How to Take a Penalty Kick in Soccer

A perfect penalty is a ball that is struck high or low, targeted precisely to the right or left of the goalie, and fast, traveling at 90 to 104 kilometers per hour (56 to 64 miles per hour).

Here are a few tips for the Perfect Penalty Kick:-

Taking a penalty kick in soccer is one of the most pressured and intense moments in a soccer game. It is a mind game as much as a physical achievement, and there are important elements to understand and keep in mind when you're the shooter of a penalty kick. First, it pays not to be overconfident but to really know your strengths and tactics in advance; second, it pays not to play games of reverse psychology as the goalkeeper is likely to be well aware of what you're up to, and last, but not least, it's important not to give the game away with your eyes and body movements.

All of this is easier said than done, though, and the following steps are aimed at helping you be an effective penalty shooter, possibly saving the day for your team.

• STEPS

1) Understand what a penalty kick is. While penalty kicks and kicks from the penalty mark are similar in nature, they are distinct and follow their own rules as part of the game. (Either way, the remainder of this article applies to both types of goal scoring, as the strategies and tactics suggested can be applied in both cases.)

• A penalty kick occurs during the game. A penalty kick proceeds following Penalty Kick Law 14. It is a type of free kick that takes place 12 yards / 11 meters out from the goal, and only the goalkeeper of the defending team is between the penalty taker and the goal.

• Kicks from the penalty mark occur at the end of a game during a tournament. This is not considered a penalty kick but a method to determine which team proceeds to the next stage of a particular tournament. It takes place only at the end of a game where the game finishes in a draw. While the procedure is similar to the penalty kick, kicks from the penalty mark do not follow the Penalty Kick Law 14 but is outlined in supplementary sections to the Laws.[3] The penalty shootout is popularly referred to as "penalties".

2) Practice focusing and self-composure techniques as part of your regular training. Even before you are in the position of having to take a penalty goal, part of your training should always be to learn the techniques for keeping yourself calm under pressure.

• Learn how to remain focused.
• Practice staying calm under pressure, not thinking about the things that could go wrong. Practicing daily mindfulness can help you to stay aware and attentive to the present moment without being volatile or emotionally upset.[4]
• Practice visualization of positive results.

3)Know your penalty kick strengths. Before you are placed in the position of taking a penalty kick, it is important to have spent a lot of time training for this. Know in advance what your best shooting strategies are and practice them. When under pressure, returning to what you know well is always easier and if you've already practiced penalty kicks as part of your training, it will feel like second nature when you're doing the real thing.[5]

4)Understand how the goalkeeper is probably viewing your tactics. The keeper learns to read the striker's movements as a key part of his or her success in preventing goals. As part of this,

• The goalkeeper already knows your playing style and will know how you shoot penalty kicks from previous games. Yet, the keeper will still need to read you in the moments before the shot. This means taking care with where you place your eyes and feet because the keeper will be watching very carefully for all signals.

• If the keeper comes up to talk to you pre-shot, give away nothing. Keep in mind that the the keeper is trying to distract you.[6]

• Avoid watching the keeper doing anything distracting -- it is a deliberate tactic aimed at unsettling you, such as the "wobbly dance" performed by Bruce Grobbelaar European Cup in 1984.[7]

• Don't bother trying to throw off the keeper by staring in the opposite direction from which you intend to kick the ball. A good keeper is wise to that trick and it won't succeed if that's your only strategy.

• Realize that the keeper is checking your feet angles for any signs that give away your intended shot. Chris Jones says that sharp approach angles give away the ball direction and that sharp angle for a right-footed player means a shoot to the keeper's right (player's left, across his body), while a straighter run means that the right-footed player is shooting to his right.[8]

5) Take position and work out your tactics while the referee is placing the ball for the kick. The important thing is to take the penalty shot in the way that fits best with your abilities, as well as balancing this with a little "sports science" knowledge. Consider as quickly as you can which of the following approaches will work best for you at this point in the game:

• Shoot with speed. The speed of making a penalty shot has been researched and it appears that a shot taken quickly and with good strength allows you to take advantage of the element of surprise. If you can get yourself together quickly and make a good, fast shot within 3 seconds after the whistle is blown, this can be a successful tactic.[9]
• Delay the shoot. On the other hand, if you'd rather psych out the keeper, time can be on your side. A delay of more than 13 seconds can unsettle the keeper.[10]
• Wait for the keeper to move. However, you must be ready to react swiftly once the keeper has moved, or your moment for surprise will be lost.
• Approach the ball with a "stutter" (paradinha). This is a "feinting" move in which you aim to confuse the keeper by making a stutter step as you run up to take the kick. Great care must be taken in doing this, however, as you must not be viewed as feinting to kick the ball once the run-up has been completed, or this will earn you a caution.[11]

6) Focus on where you want the ball to head in your mind's eye, not using your eyes. As explained earlier, the keeper is watching your eyes and the more nervous you are, the more likely you are to slip into focusing on the net direction and the keeper than on the ball. To avoid this, the following tips can help:

• Choose the spot where you want to aim the ball before approaching the ball.[12]
• Avoid looking at the keeper. If it's easier, pretend the keeper is not present.
• Stay focused on the ball. Keep your eyes on the ball at all times and remain focused -- once focus is lost, you risk losing your composure.

7) Kick the ball once the referee has signaled by whistling that it's time to kick. Decide first whether you will kick for accuracy or for power (this determines your kick style) and then take the kick as recommended below:

• Accuracy - If it's "precision over power" you want, then the recommended kick is the inside-foot.
• Power - Sometimes power can be enough to take the ball past the keeper: a strong shooter who can kick at speeds of 80 mph can shoot the ball to the goal line in 500 milliseconds, whereas the keeper will take 600 milliseconds to move from the center of the goal to one of its posts.[13] To achieve this shot, shoot hard with the instep, i.e., from the laces.
• Take a short, straight run up of only four to six steps (this has been found to be the most successful approach). [14]Kick the ball low and hard, and aim for about 3 inches / 7.5 cm inside of each post: Chris Jones says that the low and hard shot taken from a short, straight run is "impossible to stop".[15]

8)Stay alert. As soon as you strike the ball, do not switch off. Always get ready for a rebound if the keeper saves it, but not if the ball hits the post/crossbar. Remember always take your time.

• Tips

• Do not feel that the shot has to leave the ground; it can be effective to ground the ball away from the goalie. Also, be ready for any rebounds.
• While it is true that almost everybody expects you to score a penalty kick because it is the best advantage in which to score a goal, do not turn this expectation into added pressure in your thinking; nobody apart from you can ever know what it feels like in those precious seconds of your penalty kick, so remove their judgment from your mind.
• If you are playing a goalkeeper who always jumps early, you can send one straight down the middle and watch him jump out of the way.
• Always stay focused and composed.
• Try to hit the ball on the valve to make it dip a little bit.
• Don’t hesitate about where you will place the ball because the goalkeepers will spot it and take advantage of that.
• Try and lean forward a bit; this helps keep the ball on the ground. Keep your body over the ball.

• Warnings

• Don't lean back too much or you will hit the ball into row z of the stadium.
• Penalty kicks are primarily mental, so try to think you are alone when you are shooting.