Two players on a soccer pitch in a 1v1 situation.

How to score more goals

updated on April 16th, 2024

5 mins read

Scoring a goal is one of the most beautiful feelings in the world. Only people who have played football can comprehend the energy and joy running through your body after having scored!

And equally important: without goals, you can’t win a match; it’s as simple as that.

But this task does not only rely on the striker! Any player on the field can score goals. And with this article, we’ll make sure that you know how to score more goals than ever before!

Tip 1) Positioning

The outcome of a chance is most of the time already determined before the player has even taken the shot. The reason for that is that positioning is, in most cases, the biggest factor in scoring a goal.

As you may have already heard, 70% of all goals are scored inside the 16-yard box. So making the right runs, losing your marker, and creating enough space for you to (receive the ball and) take the shot is vital to increasing the odds of a goal.

Just think of Erling Haaland’s goal compilation in the 2022/2023 season. 90% of his goals were nothing special but came down to his ability to read the game, know where the ball would arrive next, and position himself perfectly ahead of all other players.

Tap-ins, follow-ups, and rebounders - that’s how you boost your goal count!

Tip 2) Composure

There are often situations in games where you only have a split second to take the shot. In these situations, don’t think about it; just trust your instinct and take the shot in the best way you can.

But there are at least equally as many chances where you have at least one extra second; especially in lower leagues and younger age groups.

This could, for example, be a 1v1 against the goalkeeper or getting a pass back to the edge of the 16-yard line.

In any of these cases, it’s important to be composed and to stay calm in front of goal. Far too many players get nervous in these situations and rush their shot.

Instead, you need to have the confidence to take a look, see where the goal and the goalkeeper are, identify the perfect spot to aim for when taking the shot, and potentially take a last touch to set you up perfectly for the shot.

3) Practice

But the ability to choose the right kind of shot, execute it perfectly and have the confidence to do so on your own terms, doesn’t come from nothing. It only comes from practicing these shots & scenarios thousands of times until they become natural to you.

And as already mentioned in our previous articles, training doesn’t mean just going to the park and taking a few random shots at goals!

If you’re just starting out, of course, make sure that the technique is perfect first.

But the better you get, the more you should increase the intensity of the training, reduce the time available to get off the shot, train the shot in different scenarios and from different angles, and practice it against actual opponents.

Only when you train match-realistic, you’ll be able to perform in matches like you do in training!

So if you really want to score more goals then get started right away with the Train Effective app.

With this app

you can improve your game understanding with tactical analyses designed by Premier League experts
Increase your confidence on and off the pitch
Select from dozens of match-realistic drills and workouts to practice your finishing

So download the Train Effective app now, increase your stamina and perform to the best of your abilities for the entire length of the match!

Train Effective Success Stories

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PSV EINDHOVEN, EREDIVISIE

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US SASSUOLO, SERIE A

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