keep the first call only when the picture still supports it.
  4. Self-check: was the miss caused by the target decision, preparation steps, balance, or contact? Choose one cause for the next set.

Finishing improves when the review starts before contact: read the picture, prepare the feet, choose the target, then record what changed when the ball or body was moving.

a striker's body shape set before a dropping ball near the penalty spot, keeper blurred beyond

The road continues

Next phase — Finish After Movement

The finishing decision is clearer. Next: keeping the approach, balance, and target when the ball and body are moving.

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