Ideally, the ball should be fluffed slightly on the grass to give yourself the best chance of striking it clean. If the spot is worn down, don’t worry too much. Kicking it along the ground is a high-probability shot, anyway. Just make sure you account for the ball’s height in your approach.
Some players think taking a running start from mid-field will give you more power in your shot. While that may look intimidating, the truth of it is that you’ll have to slow down as you approach the ball, to make sure you don’t end up planting on the wrong foot. Taking fifty steps to shoot a penalty kick accomplishes nothing but tiring you out.
Alternatively, if you’re feeling alpha, stare the keeper down for all you’re worth. Burn a hole through the back of the net with your eyes. Intimidate your opponent. Statistically, more penalties are missed than are saved. Your biggest opponent in the penalty kick is not the goalkeeper, but yourself. Remember that.
Statistically, it’s true that most penalty kicks are scored in the bottom left corner of the net. The top left corner is the second-highest percentage, followed by the bottom right corner. This is because most players are right-footed, and hook the ball left naturally. When in doubt, keep the ball low. Shots aimed at the upper corners are the most seldom saved, but the most often missed. If you’re a very accurate shooter, you give yourself the best chance with a shot aimed at the upper post, but statistically the chances of missing are much higher.
Without staring at the spot where you’re going to shoot, visualize the shot going past the goalie and into the net. Visualize yourself following through, striking the ball clean and hard, and scoring the goal for your team. When you hear the referee’s whistle, it’s best to go as quickly as possible and not give yourself too much time to think about it and make a bad decision. You don’t need to psych out the goalie any more. The time is now.
Curveballs are all about the follow through. The more you practice this technique, the better you’ll be able to manipulate the ball in different ways. [6] X Expert Source Walter MerinoSoccer Coach Expert Interview. 29 January 2020. Some players like to use the laces, driving over the ball to put more power behind it, which is also a perfectly-fine way of kicking. This typically offers less accuracy, but more power. If you want the ball to go high, plant your plant foot just behind the ball and lean over it to keep it down low enough to stay under the bar. You need to do this if you want to aim for the top corner. If you want the ball to stay on the ground, use your instep and drive through the ball hard. Don’t try to get too fancy with your aim. It doesn’t need to skim off the post, it just needs to find net.
Most goalies will dive left or right at random, making it very difficult to anticipate where the goalie will be when you shoot. Since it happens so quickly, you’re playing a game of chance, always. If the goalie is familiar with your style of play, however, it’s good to have a few go-to options in your bag at all times. Again, more shots are missed than saved, so it’s mostly up to you. Most saves happen in the bottom right corner of the goal. Some goalies guess that right-footed kickers will try to outsmart them by going to the non-natural corner. It’s best to go easy and uncomplicated the process. Shoot to the corner that feels best.
Some players like to take a few more steps back to force a stutter-step, a few little quick strides before driving into the ball. This helps to throw the timing of the goalie off, and can force the keeper to jump early, meaning that you might be able to shoot into an open net.
