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Free-Kick Technique

Soccer (Individual Skills) / Popular

Generate curl, knuckle, or power on direct free kicks.

What coaches agree on

  • Aim just above the wall rather than at the goal - since the wall is always about ten yards away, using it as your target turns a long, difficult shot into a short, easy one.
  • Settle on one pre-kick routine - how you place the ball, your steps back, your mental cues - and repeat it exactly the same way every time you practice.
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  • Run up to the ball from an angle rather than straight on, so your foot can wrap around the outside of the ball to generate curl.

Common mistakes

  • Taking a slow, tentative run-up or easing off the ball instead of driving all the way through and landing on the shooting foot, which produces a weak, floaty kick the keeper has time to save.
  • Aiming your plant foot and shot straight at the target instead of allowing for the curl, which pulls the ball back toward the middle or drags it wide of the post.