Convert penalties reliably: what the Laws allow, how to commit, what research says on run-up and target choice, and how to keep a clear head.
A good penalty is less magic than decision: you fix corner, height and technique before the run-up and follow through. The honest answer to "How do I take penalties?": pick one technique that you hit reliably under pressure and practise it until it's boring. Inside of the foot low into the corner or laces high – both work as long as you commit beforehand.
Important up front because it causes trouble again and again: under the Laws you may feint during the run-up but not after you've completed it – that is an offence that ends the penalty with a caution and an indirect free kick [1]. The aim of this guide is for you to step up rule-compliant, secure and with a clear head.
The ball lies still on the spot, the kicker is clearly identified, the goalkeeper stands with at least part of one foot on, in line with or behind the goal line. You must kick the ball forward; even a backheel is allowed if the ball goes forward. The ball is in play once it's kicked and clearly moves [1].
Milestone: you explain the offence rule (feinting after completing the run-up is forbidden) to a team-mate in two sentences.
The inside of the foot is the safest choice because contact is controllable. The instep brings pace. Biomechanics offers first indications: accurate kicks come with a somewhat slower kicking motion and ball speed – so maximal power and maximal precision probably don't come together [2].
Milestone: with your chosen technique you hit 7 out of 10 shots into the lower half of the goal.
A fixed run-up gives you rhythm. A study with seven recreational players showed accuracy stayed the same whether they used their own or a prescribed approach angle of 30, 45 or 60 degrees [3]. For you: stick with your natural run-up as long as it feels good instead of rebuilding it just before a match. You can count the steps at one place and repeat them.
Milestone: 10 run-ups in a row without having to search for the starting point.
A computational model of penalties concludes: against an average goalkeeper a low shot towards the centre is surprisingly good; against a goalkeeper who reacts late, low shots to the extremities work [4]. This result comes from a model, not a match experiment – take it as food for thought, not a rule. More important is that you decide before the run-up.
Milestone: you say "bottom left" out loud before the shot and hit it 7 out of 10 times.
In a study of inside-foot kicks the best shooters had a longer final fixation on the target ("quiet eye") before they moved the foot [5]. So look calmly at your target zone, then at the ball. Follow through, don't brake the foot.
Milestone: ten shots under artificial pressure (a team-mate distracts you, a hit counts for a bet).
Taking penalties is harmless, but many instep attempts stress hip flexors, adductors and the standing-leg knee. Warm up with stretching and activation, don't fire unlimited instep shots in a row in training, and increase volume slowly. Standardised warm-up programmes such as FIFA 11+ lowered injury risk by about 39% (rate ratio 0.61) in a meta-analysis [7]. As goalkeeper or spectator: keep the ball in sight; rebounds can be dangerous too. This guide explains and motivates but does not replace supervised training.
Your aim is not to outwit the goalkeeper but to send no signal. The study on U19 shooters shows trunk rotation and foot height reveal where the ball goes [6]. Goalkeeper deception is no myth either: in 714 analysed penalties from the Premier League and Bundesliga, goalkeepers deceived in half of the cases and conceded fewer goals [8]. So train a neutral, always identical ritual – then your body doesn't give you away and the goalkeeper's deception works less.
During the run-up yes, afterwards no. If you feint after completing the run-up it's an offence: indirect free kick for the opponent and a caution for you [1].
There is no universal corner. A computational model calls low shots towards the middle good against average goalkeepers and low shots to the sides good against late-reacting ones [4]. More important is that you commit before the run-up and master one technique.
Beginners are usually better served by low shots into the corners because they are safer. High is riskier because misses often go over the bar. What counts is what you hit 7 out of 10 times in training.
With a fixed ritual: place the ball, look at the target, run-up, shot. Practise under artificial pressure, e.g. with bets or spectators. After a miss, do exactly the same ritual on the next chance.
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