Bending free kicks, and dipping them...

[Ictar]

I can bend the heck out of a ball now when I want to, but I still can't make it dip. How do I send in a dipping shot on just a shot on goal, and how do I do it on a free kick? I can do it, but then I can't bend it, and I generally can't dip it as well as I'd like to. It's either one or the other, because I kick them both differently.

[Elninho]

If you're right-footed, try running up as if the ball were about a foot to the left of where it's placed and striking it with your leg out at an angle. (If left-footed, switch sides.)

[SankaCofie]

try shimmying wildly if you're running with the ball and then pretendling you're going to sit on it.. then kick it really hard.

[Motterman]

Some people claim that this is easier to do with smaller feet. What you want is to add top-spin to go along with the hooking side spin you already are proficient at. One way to do this is to adjust your approach, somewhat in way in which the previous poster related. By approaching from the side a bit, you can bring your foot through the ball from the side and also from the bottom while bringing the instep over as you follow through. If you watch tennis (and ping-pong) players strike the ball you can figure out how the top-spin is achieved. Try to mimic those with the bending you already know how to do.

It's good to practice somewhere that you have to get the ball over something, but under something behind it. This is good practice at getting over walls in dead ball situations. Also, don't try to over hit the ball, work more on placement at first to figure out the mechanics. Later, try to add some more power after you get the hang of it.

[Ictar]

I have been watching Beckham's free kicks and I can't really figure it out. He seems to just scoop his foot under it like he's adding backspin, not topspin.

So sort of roll the instep of my foot over the top of the ball? I'll work on it in my back yard until I get it I suppose.

[GreenDay]

If you take a logical look at it here's what you need to do: make the ball spin sideways and down at the same time with just a kick. That mean when your foot comes in contact with the ball it has to move up in order to make the ball spin down and the foot also has to push the ball off centre to make the ball spin in the other direction sidways. tha pretty much tells you what you have to work on - moving the foot up as you touch the ball. Whel you look at Beckham, he starts to run at a 90 degree angle to the direction of the ball flight. And at the moment of contact his body is almost horizontal - that makes it easier to give the ball downspin - it's just like giving sidespin with a regular kick, but since his body is so tilted, sidespin turns into side- and downspin.

[Elninho]

The most effective way of adding topspin is to FOLLOW THROUGH. As you follow through, your toes are going to push the back of the ball upward, which gives the topspin that you want. To get more topspin, pull your foot slightly upward as you make contact with the ball.

[Metro-Lager]

Originally posted by Elninho
The most effective way of adding topspin is to FOLLOW THROUGH. As you follow through, your toes are going to push the back of the ball upward, which gives the topspin that you want. To get more topspin, pull your foot slightly upward as you make contact with the ball.

Exactly!! Watch Beckham, Henry or any of the great free kick takers - the follow through is TEXTBOOK...

[hambone]

Okay I have been working on this for about a week now but for me that is a lot of shots because I will just go out by myself or with one friend and shoot for at least an hour each day.

Here is my trouble, if I get topspin, I can not get a high shot. It will go up to cross bar height and immediately fall. When I get a shot with top spin it will never go high enough to look like beckham's shots. I have a lot of trouble getting power and top spin.

The side spin is easy and I can make it curve to just inside the post pretty easily now.

When trying for a high shot that dips becuase it runs out of speed and falls in I can actually do pretty good from 25-30 yards out, but I ALWAYS hit the cross bar like this and it is a lot easier to save.

How can I practise getting powerful topspin???? I can't seem to get it right, any exercise like that grass grabbing thing that can be practiced for this? Or should I just keep shooting?

[Elninho]

You may actually be thinking too much about putting topspin on the ball. I obviously haven't seen you shoot, but give this a try: don't think too much about topspin, a good follow-through should give you enough. Don't slow your foot down after striking the ball, the reason for following through is to put power and spin into the shot, not to help you recover. If you have to take a little hop forward to maintain the speed of your shooting foot, do it.

[Ben16]

I read somewhere that when trying to curve the ball left or right you should put your arm straight up instead of letting it flail out to the side because it creates more torque. Maybew something to try?

[afgrijselijkheid]

van hooijdonk is also a great one to study for this - actually the hardest part of topspin is being able to clear the wall with topspin - id suggest beginning with soft adequately lifted topspin shots and gradually increasing the power when you work on this

[goyoureddevils]

Originally posted by bluedaddy19
van hooijdonk is also a great one to study for this - actually the hardest part of topspin is being able to clear the wall with topspin - id suggest beginning with soft adequately lifted topspin shots and gradually increasing the power when you work on this

You can't create topspin without striking the ball with great power.... especially in the second half of the swing, as you strike it you must pull violently upwards and outwards to create the proper spin.

Sorry to rebut you, but I teach technique in my own clinics and camps.

[afgrijselijkheid]

of course you can have topspin with less power - just not enough to make it dip like a darryl kile overhand curve

fact is, theres usually more than one way to do something

[goyoureddevils]

I respectfully disagree.

sorry, been doing this too long.

[Ictar]

I was out in my yard today and messed around using the outside of my foot. I found that I can add a ton of topspin and curve at any speed I want with it. I'll probably keep doing it this way and still working on the other way, but does anyone know if any pros do it with the outside of their foot?

I sort of let it hit the outside of my toe at a certain angle and follow through as if I were actually kicking with the inside of my foot.

[hambone]

Roberto Carlos does it with the outside of his left.

[Turk from Pigs Eye]

I once asked a pro how to do this and he said you have to use what I would call the inside of the foot. That's the side of the big toe. You imagine that your foot is like a golf club face. You have to sort of strike the ball with your foot turned.

I don't believe pros ever hit a shot with just topspin. It will both bend and dip.

[Jc18star]

Originally posted by hambone
Roberto Carlos does it with the outside of his left.

He also will set the ball up so the part of his foot that strikes the ball hits the valve for the air needle, now I am not to sure how much effect this really has but he seems to think that it causes more swerve to occur.

I have kinda studied the way he takes the kick as well and it's not that his foot is bent and an awakward angle either he just weaves his run then puts his plant foot a little further away from the ball then if he was strking a true instep drive and points his toe slightly inward so the area contacting the ball is just to the inside of the center and still powerful because its coming off his 3rd and 4th metatarsal on the top of his foot.

Be careful learning this though because it gets burnt in to your muscle memeory and if you don't keep it seprate from your instep drive you could start slicing all your shots with the outside of your boot, it started to happen to me and I had to work my ass off to correct my form and keep each style from overlaping but now it's great becase i can hit inswingers outswingers and lace drives with either foot.

[goyoureddevils]

The valve thing works in my experience, but try it yourself.

As for the driven outswingers and inswingers, start hitting some corner kicks this way, dropping them into the area between the pk spot and the 6, your teamates will love you.