The Skills Needed For Free Kicks In Soccer

Fame and fortune can await the soccer player with truly outstanding free kick skills. England's David Beckham became a master of the free kick and saw his considerable fame boosted by the 2002 film "Bend It Like Beckham." Brazil's Roberto Carlos became the focus of physics magazine articles after a free kick against France in 1997, which appeared to be sailing out of bounds but swerved at the last moment wickedly into the far corner of the goal past the transfixed goalkeeper. Honing your mental and physical skills in training can help you successfully create goals from free kicks.

Decision Making

A free kick is an opportunity to kick the ball undefended as a restart after a foul or violation of the rules. The referee requires the opposing team to line up a minimum of 10 yards from the dead ball in all directions; leagues for youth players may have a lesser distance. Good decision making comes into play. You need to judge whether you are in realistic shooting range; if not, work to keep possession of the ball with a kick to a teammate who can finish the scoring chance. If you are in front of the opponent's goal, "then you should look to shoot," writes Lindsey Blom in "Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Soccer."

Basic Skills

"Power and location are important," says Wes Harvey, who has coached youth, adult and college soccer in Baltimore, Maryland. "You need to be able to bend the ball, and you need to be able to kick it hard on the ground and in the air." You can send the ball using an instep drive, as long as you perceive a gap in the wall to send this low ball through. The instep drive involves smashing the ball with the laces portion of the foot. The toes must be down, the knee should be over the ball, and your body should be compact and over the ball, notes coach Alan Hargreaves in "Skills and Strategies for Coaching Soccer." Or use the long lofted kick to cover more distance, instead leaning back slightly, staying behind the ball and kicking underneath the centerline of the ball.

Swerve or Banana Kick

The swerve or banana kick, the name for the type of free kick produced by Beckham or Carlos, "is now a priceless asset for attacking free kicks," Hargreaves writes. It's a challenge even to professionals but is still fun to practice. Set yourself up to practice the swerve kick by creating a kicking tee, taking a plastic-coated cup and cutting the bottom half away. Put the cup's top edge on the grass and set the ball on the cut edge. Set the ball on the top half so the ball is raised and you won't stub your toe. Strike the ball on the outside or inside with the outside or inside of the foot. Experimentation is key to coming up with a high-caliber kick. Cut the tee lower and lower until it is no longer needed, Hargreaves suggests.

Teamwork

Your team can receive a direct free kick as the result of hand balls, pushing or tripping. If you are taking a direct free kick, you can try to kick straight into the goal. You may be awarded an indirect direct kick after the other team commits an instance of obstruction, dangerous play or a nonviolent foul. Listen to the referee's instruction on which type of free kick you are taking. If you are taking an indirect free kick, one player can roll the ball a foot or two to another to take a shot on goal, or the kicker can loft the ball toward the goal, but not into it, for a second player to trap and shoot.