- The hard boneOn the inside of your instep, toes pointing out.
- Straight through the middleUse the valve as your target.
- Ankle lockedYour toes point the same way the whole time.
- Strike and stopLand on your kicking foot.
- Give it roomThe wobble shows after 10–20 metres.
What is a knuckleball?
A shot with almost no spin. Without spin, the air around the ball becomes unstable, so it can wobble and dip on its way to goal.1 In the tests we read, a successful knuckleball turned less than once a second.2
There are two styles. The best known uses the laces, struck straight and hard. The other uses the inside of the foot and tends to dip and move more.3 This guide teaches the inside style. The basics are the same in both: middle of the ball, locked ankle, short follow-through.
Which part of the foot do you hit a knuckleball with?
The hard bone on the inside of your instep, near the ankle, where the laces end. It sits between the laces and the inside of your foot. Turn your toes out, away from the ball, and lock your ankle.
- A study of an international player found contact on that part of the foot, with the foot hardly turning during contact.2
- In a lab study, the foot met the ball almost square on in knuckle kicks, at about 3 degrees. In normal laces and curl kicks the angle was about 19 and 33 degrees.4
Where do you hit the ball?
Straight through the middle. Any offset becomes spin, and spin is what you are trying to avoid. Marcus Rashford puts the valve where he wants to make contact.5 You can do the same.
What should your foot do after contact?
Strike and stop. Your foot hits the middle of the ball and brakes right after, low in front of you. Then you land on your kicking foot.
Your foot touches the ball for only about a hundredth of a second.6 What it does afterwards can’t change the ball. But thinking “stop” keeps the strike short and straight while the foot is on the ball. The ankle stays locked, and the foot neither wraps around the ball (curl) nor lifts under it (backspin). A long follow-through that chases the ball usually means the foot was already moving up or around at contact.
Rashford describes “a straight stop with the leg after you make contact”.5 Lifting your foot is not part of it.
How should your run-up look?
- Calm and on your toes. Put the last step on the ball of your foot, without the heel touching down. It sets your foot for the strike.7
- Straight, or a little angled. Up to about 30 degrees, whatever feels natural.
- Controlled power. The knuckleball is about contact, not force.5 In one lab study, knuckle kicks were a little slower than normal laces kicks.4
The usual mistakes
| What happens | Try this |
|---|---|
| Toes point forward, the laces hit it, the ball spins | Open your foot: toes out, hard bone on the ball |
| It climbs and floats over | You hit under the middle. Aim at the valve and keep your head over the ball |
| It skids along the ground | You leaned over it. Keep your upper body still over your standing foot |
| It curls a little | Your ankle gave way. Lock it, and slow the run-up down |
| Your leg follows the ball up | Strike and stop. Land on your kicking foot |
| Your standing foot stays planted | Let it leave the ground after the strike. A short, locked strike can strain the groin7 |
Drill · our proposal
From standing still to free kick- 1. Hold the positionFoot against the ball: toes out, ankle locked, hard bone on the valve. Hold 3 seconds, 10 times.
- 2. Push itFrom standing, push the ball with a locked foot so it rolls straight. 10 times.
- 3. Two steps, half powerHard bone through the middle, from about 11 metres. 5 shots.
- 4. Strike and stopThree steps. Land on your kicking foot and stand still. 5 shots.
- 5. Tape the ballOne strip around it. Does the strip stand still? 5 shots.
- 6. Full run-upFrom 16, then 20 and 25 metres. Move on when 3 of 5 barely spin.
How do you know it worked?
Put one strip of tape around the ball, like an equator, and film from behind at 60 fps. If the strip barely turns in the first few metres, the spin was low. The wobble itself is hard to judge by eye from behind. Sweetspot doesn’t measure spin yet.
What the pros say
- Marcus Rashford: “It’s about ball contact, with as least time as possible touching the ball and no follow through.”5
- Dominik Szoboszlai, asked to explain a free kick against Arsenal: “I just practised this shot for a long time and then it looks like that.”8
- Not everyone agrees on the foot. Andrea Pirlo wrote that Juninho struck the ball with only three toes.9 The studies and the coaches we read point to the hard bone near the ankle.
Rashford also says the technique is the hard part: once you have it, you don’t have to change much.5
Questions about the knuckleball
Do you hit a knuckleball with your laces or the inside of your foot?
Both are used. The laces style is the one most people know. This guide teaches the other style: the hard bone on the inside of your instep, near the ankle, with your toes pointing out. In both, the ankle is locked and the foot goes straight through the middle of the ball.
Why does my knuckleball spin?
Usually one of three things. You hit off-centre, your ankle gave way so your toes turned during the strike, or your foot followed the ball up. Under the middle gives backspin, off to the side gives curl.
How far away does a knuckleball work?
The wobble needs room. In ball-flight studies it shows after 10 to 20 metres, so practise from 16 to 25 metres. From the penalty spot there is barely room for it.
Does the ball matter for a knuckleball?
Some balls move more than others, depending on their panels. Learn the strike with the ball you have. A better ball does not fix a spinning strike.
How do I know if my shot was a knuckleball?
Put one strip of tape around the ball and film from behind at 60 fps. If the strip barely turns in the first few metres, the spin was low. The wobble itself is hard to judge by eye from behind.
More on choosing your shot: Finesse or power shot? More to practise on your own: 5 shooting drills to practise alone. And before you film: How to film your shots.
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- Darbois Texier et al. 2016: the zigzag of a ball without spin, and the 10–20 metres it needs.
- Shinkai et al. 2009: one international player; the successful knuckle kick turned 0.8 times a second.
- Tom Harris FC: Knuckleball Tutorial.
- Hong et al. 2012 and Hong et al. 2011 (abstracts).
- England Football: Marcus Rashford’s free-kick masterclass.
- Nunome et al. 2012: 9–12 milliseconds of contact.
- Skilla Football: Knuckleball tutorial and the 45-second version.
- Liverpool FC: Szoboszlai on his free kick against Arsenal.
- Goal: Pirlo reveals the secret behind his free kick (2014).