Learn the goal kick: IFAB rules, short flat or long high, the decision and heading exposure – with figures from a coaching congress, studies and milestones.
The honest answer up front: At a goal kick the ball lies still in the goal area and is in play as soon as it is kicked and clearly moves – it does not have to leave the penalty area [1]. Until then the opponents must be outside the penalty area [1]. Those are the core points of the Law. How you play it is your decision: short and flat or long and high.
And that is more important than it looks. At EURO 2008, according to a University of Bochum analysis, goal kicks showed no satisfactory success rate, while short flat passes were at 97% [5]. At the same time the long high version leads to heading duels: in a study of women's college football, headers after goal kicks produced higher accelerations than headers after ordinary kicks [3]. So the goal kick is technique, tactics and a health topic in one.
The ball lies still anywhere in the goal area [1]. It is in play when you kick it and it clearly moves [1]. Opponents may only enter the penalty area after that moment; if they come in earlier and touch or challenge the ball, the goal kick is retaken [1]. And: you may not touch it twice in a row before another player has touched it [1].
Milestone: You can answer five rule questions from this section without looking.
For the short goal kick you use the inside of the foot: run onto the ball, plant the standing foot beside it, fix the ankle, turn it outwards and lift it slightly, hit the ball centrally and follow through [6]. The target is a team-mate at the foot, about 10 m away.
Milestone: 8 out of 10 goal kicks land in your partner's 2 m target square.
For the long goal kick you need the instep drive: run onto the ball, standing foot beside it, swing far back, point your toes down, hit centrally with the laces and follow through [6]. A bit of practical knowledge: the more distance you want, the more it usually costs in accuracy. In a study of Swedish top-flight women, an inside-foot pass at match-relevant speed was more accurate than one at maximum speed [7] – a transfer to the goal kick, not a direct proof.
Milestone: 5 out of 10 balls land in a 10 m target zone in the opposition half.
Ask yourself before every goal kick: if the opponent is organised, a short pass is often the better choice to start build-up calmly; if the opponent is disorganised, a quick restart can bring chances [5]. That is the logic behind the BDFL reasoning.
Milestone: Five scenes on video or in a practice match: before the goal kick you say why you choose short or long.
Agree signals for short or long and who offers himself. Only then does the ball arrive.
Milestone: 6 out of 10 goal kicks arrive cleanly in combination with a team-mate.
The long goal kick is the start of heading duels. In women's college football, acceleration after headers from goal kicks was 38.8 g versus 30.0 g after ordinary kicks, almost a third higher [3]. The authors conclude that headers after goal kicks and punts could be limited in younger players who are still learning [3]. The DFB handles children's football exactly this way: goal kicks and throw-ins are replaced by dribbling in, and goalkeeper kicks hardly happen [2]. Warm up for it, for example with FIFA 11+ (39% fewer injuries in a meta-analysis) [8]. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training.
Make the short goal kick a weapon. In an analysis of 687 professional matches, the most common event preceding a header was a long pass [4]. Whoever starts short takes these aerial duels away from the opponent. That does not mean long is wrong, but that you have a choice.
No. The ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves [1]. It does not have to roll out of the penalty area.
Yes, but only against the opponent. If the ball goes straight into your own goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opponent [1].
Not if a team-mate has deliberately kicked it to the goalkeeper; that would be an indirect free kick [9]. If the ball was not deliberately kicked to the goalkeeper, he may pick it up.
In the new small game formats the DFB replaces throw-ins and goal kicks with dribbling in; a goalkeeper kick hardly happens [2]. A side effect: headers are almost eliminated [2].
After unfair delay the referee can start a five-second countdown, after which a corner kick is awarded to the opponent [1].
Chest Control: Open Up to High Balls, Control Them and Move On