Fifa 2003 Special Moves Article

Soccer Tips: Penalty Shots

The goal tender in a soccer game always has to be on alert to stop the ball when it comes towards him. During the game, some players are especially dedicated to protect the goal. In the case of a penalty kick however, there is just one opposing player and the goalie. The opposing player will try very hard to kick the ball into the goal, and he will have a very good chance at doing it, from only twelve yards a way.

Penalty kicks can happen at any time during the game. They are relatively easy to score, so some players try to sabotage the game by intentionally getting in another player�s way in order to obstruct his view. If he is too obvious to the umpire, a foul will probably be called against the player doing the obstructing.

The goalie will probably feel like he is in the hot seat with a penalty kick. The goal tender must stay within the area of the goal box and when the kick is made, he has only seconds to stop the ball. The goal tender can try to guess where the ball is going to go, and if he's right, he can prevent the goal. The problem is that he generally has to make a split second decision.

Professional players observe their opponents closely and for clues, like whether the opponent is left handed or right handed,.and will study their opponents' patterns, to determine their kicking styles.

Some professional players may have studied opponents to note if they most often aim for one side of the net. If a player is right handed and kicks with his right foot, he will usually aim to the left, so the goalie may stay to the left in anticipation of the kick from that player. Nonetheless, the player may change his mind, and the goalie must be ready to make a split second decision.

Some goal keepers have noted that the opposite foot, the weight bearing foot, indicates the direction of the kick, they look for and indication from the weight bearing foot to determine about where they think the ball will go.

The type of kick an opposing player tends to choose for the penalty kick should be studied by the goalie. The push kick uses the inside of the foot and pushes the ball into the goal. The driven shot uses the top of the foot and carries lots of power. The cut shot combines the push kick and the driven shot: the player kicks the ball near the top of the toe.

Soccer is a very fast paced sport and shots need to be made with precision, even when there are only moments left in the game.