As with all other techniques, this skill requires constant training. To become a good free kick taker you will need a lot of practice.

But when you master the art of free kicking your team will have a great advantage on your opponents.

Usually, a direct free kick is often taken in front of you opponents 18 yard (penalty) area.

As an aside, an indirect free kick may be taken inside the penalty kick area but this type of situation is uncommon.

Be Smart

Taking a free kick will require certain cunning from you. If your team is awarded with a free kick on the left side of your opponents’ penalty area, then the best option is to take the free kick with your right foot.

And if you are taking a free kick from the right side, your left foot will be the best option. Just before kicking the ball take a look at the position of your opponent’s wall and goalkeeper.

Check whether some of the players in the wall are shorter than others. This will give you opportunity to send the ball over their heads.

It is therefore a good habit to always check for weaknesses in your opponent’s defense. Check also if there is a wind and in which direction it is blowing.

To find out which direction the wind is blowing you could just take a look at the corner flags.

Referee Signal

You need to know also whether the referee is going to blow the whistle before you take the free kick. In some countries, the referee will simply wave you on with his hand – no need for the whistle.

If this is the case, you could take the free kick quickly before your opponent’s goalkeeper understands what is going on.

I have scored few goals on this way and all goalkeepers were standing on the goal line and wondering how they could be so stupid, ha ha 🙂

The Angle

Try also to figure out how difficult the angle will be if you plan to kick the ball straight over the top of the wall. Make also sure it doesn’t go over the crossbar as well.

You need to do this because you will usually not have so much space for the ball to fly over the wall and past the goalkeeper into the net. Yes, there is a reason for everything you do in soccer!

When taking a free kick you should normally prefer to curve the ball. This because even though it doesn’t have as much force the chances to get the ball over wall are pretty good.

Summary

Remember that a free kick will often decide the result of a game. As with any kicking technique you’ll need to spend a lot of time practicing it! Plus, don’t forget to work on your other soccer skills as well!