U14 Striker Specialist

Standard warm-up themed for finishing: last 3 minutes, every player must take 3 shots at a mini-goal. Wakes up the shooting muscles before the technical work begins.

Run all 5 rounds (drop, spin, check, third-man, free choice). Strikers rotate through the striker role; defenders and midfielders rotate through too — every player should feel ALL the movements, even the ones who'll mostly play defender. By session end, identify which 2-3 players default to which movement; that's the start of striker-style profiling.

U14+ only — heading is restricted at younger ages. Strict count: max 16 headers per player this session. Run rounds 1 (back-post) and 2 (near-post) only — skip round 3 (lofted attacking) to keep heading volume safely within FA limits. If U13 players are present, give them the volley-finishing variant (foot, not head).

Modify with striker-themed conditions: (1) any goal from the four named movements counts double, (2) any header goal counts double. Conditions force players to APPLY the techniques drilled in the technical block. End with 4 minutes of unconditioned free play — see what sticks.

Pull squad in. 'Strikers — which movement felt most natural? Defenders — which striker movement was hardest to defend?'. Get the dialogue between attackers and defenders going. Both sides learn from the conversation. 5 min reflection + 2 min stretches.