How to Master the Penalty Kick – Strategies for Shooters

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In the second installment of How to Master the Penalty Kick, we will discuss how shooters can prepare for and score a penalty kick. As mentioned in the previous article, penalty kicks are high-pressure situations and often have an impact on the outcome of the game. With the right instruction and practice, a player can become an expert penalty kick shooter no matter what pressure they’re under.

Mental toughness and coping is something we talk a lot about at EXACT. The ability to block out distractions and deal with pressure is invaluable to a penalty kick shooter. Since the goal area is 8 yards (7.32 meters) wide and 8 feet (2.44 meters) high, a penalty kick should be a fairly easy task for a shooter. And yet, almost 25% of penalty kicks in top male professional leagues are missed (McGarry & Franks 2000). What accounts for such a large percentage of missed shots? Many sport psychologists would agree that it is the psychological pressure and anxiety that the shooter experiences. Players that know how to cope with this pressure and remain confident are without a doubt better penalty kick shooters.

When top penalty kick shooters step up to the ball, I can assure you they are not thinking about the ball missing the net. They are visualizing where they want to put the ball while remaining calm. Practice these visualization techniques often – not just before the penalty kick. Always imagine yourself confidently walking up to the ball and hitting it away from the goalkeeper. Envision every detail about the kick – how you line up to kick it, how your foot feels when it hits the ball, and where the ball hits the net as it goes in. Using visualization techniques such as this will help you stay composed before the shot.

Along with the mental techniques, there is a large amount of research on the actual placement of the kick and what strategies to use. Research suggests that late alterations of kick direction increase errors and reduce accuracy (Van Der Kamp 2006). This means that changing your mind at the last second increases the chances of your shot being stopped. Unless the goalkeeper is standing considerably off-center (see How to Master the Penalty Kick Part I), don’t deviate from your original plan. A study by researchers at the University of Exeter (UK) also found that when anxious, a player will tend to fixate on threats – the goalkeeper, in this case – and shoot it right at them (Wilson et al 2009). “Research shows that the optimum strategy for penalty takers to use is to pick a spot and shoot to it, ignoring the goalkeeper in the process,” says the study’s author.

In addition to psychological pressure and shooting technique, you also have to be mindful that a goalkeeper will often try to read your body language to get a better idea of where you’re shooting. There are a couple of “tricks” that many elite players use to deceive the goalkeeper during a penalty shot. First, a goalkeeper will watch how you line up to kick the ball. Usually, a player who kicks with their right foot and lines up diagonally-left of the ball will shoot it across their body (left side of the net), and the opposite is true for a left footed kicker. To take this advantage away from the goalkeeper, try lining up directly behind the ball. It will take practice to get the power and accuracy, but will put the goalkeeper at a disadvantage. Goalkeepers will also look at your eye contact with the goal. Try to take short, brief looks at the goal – a long stare will help the goalkeeper guess where you are going as well as distract you. Even if the goalkeeper reads your body language and guesses right, most coaches and researchers agree that a well hit shot to the top and bottom corners are almost impossible for a goalkeeper to stop.

Using these tips and strategies will help you tremendously during a penalty kick, but in the end, practice is the most important thing. If you want to increase your success rate, take time everyday to practice your kick as well as your visualization skills. Practicing your mental skills and shooting techniques will help you become more confident and versatile when the game is on the line.

References:

• McGarry, T., & Franks, I.M. (2000) On winning the penalty shoot-out in soccer. Journal of Sports Sciences. 18(6):401–409.
• Van Der Kamp, J. (2006). A field simulation study of the effectiveness of penalty kick strategies in soccer: Late alteration of kick direction increase errors and reduce accuracy. Journal of Sports Sciences. 24:467–477
• Wilson, M.R., Wood, G., & Vine, S.J. (2009) Anxiety, attentional control, and performance impairment in penalty kicks. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. 31:761-775

EXACT’s Facts: Fueling Optimal Athletic Performance 1/2

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Like a Lamborghini needs premium fuel and a semi-truck requires diesel, an athlete needs the proper nutrition and fluids to run at optimal athletic performance. So what does it take to properly fuel our body’s needs when we are burning calories and absorbing oxygen at astoundingly high rates on the field of play? How can we build muscle, conserve energy and stay at our best for extended periods of time?  In order to have the stamina to endure a demanding  soccer camp or to obtain a coveted college scholarship athletes need to know exactly what to put into their bodies. In part one of EXACT’s two part guide to fueling optimal athletic performance we will focus on the importance of sound hydration.

How to stay Hydrated:  As a general rule, eight glasses of eight ounces (or about four standard sized, 17 oz. bottles) of water is a good point of reference when hydrating. Other factors such as size, sweat rate and amount of exercise are means to increase the intake. That total amount includes water consumed from other foods and beverages as well such as coffee or fruit.

Importance of Hydration:  Athletes lose the water that makes up around 60% of their body composition in many ways, particularly on the field of play while they sweat. To many, drinking water and staying hydrated may seem like a given. However, many athletes suffer on the field by neglecting this essential factor of athletic performance, often times by not drinking enough water in the days and hours preceding the game.  A good way to gauge hydration levels is by checking urine color. Consistently light yellow or colorless urine demonstrates a hydrated body

Consequences of Dehydration: If an athlete fails to drink the proper amount of water to replace the amount lost in every day customs he/she will suffer from dehydration. A dehydrated athlete may suffer from any or all of the following; fatigue, confusion, headache, feeling dizzy among other symptoms. Energy and clarity of thinking are two tremendously important aspects of maintaining athletic optimization that are sacrificed when an athlete becomes dehydrated.

Best ways to Hydrate: Good old H20 remains the best way for the body to rehydrate, particularly on off days. Sports drinks do have their place however, as they can be used to replace essential minerals and electrolytes spent on the field of play, which in turn can increase stamina and performance.  A sports drink with a little sodium, potassium, chloride and other elements is absorbed faster by the intestine than pure water which is very important in the heat of moment on the field of play. When shopping for sports drinks pay attention to nutrition labels for low sodium levels and a moderate dose of protein to aid in the muscle repair that takes place after the natural cellular damage that occurs during exercise.

Hydration tips:  Always keeping a water bottle on hand and refilling it at the drinking fountain, ordering water at restaurants,  and drinking water before, during and after workouts will all help prevent dehydration.

EXACT has the athlete covered in fueling athletic performance.

CLICK HERE for part two of EXACT’s two part series on fueling optimal athletic performance.

Wisdom from the Greats: the Road Map to Athletic Achievement

According to sports greatest athletes and coaches, the road to overcoming the competition and achieving optimal athletic performance   is simple; Confidence + Commitment = Competitive Excellence. I will be sorting through the most telling quotes from the best of the best and categorizing them under either of those two principle parts of the equation. In order to be great, athletes need to understand greatness.  I will do my very best to interpret the most telling quotes.

Confidence

“To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you’re not, pretend you are.” This according to iconic fighter Muhammad Ali who looked to his boundless  supply of confidence to cut through so much outside negativity to become the benchmark in boxing.

Michael Jordan fittingly summed up his Hall of Fame NBA career as the greatest to ever play with these words, “Limits like fears, are often just an illusion.” Many people are defeated before they even step onto the field of play but not M.J. He always had the mental edge from the opening tip because in his mind he was the best player on the floor.

New York Yankee legend, slugger Babe Ruth, spoke volumes when he said, “Don’t let the fear of striking out get in your way.” If you believe that you will lose before you even take the field then you are already down before the first point has been tallied.

The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky provided perspective when he said “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

You may not have all the physical gifts of some of these all world athletes, but by adopting their mental attitude you will start seeing a tangible distance between you and your closest competitors.

Take it from the undersized Phoenix Suns point guard and two-time MVP, Steve Nash, “People have always doubted whether I was good enough to play the game at this level. I thought I could. What other people thought was always irrelevant to me.”

When it is all said and done confidence is not something you’re born with its something you learn. Building confidence takes belief, a positive outlook and mental toughness. Confidence takes courage.

Commitment

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” It’s appropriate to quote Aristotle, one of the most respected philosophers in our history to illustrate that competitive excellence is achieved through a commitment to excellence.

Vince Lombardi, legendary coach and the man that the Super Bowl trophy is named after put it simply, “The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. “

Pat Riley, NBA title winning Coach and current Miami Heat Executive shared, “There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There is no in between.”

Mia Hamm, USA soccer great, referred to the sacrifice required of the best, “The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking.”

The greatest Coach that ever lived, UCLA legend John Wooden’s definition of success sums up his belief in commitment, “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”

Ultimately commitment is not something that you do halfway. Making a commitment takes sweat, monotonous repetition and perseverance. Commitment takes character.

Rightful home run king Henry Aaron  brings everything together with this  insightful quote,  ”My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”

These athletes didn’t earn athletic scholarships, become professionals and rise to the top of their respective sports by taking short cuts.  The road to athletic excellence is difficult, but it exists. It’s up to the athlete seeking greatness to follow it.

Will you?

Are you being S.M.A.R.T. as your hockey season begins?

A new hockey season has just begun or will begin very shortly.  This is an exciting time of the year for most, but it can also be very stressful and confusing (ie. how will I play, will me new teammates like me, will my coach give me good ice time, etc.).  For those that are experiencing stress and anxiety, take a minute to focus, reflect and remember that you should not be worrying about things that are outside your control. For example, you cannot control your teammates or your coaches, but you can control your actions and how you play.

Can you tell me what are you doing today to become a better player (or a better person)?

The above is a pretty robust question if you don’t have an understanding of where you are and where you want to go (ie. what you want to accomplish). How will you know if you ever get there? How will you even know how to get there?

As your season gets underway, what paths will you take? If you haven’t begun to do so, you need to start thinking about what you want to accomplish this year. Not only thinking about it, but writing it down in the form of clear, concise goals. These written goals will help guide you toward your destination and in times of difficulty can be used to re-focus your efforts and get you back on track.

Your goals should be straightforward and focus on what you want to happen. As you go about creating your goals, you should incorporate the SMART model for goal-setting.

S — Specific: think about what you want to accomplish, why you want to accomplish it, and how you are going to accomplish it

M — Measurable: you need to be able to gauge your progress

A — Attainable: you need to set goals that you can achieve, nothing to easy, nothing too hard, but they need to be outside your comfort zone

R — Realistic: can you realistically achieve this goal (within the availability of your resources, knowledge and time)

T — Timely: have you set a time frame and end point for this goal

Goal-setting can be a powerful tool if used appropriately and consistently. Every college coach I worked with this summer conveyed the importance of goal-setting within their own programs. They stressed the need to accomplish this, not only on a team basis, but on an individual-player basis as well.  Some of the many benefits derived from the goal-setting process include providing you with something to strive for, motivating you to take action, creating benchmarks for success, and building up your self-esteem.

I encourage you to take time to think about what you want to accomplish this season, why you want to accomplish it, and how you will go about accomplishing it. Remember to create clear and concise goals following the SMART protocol;  create daily or weekly goals that can be used as stepping-stones along the pathway towards your overall (or long-term) goals; set goals that are attainable, but outside your comfort zone, as they will feel much more rewarding and satisfying when they are achieved.

Let me finish this post, by re-asking the following questions — WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY TO BECOME A BETTER PLAYER and ARE YOU BEING S.M.A.R.T. ABOUT IT?

Playoff Confidence: The ability to bounce back