What does it really take to be a forward in soccer?
In the past few years I have seen a lot of talented kids try to move from midfield or defense to being a striker. In spite of having great footwork, agility and a good shot they end up failing because of a few details. Here is what worked for me when I was a kid and made this transition from defense to attack:
1- Always attack vertically. What I mean by this is dribble and run with the intent of taking a shot. Unless you are trying to delay the opponent, dribble and attack towards the goal.
2- Work that weak foot! By being able to kick the ball fast because it’s in reach of your weak foot you have a better chance of scoring. You should work so hard at it that people watching you can’t tell which one is your weak foot.
3- Work on the “crunched” cross. I call crunched cross a ball that is 50-50 between the forward and the defense. To be a good striker you need to get to that crossed ball before the defender. When receiving crosses: i) get to ball first, and ii) shoot 1-touch to surprise the defense. Don’t try to take the perfect shot because you will lose precious time. One touch shots, even if weak, usually surprise the keeper.
4- Use your arms. Yes use your arms. Defenders will push you and shove you. This is what defenders do. I am not telling you to foul them. I am telling you to use your arms to protect yourself and the ball. I have seen an epidemic of kids with bruised faces because they can’t defend themselves. Soccer is a contact sport. If you can’t protect yourself you will get hurt over and over again.
5- Do cone work. Use cone training to change direction and shoot. When you are at full speed and change directions you throw the defense off balance. Do it 2, 3 times and you are a few steps ahead of them. You can use a few different sequences to improve your acceleration and cutting speed while keeping control of the ball. Recently retired Brazilian Ronaldo Nazario was a master in this type of skills. Below this post is a link to a soloist sequence.
These were the tips that really worked for me years back.
And here is the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M7R8nKMxlo&feature=player_embedded
Enjoy!