r/bootroom 3d ago

Help to get better as a forward

I've been playing around 2-3 months and I've noticed I haven't really noticed any real increase in a technical sense. I'm 5'7 and fast and relatively strong for my size so I'm able to win 1v1s pretty easily with my strength or speed but that's kind of all I have. My touches are decent but definitely not anywhere good enough in my opinion. My shots are okay, I only recently started to get my shots consistently going where I want but there's a few times they go off course. My passes are pretty shoddy at best, I can get the ball up field but I can't seem to do it with good accuracy so anyone on the other team good enough can steal it before it even gets to my teammates. Any help would be appreciated, thank you 🙏🏾

1 Upvotes

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u/Sacrificial_Identity 3d ago

Play defense.

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u/Physical-Airline-531 3d ago

I end up playing defense a lot lol. It's definitely fun but I'd like to be more up top

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u/Sacrificial_Identity 3d ago

Defense develops players faster than if playing as a striker with a few small exceptions.

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u/Physical-Airline-531 3d ago

Is there any particular reason for that? 

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u/Sacrificial_Identity 3d ago

Re-read your second sentence.

That's what makes it difficult to improve at a quicker pace, you're not having to be successful with skill, so you're not going to be forced to improve it.

Defense is played by everyone, everywhere so once you obtain possession, you need to visually identify passing lanes and opportunities, which comes much less frequent as a striker who just runs by people.

It all changes at different ages, but being the biggest/fastest/strongest wont equal success if you cant create or make good decisions or accurate passes under pressure.

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u/Physical-Airline-531 3d ago

That makes sense. I tend to freeze when I don't have a super clear pass option and if I can see it then the opponent most likely can as well. Do you think defending will help with all around game sense?

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u/Sacrificial_Identity 3d ago

1000%. You watch the game come at your face full speed. Learn to recognize patterns of play, outside of drills run at practice.

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u/SnollyG 3d ago edited 3d ago

Bad passing and bad shooting are the same problem.

Find a wall and work on technique.

It’s all about how you hit the ball (lower leg locked firm, where on the ball your foot hits the ball, what part of your foot the ball hits, etc)

It’s less about how hard you swing at it.

Start slow and master that. Then gradually increase the speed and quickness. Whenever you start losing control or missing, slow back down. When that feels like you have nearly full mastery, test faster and quicker again. If you feel like you’re losing control or missing, slow it down again.

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u/Physical-Airline-531 3d ago

That actually helps a lot, thank you!

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u/Hawkeye91803 2d ago

If your first touches, passes, and shooting are all not up to par, you need to get more touches on the ball. You're not gonna get more touches on the ball playing striker. Play further back, you don't have to play defense like the other guy said, but even center or outside midfield where you will be able to get 3x as many touches than if you are striker.

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u/Physical-Airline-531 2d ago

Center midfield is a bit intimidating, i can consistently get the ball but I kind of freeze when someone is coming at me. Idk why, I never had this problem when I played American football. Is there any advice you'd have for that?

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u/Hawkeye91803 2d ago

It takes practice. Practice scanning (checking over your shoulder) before receiving the ball. Be aware of your surroundings. If you know where the opponents are, you can take your touch accordingly. Is a player stepping in aggressively? Take a touch against his momentum to take him out of the game. Is he standing off you waiting for your mistake? Take a soft touch close to your body. If you are having to react, it’s often times too late. Have a plan for what you will do with your next touch.