Thierry Henry: Finishing at speed

The New York Red Bulls forward and Arsenal and France legend explains the art of scoring while sprinting 

Have a clear vision

 

Know exactly where you’re going to put it

“Know what you’re going to do. I like to open up and use my sidefoot to bang the ball into the bottom corner – no matter who I’m playing against, no matter what the situation is, that’s how I’m going to try to finish. This gives me confidence because I know what I’m going to do before I arrive in front of the goalkeeper. Obviously I can’t use this finish every time, but it helps to have it in my locker because I don’t have to think about it.”

Don’t panic

 

Stay calm – you’ve got time

“Most strikers want to rush when they’re in the box, but that’s when you have all the time you want. And by that I mean football time. Obviously, you can’t be in there controlling the ball while chatting to your team-mates, but you have more time than you think. You have the ball, the defenders can’t touch you and you have an advantage over the goalkeeper. Stay calm, be confident and trust your ability to assess the situation and make the right decision.”

Freeze the goalkeeper

 

Stop your opponent’s momentum

“You need to be able to toy with the goalkeeper. When they run out quickly to face me, they’re hoping that I don’t make them stop, because if you break their momentum, their dive won’t reach as far as if they do have momentum. Whenever a goalkeeper rushes out to meet me, I look at them to make them stop. Once I’ve frozen them, they suddenly realise, ‘Oh, it’s just you and me’, and by the time he thinks this, the ball is gone.”

Quick mind, quick feet

 

Unbalance your opponent

“The freezing technique works for defenders as well as goalkeepers. It enables you to work space for a shot on goal. A defender can think they’ve stopped you and then bang – in a flash, you’re away and you’ve scored. I was fortunate enough to be quick, but Robert Pires was the best player at doing this. He didn’t do any tricks but if you were one-on-one against him, you were in trouble because he could make you freeze; you’d lose your balance and momentum.”

Hard work pays off

 

Master your craft through practice

“There’s no secret to my signature finish – just hard work. It wasn’t all down to natural ability; I had speed and a nose for goal, but everything else I worked at because you cannot achieve anything without training hard. After a training session I used to take out some mannequins and balls and ask the goalkeeper to stay. The only secret I know of is working hard – there’s nothing else. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true.”

It’s cool to be calm

 

Stay composed and decode the game

“Brazilian Ronaldo embodied pure power, but he still had accuracy and vision and was able to handle the ball properly. These strengths enabled him to maximise his power. Being able to run at full speed while staying composed and avoiding people who are trying to kick you is not an easy thing to do. Brazilian Ronaldo could do all that and still deliver an end product. You can have all the physical strengths but you need to be able to get your head up, stay cool and choose the right option.”

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Radamel Falcao: How to be a penalty-box predator

The Colombian hitman outlines the key skills you need to strike with deadly force inside the opposition area 

The rule of five

 

“The first five yards of any move you’re involved in are among the most important you can make as a striker. Forwards like me act on instinct. There’s no better feeling than getting in front of a defender to make a difference for your team. They’re the difference between scoring a goal or not, or helping your team-mates find the space to score a goal themselves. In close games, such moments can turn a draw into a victory.” 

 

Get on the training pitch

 

“You can develop how you recognise goalscoring situations by working with wingers in training and sprinting forward to meet their crosses. Jostle with a defender and look to get beyond them as you approach the box. Your intensity in training is crucial to improving. It trains your body for what to expect in a game. Part of the art of being a striker is anticipating what’s going to happen next. You have to out-think a defender to get the better of them.” 

Two-footed play

 

“Being able to shoot with both feet is such an important weapon for a striker to have. Being able to surprise them is crucial. I like to mix up what side I go when I come up against a defender in a one-against-one situation. Part of the skill is mental. Convince yourself that you can play with both feet and, with practice, you can improve. In every session, train yourself to take touches and play passes with either foot and then you’ll build up confidence to shooting that way too.”

Pounce like a natural born killer

 

Replicate Falcao in the box with this drill from movement training specialist Alan Pearson

Tips:
• Work off the balls of the feet
• Keep steps short, precise and explosive
• Use your arms to propel you forward
• Feet should be kept shoulder-width apart

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Yaya Toure: Dominate the middle of the park

The Ivorian battering ram shares his secrets with FFT on using movement, strength and passing to boss the game 

It’s all about positioning

 

“At Barcelona, I started in midfield and finished in midfield. They did not need me to go forward. My job was just to hold the midfield; to take the ball from one player and give it to another. You must only do it at the right time, though: you have to do whatever creates the most space. If you see space, go into it. If not, hold your position and pass the ball to create space that way. You cannot just run forward for the sake of it. Sometimes it is good to drive, and sometimes you have to be clever and play it quickly.” 

Be hard but fair

 

“You have to be very careful depending on who you are up against. When you are facing strong opposition players, maybe you can force them to make a mistake by going in – not aggressively, but forcefully. But with smaller, lighter players, you have to be more cautious. You have to wait, and challenge with intensity but not so much force. It is too easy to get booked now. There is also the fact that people look up to you, and if you get a red card straightaway, you are not setting a good example.” 

Find strength in the gym

 

“The conditioning coaches are the most important people at the club for me: they help me to keep my body fit, which is essential for my role. I work on every part of my body every day: arms and legs, back, shoulders – whatever you can think of. But the key is not to use heavy weights, but to do a lot of repetitions with smaller weights. We will do eight, 10 or 12 reps depending on the exercise, but no more, because you cannot be heavy on the pitch. The light weights mean you can be light on the pitch.”

 

THE YAYA WORKOUT 

Power past opponents with this routine used by Toure, devised by Man City’s head of fitness Simon Bitcon

“Yaya does a combination of strength and power work. One workout he will do is a series of barbell squats followed by box jumps.

To do this, place a barbell (at whatever weight you feel comfortable) behind your neck with an overhand grip. Put your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, secure your back and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.

Pause, then drive up through your body to the start position. Yaya will do this four times, then rest for three to four minutes before moving on to the box jump.

Stand in front of the box, which must be high enough that it’s a challenge to leap on, but not so high you’ll injure yourself.

Make sure the box is secure, then with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees and jump up onto it, using your arms to propel your body upwards.

Step down and repeat the jump a second time. This combination of exercises works key lower body muscles, such as the glutes, quads and hamstrings.

Building strength in your legs will enhance your performance by developing and maintaining explosive power for accelerating and jumping.”

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Andres Iniesta: How to boss the midfield

Receiving a pass

 

Before I receive the ball, I quickly look to see which players I can give it to. Always be aware of who is around you: if you feel them closing down, take a touch to move the ball away from them. Try and put yourself in space to get the pass: the more space you have, the more time you have to think. And when you get the ball, don’t move it towards the opponent. That said, sometimes I’m happy to run at a player and just hold the ball in front of him. That way I’ve moved the team forward. 

Playing the pass

 

Every pass is important. A bad pass loses possession and puts the team under pressure. Short passes build momentum and if you have the ball then the opponents can’t do anything. Know the time to make a killer pass. If you need a goal, search for the space to make the pass. If you’re protecting a lead, keep possession and play safer. Because we have played together for a long time to a certain system, everyone knows where to move. That makes my job easier, knowing where Xavi or Leo [Messi] will be. 

Thinking on your feet

 

If you think before your opponent where the ball is going to go then you have an advantage. If you stay with the ball at your feet and think about what to do, you are going to lose the ball. The best players are the quickest thinkers. Where is my team-mate going to run to? Will he stay onside? Which one has space? Which one is looking for the ball? How do they like the ball – to their feet or in front? You can be the best passer in the world, but without your team-mates being in the right position, it’s no good.

 

Drawing a foul

 

Make the opponent think that you are going one way, then go the other. Confuse him. And when your opponent has the ball, close him down quickly. Put him under pressure before he’s even had time to think about an attack. Another thing: if the attack has gone, don’t waste energy playing catch-up. You can be as much use to the team as a defender if the ball comes back. Or you can move up more slowly and still be in a position to shoot if the ball comes back to you. 

Dealing with a giant

 

If I play against a big player, I play the ball quickly on the ground. Playing a quick one-two is also very effective as bigger players are slower to react and turn. I also keep a distance from them so that I can turn quickly and we don’t find ourselves going for the same ball. I only weigh 63 kilos so I don’t have weight to throw around. If you can get the ball past them a few times using a one-two they will be more reluctant to rush in and tackle, so you have more space to play. Barça is a small team, so we use our height well. It’s good for me to take corners, not just because I’m unlikely to win the ball in the air.

Shooting from distance

 

I’m not a natural scorer, but if I see an opening, I’ll shoot. I shoot if I think I can score and I’ll aim for the part of the goal that’s most difficult for the goalkeeper. That’s what I did in the World Cup final – the corner near the post. And against Chelsea too [Champions League semi-final in 2009], because I saw a space through a crowd of players. Opposition players in front make it more complicated – for me but also for the goalkeeper – because they can’t see properly. And if there’s someone in a better position, I’ll pass. So you need to know who is around you all the time and where they are.

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