Site design by George Jakowenko.

All contents Copyright © 1999, George Jakowenko.
 

Speed of ball rotation after the kick:
The faster the ball spins, the less distance the ball will travel.  If the ball spins very fast, you have kicked too far under the sweet spot.  Make contact a little higher on the ball.

 COMMON ERROR
  Hitting the tee with the foot, causing excessive spin.

Holding the ball
The holder must hold the ball gently with one finger. 

Which hand to hold the ball
If both center and holder are good and give you plenty of time to kick the ball, the holder can use either hand.  If either the center or the holder is slow, have the holder hold the ball with the right hand.   If he holds the ball with his right hand and you kick the ball before he gets his left hand out of the way, the ball will still travel toward the goal posts.  If he holds the ball with his left hand and you kick the ball before he gets his right hand out of the way, you will kick the ball into his right hand, which effectively blocks your field goal.

Factors affecting the flight and distance of the ball after the kick:

Wind direction and speed
Wind will almost always be factor, unless you are in a dome.  Wind can come from any direction or swirl around.

Determine wind direction by picking up some blades of grass and tossing them into the air (if you are playing on fake grass, bring a small piece of tissue paper to toss).  Look at the goal posts.  If there are colored flags or streamers at the top of the upright, see which way they are blowing.  If the grass blows one way and the flags blow another, go with the flags.  Since the ball travels fastest right after it has been kicked, the wind will not affect the ball as much as it will when the ball crosses the crossbar.

Adjust to the wind conditions by moving to your left if the wind comes from the right and, conversely, move to the right if the wind comes from the left.  Do not aim outside the goal posts hoping that the wind will move the ball into the uprights.  Always aim your kick inside the uprights.

Temperature
The colder it is outside, the colder the ball will be and the less distance it will travel.  Try to keep the ball warm if you can.  Note:  While massaging the ball before you kick might gain you some TV time, it has no practical effect on ball temperature. 

Seam v. panel v. laces
Distance is ranked according to what part of the ball is kicked:

• Kick the seam opposite the laces, and the ball will travel the farthest.
• Kick any panel, and the ball will travel a little less far.
• Kick the laces, and the ball will travel even less far.

Accuracy
Why things go wrong?  Form errors may not translate into a missed extra point or short field goals; however, form errors are magnified as the field goal distance increases.

Indicator as to why the kick missed
The flight of the ball is the best indicator as to why you missed.  See Adjustments for Missed Kicks. 

Increasing traction
Traction is most important on your planting foot.  For soft grass and mud, use a football shoe instead of a soccer shoe.  Many football shoes come with interchangeable cleats.  Soccer shoe cleats are molded and generally come in one length.  This is why many kickers wear a different shoe on the plant foot than on the kicking foot.

Carry a tongue depressor when playing on grass fields to remove the dirt/grass/mud from your cleats just before kicking. 

If you kick on fake grass, there are special shoes that have many more cleats then traditional grass soccer shoes.  Find out if any of your games will be played on fake grass and be prepared to use these special shoes.