Quiz the Coach - How To Bend The Ball

So ya dig sports but need some help with your game? Don't understand some of the rules of football, basketball or hockey? Got a gripe about P.E. class, skateboarders, cheerleading, coaches, or anything? Why not Quiz the Coach?

Hey Coach,
How do you curve a soccer ball over a wall?
mac12

Hey mac12,
Putting a curve or bend in your kick is one of the hardest skills in soccer to master - and one of the most valuable. Learning this skill can help you place free kicks and corner kicks or thread a pass over a group of defenders. David Beckham has made this skill famous with some of his amazing curved free kicks around a wall of defenders.

There are two main methods for putting a bend in your kick. You can use the outside of your foot to swerve the ball away from you or use the inside of the foot to bend the ball inwards. The swerve is made by kicking the ball off center on the opposite side to the side you want the ball to swerve to.

Start your run at the ball from an angle from the left side of the ball.

To curve the ball from right to left use the inside of your foot, striking the bottom half way up the right side of the ball.

If you want to curve the ball from left to right with your right foot, use the outside of your foot. Do not kick the ball with your pinkie toe as this will likely lead to a painful toe injury. Try to hit the ball just below your pinkie toe on the knuckle.

The height of your kick is not going to depend on where you strike the ball - but on how your knee is lined up with the ball. If your knee is over the ball, the ball will stay low to the ground which is good for a pass. If you tip back slightly, the ball will get into the air.

Tips

One way to learn how to curve the ball is to practice with a friend or teammmate by placing a cone or another ball between you. Practice curving the ball back and forth to each other without hitting the object between you.

It is usually easier to bend the ball with the inside of the foot, especially if you are still learning this skill. As you become a better player, you'll learn how to curve it using the outside of your foot.

Bending the ball is not a skill you can learn in one day or even one week. It takes a lot of practice, so don't worry if your first free kick doesn't bend like Beckham's.

Do you need tips or advice on sports, fitness or health? Send it to the Kidzworld Coach. Keep in mind peeps, the Kidzworld Coach isn't a doctor or a professional athlete or anything like that. He's just a dude who digs sports, plays 'em and knows a lot about 'em. You should always talk to your 'rents, a doctor or your school gym teacher before starting a new sport or a new exercise.

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