📋 Session Plan
U14 Striker Specialist
75-minute position-specific session for centre-forwards. Movement to receive, finishing under pressure, aerial finishing within FA limits. The session most
75-minute position-specific session for centre-forwards. Movement to receive, finishing under pressure, aerial finishing within FA limits. The session most
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.
Clear demonstrations and high energy. Keep the session moving with minimal queuing, and reinforce one or two key coaching points rather than overloading players with information.
Players standing in queues (set up enough stations to keep everyone active) and the session running too long on one activity (keep blocks tight and move on while engagement is high).
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Coaches tip: Post-session recovery nutrition matters as much as the drills themselves — MaxiNutrition's recovery range is built for exactly this.
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Building conditioning between sessions at home? DeerRun UK's home treadmills make it easy to keep up cardio work off the pitch.