The strikers with the strongest conversion records take remarkably few touches inside the penalty area before shooting. The reason is that a touch in the box costs more than it does anywhere else on the pitch.
Defenders close ground faster than attackers create it
In the penalty area the space between players is measured in feet, and defenders are usually moving towards the ball while the attacker is receiving it.
A touch takes roughly half a second, and a covering defender travels several feet in that time. The shooting window shrinks with every one.
The chance a striker had when the ball arrived is often the best chance he will have, and taking a touch is a decision to trade it for a worse one.
Goalkeepers set themselves during the extra touch
A keeper facing a first-time shot is still adjusting his position when the ball is struck. He is reacting rather than set.
Give him half a second and he closes the angle, gets his feet planted, and is able to spread rather than dive.
The same shot is a very different proposition against a moving keeper and a stationary one, and the difference is one touch.
The touch is only worth it when it changes the angle
There are chances where a touch is correct: a ball arriving at an awkward height, or a shooting angle so tight that a touch inside opens the goal.
The distinguishing question is whether the touch improves the shot more than it degrades the time available.
Finishers who look composed are usually running that calculation before the ball arrives rather than after, which is why they never look rushed.
Fewer touches demand a better first one
Shooting from the touch you already have puts an enormous burden on that touch. It has to set the ball into a strikeable position, not merely control it.
This is why finishing work involves receiving balls at pace from varied angles rather than shooting from stationary balls.
The skill being trained is arriving with the ball already where the foot wants it, so no additional touch is needed.
Why the habit shows up in the numbers
Shot volume alone does not separate strikers, because anyone can shoot. Blocked shots, though, separate them sharply.
A striker whose shots are frequently blocked is usually a striker who shoots late, and shooting late is usually a touch problem.
The finishers who convert consistently are simply getting the ball away while there is still a gap to put it through.