Proper Soccer Kick Technique

Teach Your Soccer Players The Right Way To Kick

As players develop, they often take what they’ve learned at an early age and carry it forward in their soccer development. Surprisingly, a lot of great players have never been taught the correct way to actually kick a ball!

The basic instep kick is the first type of kick that should be introduced to young players. It’s performed by kicking the ball with the laced portion of the foot. The kick is kept low by placing the nonkicking foot near the ball with the toes about even with the front of the ball. This position places the body over the ball during the kick and is needed for accuracy as well as for keeping the actual kicked ball low.

So let’s break it down. Kicking a ball should be done with precision. When teaching a proper kick, there are a series of rules that apply. Use these soccer training rules to teach your youth players the correct way to kick now so they have a great foundation on which to grow as they move forward in their soccer career.

RULE 1 – Keep your eye on the ball

Look at the target, then look at the ball and keep your eye on it while kicking and during the follow-through. The best way to do this is to keep the head down until the ball gets to the target. Young players have a tendency to want to look up immediately after kicking the ball to see how well they’ve done. Try to get your players out of the habit of looking up prematurely.

RULE 2 – Follow through the kick

Kicks are governed by the laws of physics. Following through is necessary to give the ball accuracy and speed. The accuracy is attained because the ball will follow the path of the foot aimed at the target and so the foot should contact the ball for a longer accelerating period of time. The follow through allows the kicker to kick with less than top power but still have good speed. Teach your kids that a kick does not end after the ball has left the foot and that the follow through is very important!

RULE 3 – Kick in a straight line

The kicked ball will follow the line that it has at that instant. In other words, the kicked ball will follow the tangent path the moment that the foot and ball part contact. It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment of this release time, but a straight-line kick is the best kick. Correct players that kick in an arched fashion either from side to side or from down to up.

RULE 4 – Compensate for the ball spin

Spinning balls tend to curve. In scientific terms, whenever a moving ball spins, it creates a lowered air pressure on the opposite side of the kick. It’s going to curve towards that low pressure direction unless the wind can compensate. For long kicks, the player must learn to compensate for this spin. Of course, you don’t want to get into physics lessons during soccer practice with youth players, but they should know that a kick that’s made at the center of the ball will not cause a spin to the left or the right.

RULE 5 – Place the nonkicking foot forward

If a player wants to keep a kick low, he should always place the nonkicking foot toes at the front position of the ball.

When teaching your kids, don’t go overboard on teaching them “rules” of kicking. Often they’ll learn the correct way to kick by trial and error. Hopefully with a little knowledge and coaching soccer drills, you can help your players learn to kick faster which will speed up their soccer growth and ultimately help your team win.