You may notice some professional players shooting without looking up. Through in-game experience, they develop a sense of their positioning on the field. This most often happens close to the goal, since looking up delays the shot a little.
When kicking a still ball, stand only far enough back that you can reach the ball in 3 or 4 steps.
Placing your foot further away from the ball helps when you need to lift the ball more, such as when kicking over a wall of defenders.
Stretch your legs often to increase your flexibility.
If the ball often flies over the net, you may be leaning back too much. If it stays lower than you’d like, you may be leaning forward too much.
To raise your shot in the air more, kick the ball a little lower than center. To bend the ball, kick left or right of center. Kicking on the left causes the ball to curve to the right. Kicking on the right side causes it to arc to the left. [8] X Research source
To bend your shot more, strike the ball with the side of your toes. [9] X Research source
To make the ball go higher, lift your leg into the air more during the follow-through.
Take moderate strides towards the ball. The best shot happens when you don’t slow down or change your stride much when approaching the ball. [12] X Research source To practice this, start by approaching the ball with slow, even strides. Increase the speed once this feels comfortable.
Remember to point your toes on the foot that is planted towards the goal!
Practice taking shots at all sorts of ranges and angles to prepare for any situation that arises during a game.
This isn’t always your best option. If you’re very close to one side of the goal, someone’s blocking the other side, or a defender is approaching, you may not be able to aim at the other side. [16] X Research source
Although players enjoy aiming for the upper corners, more goals are scored in the lower corners![17] X Research source
Where you aim depends on the situation, but avoid shooting at a medium height as much as possible. Shooting low is also great when there’s lots of defenders in front of you. It can lead to goals on deflections or rebounds.
