Finishing
Striker Finishing Drill: Come Short, Set and Spin In Behind
Receive with your back to goal under light pressure, set it first time, and spin into the space behind the defender the moment the ball leaves your foot.
Duration
15 min
Total drill time
Players
8
Recommended
Pitch
Full Pitch
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format
Setup & instructions
Set two mannequins 7 metres apart across the top of the D, about 20 metres from goal. Put a start marker on the centre 10 metres behind them with a pile of balls beside it. Full goal and keeper. One or more players line up behind the marker. The striker stands about 3 metres in front of the right mannequin with a defender between him and the mannequin; a setter stands beside the left mannequin. The front of the line pulls a ball from the pile, takes a touch out and plays it into the striker, who comes short to meet it. The defender follows him in at half pace, tight enough to touch. The striker lays it off first time across to the setter, who has checked down off his mannequin to meet it. The striker spins round the outside of the defender as soon as he has played it, and the setter plays him in behind first time between the mannequins: a touch and a finish. Rotate: the passer goes round to the left mannequin as the next setter, the setter jogs across behind the defender to be the next striker, and the striker jogs round the outside to the back of the line. The defender stays; swap him every few minutes.
Setup time: 5 min
Tactical breakdown
A striker who only ever runs in behind is easy to defend: the centre-back drops and the space is gone. A striker who only ever comes short gives the defender nothing to worry about. The threat is doing both in one movement: come short to pull the centre-back out, set it, and spin into the space he has just left.
That is the whole drill. The striker comes short as the ball is played into him, with the defender following him in. He feels where the defender is before the ball arrives, so he can protect it and lay it off first time without turning. The lay-off goes across to the setter beside the other mannequin, firm and flat so it can be played on first time.
The moment it leaves his foot, the striker spins round the outside of the defender. Not after watching his pass, not after a step back: straight away, because the defender has stepped up with him and is now facing the wrong way. The setter plays it into the space between the mannequins in front of him, and a touch out of his feet towards goal gives him an early finish before the keeper is set.
Keep the defender passive. His job is to make the striker feel contact and hold him off, not to win the ball. Too much pressure and the drill stops; none at all and the striker never learns to protect the ball. The rotation sends every player through every role, so each one plays the pass in, sets it, and comes short, spins and finishes.
How to run this drill
- Set the area. Two mannequins 7 m apart at the top of the D, a start marker 10 m behind them with a ball pile. A striker in front of the right mannequin with a defender behind him, a setter by the left mannequin, the rest in a line.
- Come short. The front of the line takes a touch and plays into the striker, who comes short to meet it with the defender following him in.
- Set it. The striker lays it off first time across to the setter, who checks down off his mannequin to meet it.
- Spin in behind. The striker spins round the outside of the defender as soon as the ball leaves his foot.
- Through and finish. The setter plays him in behind first time between the mannequins: a touch and a finish.
- Rotate. Passer to the left mannequin, setter across to be the next striker, striker round the outside to the back of the line. The defender stays.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- Striker: come short sharply as the ball is played, don't drift towards it
- Striker: feel the defender with your arm and body before the ball arrives, so you know where he is
- Striker: set it first time, firm and flat, into the setter's stride
- Striker: spin the moment the ball leaves your foot, round the side the defender can't cover
- Setter: check down off the mannequin to meet the lay-off and play it through first time
- Setter: play it into the space in front of the striker, not to his feet
- Finish: a touch out of your feet towards goal, then finish early before the keeper is set
Common mistakes
- Waiting for the ball instead of coming short to meet it
- Standing still to watch the lay-off, so the spin comes too late
- Spinning into the defender instead of round the outside of him
- A soft lay-off that makes the setter stretch or take a touch
- Through ball played to the striker's feet, so he has to stop
- The defender pushing too hard, so the drill loses its rhythm
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- The defender is live after the lay-off: he can recover and block the shot
- The setter chooses: through on the ground, or chipped over the top if the defender drops
- The striker has two touches at most: one to control, one to finish
- Mirror it: the striker starts by the left mannequin and the setter by the right
Regressions
- No defender: the striker comes short and spins round a mannequin instead
- Allow the setter a touch before the through ball
- Start the line 6 metres from the mannequins so the pass in is shorter
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