- Laces, not the insideThe laces shot left the foot about 20% faster in a lab study.2
- Through the centreMaximum speed, minimal spin.3
- Power costs accuracyFilm it: a hard shot can feel good without being accurate.1
Use your laces
The laces shot uses the top of your foot and generates a lot of power.1 In a lab study, it left the foot at 28.0 m/s against 23.4 m/s for the inside of the foot.2 When to pick which: Finesse shot vs power shot.
Where the power comes from
- A powerful kick comes from a fast foot and a solid contact with the ball.3
- For the most speed, hit with the upper part of your foot, closer to the ankle.3
- Hit the ball through the centre. Then it goes close to straight, with the most speed and the least spin.3 Off-centre gives spin instead: How to curve the ball.
- Run up at an angle. Up to 45° may add a little speed, though the gain wasn’t clear in the studies.3
Keep it on target
Accurate kicks are generally slower than powerful ones. When players aim for accuracy, the ball and the leg both move slower.3 So pick the corner first, and add power only as far as you can still hit it.
Hitting it hard and seeing it fly over? Why your shots go over the bar.
Drill · our proposal
Three speeds, one corner- Pick a low cornerFrom the edge of the box.
- 5 shots at half, three-quarter and full powerCount how many hit the corner at each speed.
- Film from behindYour fastest speed is the one you can still aim.
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 or spin. We won’t tell you how hard you hit it.
The whole technique, step by step: How to shoot a soccer ball. More to practise on your own: Football shooting drills you can do alone.
See your own strike
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- England Football: finishing techniques, “Laces”.
- Nunome et al. 2002: 28.0 against 23.4 m/s.
- Kellis & Katis 2007, sections “Mechanics of foot-to-ball contact”, “Effects of approach angle and distance” and “Accuracy”.