The football fake shot step by step: real shooting motion, abort, push away – with milestones and an honest statement of what studies can tell you about it.
The honest answer up front: A fake shot only threatens the finish, but the ball stays with you – you take it away while the defender is already throwing himself into the shooting lane. It only works if your shot looks truly dangerous. And it is one of the few feints you can also use in the box against tight spaces.
Equally honest: we found no study on the fake shot itself. On dribbling, the DFB says the player on the ball always has three options: pass, shoot, or keep the ball and dribble [1]. The fake shot takes away the defender's certainty about which one is coming. From research on deceptive movements we at least know that a body feint pushes opponents into a wrong reaction, even experienced observers [2]. That is transfer, not proof for the fake shot.
No shooting motion, no feint. Run onto the ball, plant the standing foot next to it, swing the kicking leg back, point your toes down and hit with the laces [3]. This is how a defender later sees what he has to fear.
Milestone: 8 out of 10 instep drives from 15 m on goal.
Now you take your run-up, plant the standing foot and wind up, but you do not strike. The leg stays up, the upper body hangs over the ball, your eyes go to the goal. The ball stays where it is.
Milestone: 10 wind-up-and-abort reps without touching the ball or losing your balance.
Out of the shooting motion you move the ball sideways. Either with the inside of your kicking foot or with the outside of the instep past your standing leg. You try out which variant suits you. Then you start in the new direction.
Milestone: 10 reps per side, the ball stays in a 3 m strip in front of you.
On a cone triangle you dribble in, perform the feint, raise your speed and finish at goal. This is exactly the order the DFB uses in its feint session: deceive, start away to the other side, then dribble at speed to the finish [4].
Milestone: 5 out of 10 runs end with a shot at goal after a clean feint.
Your partner first stands semi-actively in the triangle: he reacts to the feint or anticipates. You have to see his movement and start away to the free side [4]. So lift your head as soon as you have taken the ball.
Milestone: In 6 out of 10 attempts you get past him to a finish.
During the feint you brake hard on the standing leg and often turn out of the movement. That loads knee and ankle. Warm up with a programme like FIFA 11+: in a meta-analysis it cut the injury rate by 39% [5]. If you swing the leg high for the feint and an opponent stands right next to it, this can be judged as dangerous play as soon as someone is put at risk [6]. So practise with some distance. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training.
Only perform the feint once the defender has moved. In the DFB session the defender first acts semi-actively; the attacker watches where he goes and starts to the other side [4]. That is the real skill: not the feint itself, but reading the reaction. If an opponent instead waits until genuine cues become visible, that at least partly defuses the deception [2].
You wind up as if to shoot, but you do not strike and take the ball sideways instead. If the defender throws himself into the shooting lane or lifts his leg, he is out of the play. That is the practical description; we found no study on this exact move.
When you are in shooting range and a defender comes at you. According to the DFB, the player on the ball always has three options – pass, shot or dribble [1]. The feint exploits the opponent's fear of the shot.
With a fake pass you pretend to pass, with a fake shot you pretend to finish. The idea is the same: the defender commits to the wrong direction. More technique on this is practice, not studies.
No, but a credible one. If your kicking leg does not wind up like in a real shot, the feint gets read. So practise the real instep drive first [3].
There is no reliable knowledge on this. As a rule of thumb: vary it and combine it with other moves so the opponent does not adapt (practical experience).
Thigh Control: Cushion High Balls and Drop Them in Front of Your Foot