The Fate of the Match

We all love watching them, but when it's your turn the stress nearly paralyzes. Everyone watching as you walk across the field. Everyone listening as the referee blows the whistle. Everyone cheering or everyone sighing when the shot is performed. Without a doubt pks (penalty kicks) can be a crazy, horrifying, exciting experience. You can never be certain when they will come about, so it is best to be prepared.


Tip #1:
Relax. Your shot alone is not actually the complete reason for a win or loss. The teams have already had over 90 minutes worth of opportunities, and this is just one more. Tune out anyone who might be blocking your focus and just concentrate. Pretend you are at practice...just do not give in to panic.

Tip #2:
Remember to always situate the ball before you shoot it. The referee may have unintentionally placed it in a small hole, which can completely mess up your shot. Place the ball, with your hands, on a raised portion of the group before you take your shot.

Tip #3: After placing the ball down, back up and get ready to shoot, but DO NOT LOOK AT THE KEEPER!! Without a doubt the keeper will be starring you down, trying to see in your eyes which way you are going to shoot. It makes it SO much more hard for the keeper to save the shot if they do not know which direction you are going, and not looking at them will cause that. This idea of not looking might worry you, but try it out for practice and you'll see it's not too bad. You will be able to see the goal frame out of the corner of your eyes, and if needed you can raise your head right as you shoot. That way you can see properly when the time is right and not give the keeper time to analyze your eyes.


Tip #4: Aim simply. Do not try to shoot a rocket of a shot, or anything crazy. Just pick a corner and go with enough power, but nothing too intense. Focus on getting on frame first and foremost, but particularly in your chosen corner. Aiming for the back pole on the side of the goal frame is always a good idea. Sometimes you will get lucky and shoot it right down the middle and have it go in, but this is not something you should count on. The best thing to do is to pick a side and shoot without letting the goalie know which side you are going towards.

Tip #5: Do what you know you can do. Have some confidence! If you were chosen to take a pk there must be a reason, and you must be a pretty good shooter. This is your moment!