Love them or hate them we’re getting close to that time in the EUROs when penalties will decide a few results.
The penalty kick is often seen as a lottery by pundits and tv audiences alike, however, there are a few strategies you can use to tip the scales in your favour. So whether you’re taking one in the world cup or next best a your DADSVDADS match night 🤣(not quite the same pressure), you might want to read up on these tips to make sure you’re remembered as an Eric Dier and not a Chris Waddle.
1. Don’t get distracted! In 1997 a rule change meant that keepers could move along the goal line in a penalty shootout. It made it easier for keepers to wave their arms and try and distract the players from their task. Make sure you place the ball on the penalty spot and ignore the keeper, don’t let the Brue Grobbelaar legs distract you. And remember if the keeper comes forward off the line before it’s struck it’s a retake 😁💪.
2. Visualise where the ball should be going. Decide beforehand and don’t change your mind mid-way through the run-up. Picture the ball flying in the back of the net exactly where you intend to place it. Make sure you are not picturing in your mind row Z 🤣
3. Practice Practice Practice as often as you can. Preferably after a game so that we’re tired and concentration is harder. With enough practice taking a penalty will become automatic and we won’t have to think about it too much. That little Panenka penalty will loop in by second nature. Some say you can’t practice penalties for a shoot out because you can’t replicate the scenario. But if we were going to drive on our own on the road for the first time we’d like to think we’d have had some practice first right? 😁
At the end of our DADS v DADS Fantasy League games sometimes the players prefer to settle the result with a 3 player, no step penalty shoot out. So let your organiser know if you want to do that and of course send us the videos, we love to see a good (and better still really bad) penalty 🙌
