So. My kicking technique is flawless. I can consistently strike a low drive on target from around 30 yards. What I want is more power. How do I improve?
id agree wtih the squats since i have experienced the jump in shot power this season because of it. Also work on calves as well it will round out everything. and if you like cycling take that one since that works on all of the above at the same time.
So the bikes work for real? Because I have an awesome Trek mountain bike and a park with hills nearby..just no reason to use it really.l..
Yeah I agree also push yourself hard like sprint and push for 30 seconds and then rest for 45 seconds and do another 30 second hard sprint works quite well!
I'm not so sure about weights. It could be just me. I could leg press 800lbs when I first started and I didn't have a monster kick. I still don't and my legs are plenty strong. In my opinion, there is an absolute dearth of good usable knowledge about kicking. The only DVD that addresses things somewhat is bend it like Beckham. I have about 7 soccer DVD's and none of them really go through kicking very well at all. The usual advice is be accurate first and the power will come. I play on a team of accurate people with weak kicks. We always lose.
If your technique is really flawless, you should be getting plenty of power. I've seen many a really skinny legged fella blast the shit out of a ball by striking it properly.
Shot power comes more from technique than physical strength. I agree with no, once your technique is good and you're still not getting power behind your shots, then you can start exploring other avenues.
I think you're all ignoring fast twitch vs slow twitch muscle fibers. There are reasons why some skinny people have strong kicks.
Until you reach a very, very high level of skill, technique will mean much more than whatever kinda muscles you wanna talk about. I'm old, fat and have very little actual muscle left, but I can still blast the ******** outta the ball, frankly. Physically, I've lost a whole lot over the years, but have lost very little of the power from my shot. Meanwhile, I see young muscular guys hit weak shots regularly, and only occasionally get anything much on it when they get a lucky strike. I've seen out of shape kids with excellent technique hit dead balls 60-70 yards with a nice stroke while their fit counterparts barely hit 'em 40 and with little of the accuracey. Striking a ball is far more dependant on technique than on muscle. It's no different than golf really. Pro golfers aren't generally much stronger than the average joe walking down the street. Yet, they can hit a ball a heck of a lot further. (I actually can't stand golf, but I think it does make a good comparison)
Sadly, there are no short cuts. Practicing your technique over and over again is the only way to increase your skill. Concentrate on getting a good strike and try to replicate the times the ball takes off well. Remember both the point you struck the ball and your body position. And, when hitting a moving ball, timing is everything.
I get the sentiment of what you're saying. David Covey would say that this would be going in the right direction on the wrong map. Practicing a bad golf swing will only lead to a well rehearsed bad golf swing. This is one of my pet peeves about soccer. The instruction is so focused towards kids that things like this for older players gets skipped over. I've found instructions that do a reasonable job at explaining the laces kick, but just a pure kick for distance is something else all together.
i agree completely. my shot has some technical problems, i know, but they are hard for me to pinpoint. i treat this exactly as i did my tennis serve or some people do their golf swing. it's not easy! when people believes/pretends its just a matter of squats or leg strength i think is a mistake. i had to go to the basics, and silly as it sounds found some very good advice on this dvd series for kids http://www.amazon.com/Super-Soccer-Skills-Just-Kickin/dp/B000CELOFE i bought all three and the first one has some great tips for shooting! where to place your support foot, how to swing back, the follow through, with what part of the foot you should kick it, etc! i strongly recommend it. i personally feel my shot has gotten stronger thanks to it.
Almost the perfect reply! The best place to improve your football ability is not in a gym - its on the pitch. Go down to your football field, place the ball on the six-yard-line. Take your run-up and thump it into the net as hard as you can. Do this five times with one foot, then five times with the other. Move back another yard or two, and repeat. Do this until you're about 25-30 yards out. Then come back tomorrow and do it all again! This exercise not only helps improve your kicking strength, technique and accuracy, but also improves your weaker foot (very important). Best of luck!
I second abs and legs. Quads, calves, and buttocks especially for the legs. Regular quad extensions are great for adding a little power to a shot... but you will gain the most by getting really a solid core:. work on your side (oblique)abs and your front abs with weight resistance, you will gain TONS of stablilty and power on the 'rotation' portion of your shot technique, and it will really aid in getting more power. Also not to be underrated is having the power AND stamina to be able to perform the same quality of shot in the 90th minute as the 2nd... even professionals get tired, and when you get tired the shots tend to go UP UP UP because your supporting leg and back/core starts to get tired and don't hold you over the ball as well. Can't say I'm not guilty of this...