How do you take a penalty? A question that all strikers have and would like to have a solution to. We bring it to you. We’ll teach you how to position your body so that the shot is angled, how to deceive the goalkeeper, various ways of taking the shot and how to take it with what power.
To teach the best way to take a penalty we will use players from the international SIA Academy. Footballers who have learned the tactics and technique to never miss a penalty kick. They learned at Soccer Inter-Action and now they will be our teachers. Video inside!
How to take a penalty step by step
Taking a penalty may look easy, but it’s not. It takes technique, trickery, power and quality to make all your shots go in. The goalkeeper will also try to play you and throw you off your game, so it takes mental strength and quality to be infallible.
Self-confidence
The ideal is to be clear about where you are going to take the penalty right from the start. And don’t hesitate. It doesn’t matter what the goalkeeper says to you before you take the kick, or what gestures he makes as you run. Having chosen the side will make you feel confident and not hesitate before taking the kick. Thinking about where the ball is going to go as you run will cause you to miss.
Beforehand you will have to train how to take penalties. This way you will know where you feel most comfortable. Each player has his ideal place where he knows he can put it where he wants. In these cases it is always better to shoot where you feel comfortable and where you know that the goalkeeper is not going to reach.
Power or placement
To have power or to have placement is one of the most frequent doubts. Not knowing whether to hit it hard so that the goalkeeper doesn’t have time to react or to place it so that he can’t reach it. It will always depend on your confidence: shooting hard clears up doubts and shooting placed is only available to players on a roll and with talent.
The ideal is to shoot with placement. The goal is too big for the goalkeeper to reach the corners and the stumps of both posts. So it doesn’t matter how much reaction time you have. A placed shot is the ideal option. But for that, you have to train.
Taking a penalty correctly
You can choose how to take it and where you feel most comfortable, but you won’t score many goals if you don’t take the penalty correctly. That is, with the right run and the right body position. These are the main requirements to be able to take penalties in the best possible way.
Body position
The penalty kick is a fight between two players, the striker and the goalkeeper. You should know that the goalkeeper also knows how penalties are taken and what body position the opponents have. An open body position means that the penalty will go in the direction of the leg (right-handed shooting to his right). And vice versa.
Therefore, you must hide your body position until you are about to shoot. Taking the last step quickly and positioning yourself in a fleeting manner will make the goalkeeper hesitate where to dive. However, if your positioning is not good, it won’t matter if you deceive the opponent, because the ball will go wide or on target.
Mental game
The penalty is not only a football one-on-one, but also a mental one. Talk to the goalkeeper, tell him where you’re going to take it – whether it’s true or not – and don’t let him eat your toast. He will want to throw you off, make you laugh, touch the penalty spot. If you win the mental battle you will have conquered a lot of territory.
In any case, if you convert the penalty, don’t go in for it. Don’t celebrate in his face or don’t rub it in. Remember that this is a football battle and not a personal one, the goalkeeper is doing his job and you are doing yours. Your sportsmanship sets the bar and you should never stoop low to celebrate in front of him.
