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Tony Cascarino's football lessons: No 3, how to score penalties - Everton and Tottenham Hotspur take note...
I got good at penalties towards the end of my career - in my last year in France, I scored six out of six. It’s about practice and judgment. Forget hit and hope - you can really enhance your chances if you’re prepared to work at it, and the confidence that comes from taking kicks in training and running up with a plan will really add to the likelihood of beating the goalkeeper.
First, I don’t recommend a short run-up. Jermaine Jenas missed like this for Tottenham yesterday. You can’t get enough power, so if a ’keeper sees where you’re placing the kick, he’ll save it.
There isn’t one ideal place to aim for, no “right answer”. I varied my kicks - sometimes down the middle, sometimes high, sometimes low. I made my decision by looking at the ’keeper. If he was very tall I would go low because I figured it would be harder for him to throw his big frame to the ground.
If he was agile, I went for power, figuring that he would be able to save the shot if it wasn’t struck fiercely even if it was placed in the corner. If you’re the number five taker in a shoot-out, look at what the goalkeeper has done for the previous four kicks.
The absolute key is to stick to what you’ve decided and shoot with conviction. The old cliche, don’t change your mind on the run-up, is absolutely right. Sometimes doubts creep in as you’re about to strike the ball. As you run up it’s almost like an out-of-body experience, you find your body acting independently of your mind, your foot not doing what you’ve told it to. This happens when you don’t have confidence, perhaps the ’keeper’s made a movement that has out-psyched you at the last.
It’s funny: when golfers are about to take a putt but suddenly feel something’s wrong, they stop. Penalty-takers never abort the kick. Perhaps they should rather than risk the consequences of striking the ball in a confused and doubt-filled mental state. If your mind’s not clear, usually the kick will be weak and central, easy meat for the ’keeper.
So: practise in training - have penalty competitions - develop confidence in your ability and combine that with mental toughness and, when it comes to the match, a quick assessment of the goalkeeper you’re up against. And for managers deciding who to select as a penalty-taker: remember that sometimes the unlikeliest candidates can be the most reliable scorers from the spot. Some defenders are better at it than most strikers.
I got good at penalties towards the end of my career - in my last year in France, I scored six out of six. It’s about practice and judgment. Forget hit and hope - you can really enhance your chances if you’re prepared to work at it, and the confidence that comes from taking kicks in training and running up with a plan will really add to the likelihood of beating the goalkeeper.
First, I don’t recommend a short run-up. Jermaine Jenas missed like this for Tottenham yesterday. You can’t get enough power, so if a ’keeper sees where you’re placing the kick, he’ll save it.
There isn’t one ideal place to aim for, no “right answer”. I varied my kicks - sometimes down the middle, sometimes high, sometimes low. I made my decision by looking at the ’keeper. If he was very tall I would go low because I figured it would be harder for him to throw his big frame to the ground.
If he was agile, I went for power, figuring that he would be able to save the shot if it wasn’t struck fiercely even if it was placed in the corner. If you’re the number five taker in a shoot-out, look at what the goalkeeper has done for the previous four kicks.
The absolute key is to stick to what you’ve decided and shoot with conviction. The old cliche, don’t change your mind on the run-up, is absolutely right. Sometimes doubts creep in as you’re about to strike the ball. As you run up it’s almost like an out-of-body experience, you find your body acting independently of your mind, your foot not doing what you’ve told it to. This happens when you don’t have confidence, perhaps the ’keeper’s made a movement that has out-psyched you at the last.
It’s funny: when golfers are about to take a putt but suddenly feel something’s wrong, they stop. Penalty-takers never abort the kick. Perhaps they should rather than risk the consequences of striking the ball in a confused and doubt-filled mental state. If your mind’s not clear, usually the kick will be weak and central, easy meat for the ’keeper.
So: practise in training - have penalty competitions - develop confidence in your ability and combine that with mental toughness and, when it comes to the match, a quick assessment of the goalkeeper you’re up against. And for managers deciding who to select as a penalty-taker: remember that sometimes the unlikeliest candidates can be the most reliable scorers from the spot. Some defenders are better at it than most strikers.