Football Reach
Start free
Archie's Drills · S1E06

The penalty routine

Download the drill sheet (PDF, 955 KB)
Transcript

In experiments, a set routine helped players perform under pressure. Here's one to practise. You need a goal, a ball on the penalty spot eleven metres out on a full pitch, and a friend in goal with a whistle. Watch. Place the ball, walk back, breathe out, and shoot. First, pick your corner early and stick to it. Then, take your time after the whistle, never rush it. A review of studies found that practice with pressure helps. Our target is five penalties, then five more with a forfeit for every miss. Then take the free test at footballreach.com.

What it trains

A calm penalty routine for every kick, practised without pressure, then with a little. Meta-analyses found that, in experiments, routines and pressure training both helped performance under pressure; shootout studies show links only. A penalty is a skill to practise, not a lottery.

Set up

  • A goal
  • Ball on the spot
  • 11 m on an 11v11 pitch
  • A friend in goal

How it works

  1. Use the penalty mark on the pitch you play on: 11 m out in 11v11 (under-14s and up). Under-8s to under-13s play 5v5, 7v7 or 9v9, so use the mark on that pitch.
  2. A friend or parent goes in goal (or stands behind you as a watcher) and blows a whistle, or says go, for each kick.
  3. Place the ball, walk back the same number of steps every time, breathe out, and look at the goal and the keeper.
  4. Pick your corner early and stick to it. Wait for the whistle, take your time, then shoot.
  5. Round 1: 5 penalties with no pressure. Round 2: 5 more with a little pressure, such as points, someone watching, or a forfeit for each miss (5 keepy-ups).

Coaching points

  1. Pick your corner early. Before the whistle, look at the goal and the keeper, pick your corner early and stick to it through your run-up. In top-level shootouts, looking away from the keeper was more common on kicks where a miss meant defeat, and those kicks scored less often (a link, not proof).
  2. Take time after the whistle. You do not have to go the moment the whistle blows. Breathe out, then start your run-up. Pressure matters: in 409 international shootout kicks, how much a kick mattered was linked to misses, while skill and tiredness mattered less.

Not this

Rushing: running up the moment the whistle goes. In those shootouts, rushing was also more common on kicks where a miss meant defeat, which scored less often (a link, not proof).

Dose

  • 2 rounds of 5 penalties
  • Round 2: add a forfeit

Our target: 2 rounds of 5 penalties, with pressure added in round 2 (the Football Reach target, not an FA rule).

Harder / Easier

Harder

Raise the stakes, not the tiredness: more watchers, a running score, or sudden death (one miss ends it). Keep the routine the same.

Easier

No goal? Use two cones as posts (5 m apart suits younger players) and move the spot closer. Stay on round 1 until the routine feels automatic.

Safety

  • Only use a goal that is pegged or weighted down, and never hang or climb on the frame.
  • On hard ground the keeper stays on their feet: no diving saves.
  • Warm up first. Play on flat grass or a pitch, never a road or driveway, and keep windows, cars and onlookers clear of the goal and the space behind it.
  • If a shot hits the keeper in the head, stop. If in doubt, sit them out: a suspected concussion means stop straight away, no training for at least 24 hours and no matches for at least 21 days (UK concussion guidelines).

Sources

Not sure which skill to work on first? The free Football Reach test gives you a Player Development Score and shows which of the four corners of your game to work on next, in about two minutes.

Take the free test
Archie's Drills

More drills

All Psychological drills All drills