How to take the Perfect Penalty Kick

Hello. This is Hahanerd45 with my 4th guide on my quest to becoming a User Educator. This guide will teach you the basics of taking a penalty kick in soccer and by following these steps, your 'PK' will definitely be turned to a goal. Let's start.

The basics of what a penalty kick is: A penalty kick is given if a player fouls a player from the opposite team inside the goalie's box. The referee will give a penalty kick and it'll just be a one-on-one faceoff with the goalie. Take a look at this picture.



The player who's going to take the penalty kick puts the ball in the spot, that's pointed out in the picture, and waits for the referee's whistle.

Now, there's a few things to keep in mind before taking a penalty kick.

1. Don't make eye contact. Goalkeepers have very great eye coordination and can usually tell which direction you will kick the ball in. Picture the ball going into the spot you want it to go in your head.



You can see from that picture that the goalie is focused and tries to make eye contact with you. Don't be intimidated by him.


2. Don't kick the ball directly at the goalkeeper. He WILL block it. Aim for the left and right bottom corners. Penalty kicks are more about accuracy than power. Unless you're in the big leagues, most goalkeepers can't block a grounder that is going directly into the corners. Here's what I'm talking about.



You put it in the bottom corners, and you and your team have a goal.


3. Ignore your surroundings. If you are in a real match, there could be fans cheering you on, your teammates rooting for you, and the other team booing you. This could throw you off if you don't ignore the surroundings, noise, etc.


4. Be calm. Take a deep breathe and you'll be fine. Ignore the pressure. Just think about being the hero after you take this penalty. It'll feel great.


5. As you make you run towards the ball, don't stop right before you kick. If you guys know Cristiano Ronaldo (3rd penalty kick for Manchester United on the youtube vid below), he got his PK denied by the goalkeeper as he did that. DO NOT DO THAT. (Personal experience)

Keep these tips in mind. You're ready to take a penalty kick. Do it right, make your team proud, make yourself proud.



Here's my favorite penalty shootout: 2008 Champions League Final: Manchester United vs. Chelsea. You'll see some extraordinary penalty kicks.




Credits to Youtube and Google Images​