How to shoot a soccer ball in 5 steps

The short version

Inside of the foot to place itThe most common finish in the box.¹
Laces for powerBut it can feel good without being accurate.¹
Aim firstAccurate shots are slower than powerful ones.²

1. Pick the shot

A side-foot finish with the inside of your foot gives accuracy over power, and it’s the most common finish inside the box. A laces shot, with the top of your foot, gives power.¹ Which one when: Finesse shot vs power shot.

2. Run up at an angle

The length, speed and angle of your run-up all affect the shot. An angled approach up to 45° may add a little ball speed, though the gain wasn’t clear in the studies. How fast you run in affects how accurate you are.²

3. Plant your standing foot

Your standing foot lands beside the ball and slightly behind it. One suggested range is 5–10 cm behind and 5–28 cm beside the ball, but that hasn’t been tested in experiments.² Find what works for you on video.

4. Strike through the ball

For power, hit with the upper part of the foot, closer to the ankle.²
Hit the ball through the centre and it flies close to straight, with little spin.² Hit it off-centre and it curls: How to curve the ball.

High into the corner. Where it went is checked by hand. From one of our test sessions, half speed.

5. Choose the target before the speed

When players are asked to be accurate, they kick slower. The target sets the limit, and you trade speed for accuracy.² Pick a corner before you start your run-up.

Low into the corner. Where it went is checked by hand. Half speed.

Drill · our proposal

Call it, then shoot

Say the corner out loudFrom the penalty spot, before every run-up.
5 side-foot, 5 lacesCount how many go where you called.
Film from behindCheck your standing foot and where you hit the ball.

What we can and can’t see

We seeWhere the ball went and how your body moved around the strike.
We don’t measure yetBall speed, spin or the exact distance to your standing foot.

Shots going high? Why your shots go over the bar. More to practise on your own: Football shooting drills you can do alone. And before you film: How to film your shots.

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England Football: finishing techniques.
Kellis & Katis 2007, sections “Effects of approach angle and distance”, “Mechanics of foot-to-ball contact” and “Accuracy”.